Weather 101

[Tumbleweed]

I don't want to start a debate about why the earth is warming. I would just like some input as to whether my theory as to the results holds water.
The way I see it, weather is controlled by the temperature of sea water: El Nino, La nina et al.
Now suppose for whatever reason that water temperature rises beyond the normal varations of those events. The air above the water rises to above normal, the resulting rising column of air is bigger than normal, and hence the swirling low pressure system that forms becomes bigger than normal as well as its associated high pressure system, itself a function of the severity of the low. This can only mean one thing. Weather of ALL kinds becomes more severe: wind and rain/snow associated with the megalows, and cold snaps, droughts and heat waves associated with the megahighs
If one thinks of the Jet Stream a a sort of misshapen sine wave, with the open lows forming the bottom half (counter clockwise air motion) and the open highs forming the upper half (clockwise motion) what happens is that their amplitudes are simply increased due to warming waters
Second Muse: Does increasing cloud cover really act as a natural thermostat or does the fact that daytime temperatures are lowered while night time temperatures rise make it a wash, mean averagewise? And would increasing night time temperatures explain the demise of lowland ice?: The less time ice spends below freezing ( which usually occurs at night) the more time it spends melting. The rate during the less hot days would slow, but it would still be melting, nonetheless. And beyond a certain altitude, where night time temps would still spend enough time below freezing, there would be no decrease whatosover, and possibly an increase in ice if average precipitation increased due to all that increased cloud cover and more severe storms caused by warming water
So are glaciers a function of cloud cover?

[Ziggurat]

If the higher altitude air is warmer too, then the air lower down won't necessarily rise any faster at all. It is temperature gradients which drive winds, not temperatures themselves. Additionally, a very important component of weather is not just altitude variations in temperature but geographic (most notably latitude) variations as well. Global warming is expected to be more pronounced at the poles than at the equator. That would decrease temperature gradients, and might make weather milder. But these are very complex systems, and hand-waving arguments don't really prove anything. Chances are weather will become more severe in some locations, less severe in other locations, and probably won't change much at all in still others.

[drzeus99]

<snip>

or does the fact that daytime temperatures are lowered while night time temperatures rise make it a wash, mean averagewise?


So, in what part of the world do night time temperatures normally rise
(more than in just a handleful of days)? :confused:

[arthwollipot]

So, in what part of the world do night time temperatures normally rise
(more than in just a handleful of days)? :confused:I think TW was referring to the average night time temperatures rising as an effect of global warming.

It appears to me to be the case that in the tropics, the variance between the daytime and the nighttime temperatures is lower than at temperate latitudes. TW was referring to this lower variance being applied more widely. I think.

[Tumbleweed]

I meant that average night time temperatures at a given altitude and location over a period of time go up due to the increased cloud cover inhibiting the radiation of heat into space that normally occurs on clear nights
If this lack of radiation causes the temp at that location to stay above freezing, the glacier melts during the night as well as the day. There has to be a quantifiable point where that causes retreat rather than advance or stability. Of course other factors come into play such as amount of precipitation

[fishbob]

So are glaciers a function of cloud cover?
Glaciers are a little more complicated than that.
Simply, glaciers result from long-term snowfall in excess of melting.
This condition can be a influenced by way too many factors to list here, but a few are: terrain, annual snowfall, summer high temps, number of days with temps above freezing, wind, rainfall, and more.