@farmerman,
Quote:Gores thing is like the rooster telling us that hes in charge of the sunrise.
Definitely. A perfect comparison.
Climate is controlled by the pattern of continents and mountains, which in turn control ocean currents and distribution or lack of shallow seas. The main external contributor is the sun affecting the range of smaller climate systems that the previously mentioned can produce. As you would expect, these factors take at least hundreds if not thousands of years to change. In the case of continents and mountains, the biggies of the world, they change at the same pace you grow nails, or in other words, take millions of years to change.
Weather systems are not understood but because it is a function of the things that climate is also a function of, the climate and weather have become intermingled. To separate climate and weather : Firstly, the planet has many minor climates and an overall world climate pattern; Secondly, these minor climates, depending on their factors, have variation in annual patterns that we call weather. Weather cycles are not understood in the long term. Is a flood a 100 year flood or a 1,000 year flood ? It is totally dependant on record keeping. Records with increasing unreliabilty only go back roughly to the end of the Little Ice Age. The British Navy ship's logs record weather and Napoleons scientists followed him on campaing recording weather. 150 years ago roughly there was an attempt at world wide record keeping which meant weather stations grew in increasing numbers. These are flawed because they record the min and max temps then they assume the mid point is also the average temp. Recently, 30 years ago, satellite data has been accurately measuring the worlds temps. 30 years is nothing. Ever heard of a 100 year flood ? The last 10 years have been getting cooler, or as the Global Warming Thuggees like to say, negative warming. Anyway, they are measuring weather. Refer back to the start for the things that control climate.