I just found this site with a listing of the record low temperatures for 2008. I had no idea that so many records were broken on the low side this year. I do know that here in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania that it is no colder or warmer now than last year according to my heating bills, but so far this winter we have had more precipitation than normal.
Iceagenow.com proposes that ice ages start because precipitation increases, not because it is colder. Once snow cover starts to build up, the white surface will reflect the sun’s radiant heat back out into space and cool the Earth. Global precipitation has increased by about 20% since the middle of the last century, and many glaciers are actually expanding.
Got long johns?
I don’t get it. Spencer seems to be saying precipitation systems directly control water vapor levels and temperature. But ultimately it’s temperature that determines how much water vapor remains dissolved in the atmosphere. A seemingly modest but long-term forcing like CO2 accumulation influences water vapor levels. So I’m not sure how he can use precip systems as a basis for calling into question (again) the view that the ongoing human amplification of the greenhouse effect is primary.