Weatherwise, Greenland is no 'Camelot'

The June 2010 issue of National Geographic Magazine has a very interesting, in my opinion, article entitled, "Greenland, Ground Zero for Global Warming."

As I've mentioned many times in this column over the past several years, Greenland is experiencing its warmest cycle since an even milder period 1,000 years ago during the days of the mighty Vikings, the conquering explorers of their day.

In 982, 'Erik the Red' and a small band of Norsemen, aka "the Vikings," landed on Greenland's southern coastline near Qaqortog.

He called this new land, "Greenland," because he believed that additional people would be "attracted to the country if it had a favorable name." Later, he tried to hide the riches of 'Iceland.'

Erik's marketing plan worked. Soon, there were at least 4,000 Norsemen settled in Greenland, mainly along sheltered fjords in the extreme southwestern coastal regions of the huge ice cube.

The Vikings raised sheep and some cattle. They grew vegetables like potatoes, cabbage and turnips, just like the 50 or so farmers are doing today in the exact same regions of Greenland, plus hay for their livestock.

Sometime around 1,000 A.D., Erik's son, Leif, set out from a farm about 35 miles northeast of Qaqortog and discovered North America nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

The Norsemen held on to their settlements for nearly four centuries until the 'Little Ice Age' forced them out of Greenland for good in the late 1300s with its brutal conditions.

Greenlanders today, all 56,000 of them, are seeking increased independence from Denmark, which has ruled the country since 1721. But, they still depend on the Danes to manage their vast mineral resources and domestic affairs. Denmark still supplies 70 percent of their food.

Without an even more 'moderate' climate, it's doubtful that Greenland will ever, at least in our lifetimes, 'turn green.' The country may never become economically independent from Denmark. To say the least, it's an extremely hostile and barren place.

When our sun suddenly went 'silent' in late 2007, the center of the Greenland Ice Sheet began to thicken again, especially during the 16-month span with virtually no 'sunspots' (solar storms) that extended into early 2009.

Last summer was "catastrophic" for Greenland's farmers and ranchers. They lost nearly half of their expected 2009 crops as hard freezes occurred each summer month. It was likewise so dry that the summer pastures, so vital to Greenland's fledgling livestock industry, were killed off by the combination of drought and abnormally cold temperatures between May and August of 2009.

What's next on Greenland's shaky meteorological horizon? With the recent death of the latest warm El Nino and lower than normal solar activity, it doesn't look good. Stay tuned.

NORTH IDAHO WEATHER REVIEW AND LONG-RANGE OUTLOOKS

Our long-standing spring of 2010 weather pattern of 'sun and showers' persists as of this pre-Memorial Day period across the Inland Empire. It's been abnormally wet and cool.

Just this past Monday morning, we saw sub-freezing temperatures in the region. The mercury at 5:35 a.m. on Player Drive in Coeur d'Alene dipped to a frosty 30 degrees, which tied the record low for the date originally set 60 years ago in 1950. A hard freeze damaged sensitive plants to the north of the city.

Rare late May measurable snowfalls were observed last weekend in the Missoula, Mont., and Boise areas. A 'trace' of the white stuff was reported northeast of Sandpoint on Saturday.

I'm still hoping for a warmer and drier trend to develop in our part of the country by Memorial Day, when this column will be read by many subscribers wishing to add outdoor activities to their holiday schedules. Rain or shine, we're planning a barbecue and games in the backyard. Afternoon highs today should be near 70 degrees.

Longer term, as I mentioned last week, I'm still forecasting a hotter and drier than normal summer of 2010 across the Inland Empire and locally as well in Camelot.

There may be as many as 25 to 30 toasty 'Sholeh Days' this summer at or above 90 degrees, great for outdoor activities including my favorite time of the year, the annual late August North Idaho Fair and Rodeo.

I'm still concerned about the rather high probabilities of disastrous forest and brush fires this season, but I don't foresee another catastrophic 1910, at least not yet.

Have a HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Cliff Harris is a climatologist who writes a weekly column for The Press. His opinions are his own. E-mail sfharris@roadrunner.com