Friday
The UK authorities issued warnings of a freak rise in water levels in the North Sea yesterday, caused by a combination of tidal/atmospheric forces. There was a fear that flooding along the east coast of the UK - in places like the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts that are familiar to me - could be as bad as in 1953. Fortunately, some of those fears have abated, but not disappeared. The Thames Barrier flood defence has been put up. The warning was made in good time, so hopefully no lives are at risk. The report linked to here makes little mention of what the situation is on the other side of the North Sea, such as in the Netherlands. Odd.
Over here in the Netherlands they had the Dyke watch out, but there's been essentially no damage.
Bet the Guardian and Independent will be full of idiotic stories trying to link this to gorebull warming tomorrow (or even today).
Posted by Stoats at November 9, 2007 09:23 AM
A talking head on Skynews has just claimed the storm was caused by global warming:0
Posted by Kit at November 9, 2007 09:51 AM
Kit,
Get over it! You must've figured by now that everything from the unseasonably pleasant weather we've been having in Cheshire recently to the rehabilitation of Al Gore as a Great Man is due to global warming.
Posted by Nick M at November 9, 2007 09:59 AM
This morning's "Today" programme on Radio 4 mentioned that Dutch dyke patrols have been doubled for the first time in 30-something years, and the surge barrier at Rotterdam has been raised for only the second time since its construction.
Posted by Dave Walker at November 9, 2007 10:09 AM
Just checked the Dutch Internet News, apparently there was some water flowing over into the streets next to the harbours in the Wadden Islands, there was some damage in Noord Brabant, and the Rotterdam harbour gates were shut for the FIRST time ever, purely as a precaution (not because they were needed). another flood barrier on the oosterschelde was shut also
I can find no reference to DOUBLING the Dyke watch.
High winds coming from the North West plus a spring tide caused this, but of course it is easier to flog a certain horse...
Posted by Stoats at November 9, 2007 10:33 AM
No, hence why I didn't specify it as "dead" yet... but it will be. But, will we hear "we were wrong, sorry ", or "we knowingly pushed flawed models as if their outputs were real world data"? No, we won't. It will just go away quietly like overpopulation, acid rain, anthropogenic ozone depletion and people will move onto the next scare that will require an upheaval of society as we know it.
Let us hope it dies a quick death to limit the damage it can do
Posted by Stoats at November 9, 2007 11:52 AM
Bananas
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7085109.stm
Posted by Jason at November 9, 2007 11:55 AM
Bananas in the Netherlands!!!! Must be Global Warming at work again.
Posted by Another Expat at November 9, 2007 12:21 PM
The ski season in the Alps opened a month early this year (about which they have been extremely quiet in comparison to last years late ski season)... must be global warming
Record Antarctic sea ice extent this year... must be global warming too
Posted by Stoats at November 9, 2007 12:24 PM
Did I detect some abnormal curvative on those Dutch bananas, or are they just happy to finally see land?
Posted by Alisa at November 9, 2007 12:42 PM
Climate change was mentioned at approximately 08:03:12 at the end of the news story of the Norfolk surge on R$adio 4 8am news.
(I was waiting for it with a certain amount of inevitability).
Posted by Ian Grey at November 9, 2007 12:55 PM
"Over here in the Netherlands they had the Dyke watch out" -
The level of patriotism shown by your country's lesbians brings a lump to my throat.
Posted by WalterBoswell at November 9, 2007 01:55 PM
Well, I have never seen the Thames Barrier up before. I have a lovely view of it from the 36th floor at Canary Wharf, too.
Posted by Samizdata Illuminatus at November 9, 2007 02:03 PM
Re. blaming all this on GW: Watch out for Thames Barrier statistical skullduggery. I've also read that the barrier is closed more frequently due to a "reinterpretatation in closure criteria".
Posted by Rob Fisher at November 9, 2007 02:13 PM
I take it from your concern that there are UK citizens potentially at risk in the Nederlands.
Posted by DocBud at November 9, 2007 03:35 PM
There were some disappointed surfers....
Interesting to see the coverage by Sky news all morning when the peak had been reached at about 7am...
Posted by Pascal at November 9, 2007 04:02 PM
I suppose the warmers are aware that since the retreat of the glaciers covering the northern half of the British Isles at the end of the last ice age, it has been rising out of the sea while the southern half has been sinking?
No, probably not.
Posted by Sam Duncan at November 9, 2007 05:12 PM
