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Sermon 5/15/16
Slave Girl, website
http://churchoftheincarnation.org/wp-content/uploads/802_0174.mp3
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
In the Name of God: Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Amen.
I believe in freedom of the press. I believe that the Internet should be open and accessible. I think that political opinions shouldn't be censored by government.
I think that creative people should be able to express their ideas and make their art and direct their films. I don't believe that I'm puritanical—at least, no more puritanical than the typical person of my age and background!
And yet, I find that there are limits to my support of free speech. For example, I'm uncomfortable about much of the language spoken on television shows; it seems unpleasantly crude. Jokes are made about bodily functions and body parts. Characters in drama series swear frequently.
I don't think I'm being overly pious. In general, people should be free to say what they want to say. But I get an uneasy feeling about all this bad language.
In today's Gospel, Jesus gives his own take on free speech. He says, "There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." The things that come out of our mouths get us in moral trouble.
Christ is referring here to Hebrew dietary laws. These rules prohibited eating certain foods, such as pork, and—as Jesus notes—Jews were required to perform ritual washing of their hands and utensils before they ate. These laws were important to the people of Israel because they reinforced their identity. They marked the difference between Jews and non-Jews.
It's not surprising, then, that one of the worst conflicts in the early Church pitted converts from Judaism who wanted to keep the dietary rules of their original faith against Christian converts from pagan religion who had never followed these rules.
Eventually, the church reached a fortunate compromise that allowed it to grow: Hebrew Christians could keep the old laws if they wanted to, while pagan Christians could eat what they wanted.
So it came to pass that believers were identified as followers of Christ not by what went into their mouths but by the words that came out of their lips.
Past generations of churchgoers agreed that Christians shouldn't swear.
Christians cared about their words. They wanted what they said to reflect who they were: human beings bound for an eternal Kingdom. So Christians would try to avoid crude language; it was unworthy of the children of God.
These days, we worry much less about vulgar speech. Maybe this isn't a bad thing. Maybe we are freer as a result. We can certainly be less inhibited! Maybe we can be less uptight than Christians used to be without jeopardizing our faith.
I once knew a clergyman whose private conversation was filled with four letter words! I was amazed that he could get away with this! Yet he was as caring a pastor as you could find, much loved by his people. Members of his congregation were willing to ignore the profanity of the priest's words because the priest himself was so genuine.
I question, though, whether the condition of the human race is improved by vulgar language. Using sitcom language in real life certainly isn't the worst of sins; but I don't know that our mimicking of TV shows contributes much to the Kingdom of God!
And there's a deeper reason to watch what we say. As Jesus taught, "It is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come."
Jesus gives 12 examples of these "evil intentions": "fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly." Quite a list!
"Fornication" and "licentiousness" might be encouraged by the vulgar TV and movie language I referred to earlier. But the sin of envy, for instance, is also fostered by what we say. We're jealous of the success of a rival at work, so we use malicious gossip to try to tear her down in the eyes of others.
Another example of what shouldn't come out of our mouths would be "hate speech." While bigoted lies about certain groups might be guaranteed by the Constitution, in terms of Christ's teaching, it creates an atmosphere that can be "murderous."
At the same time, it's worth remembering that good things can also come out of our mouths. Our words can nurture life and health and community. In painful situations, we can offer kind words–helpful words—healing words.
And, after all, there is such a thing as good swearing. In a court of law, witnesses take the oath: "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God."
In a similar way, if you're wrongly accused of making an error at work, you defend yourself with the words: "I didn't do it—I swear!" This kind of swearing shows your commitment to truth.
The spiritual point Jesus was making is this: when we pay attention to our language, we're paying attention to what is going on in our souls. Controlling our language can help us to control our emotions.
At one time, scientists challenged the value of this control. Psychologists advised their patients that when they got angry, it was therapeutic for them to "let off steam." Freud proposed the model of the pressure cooker, where if someone holds anger inside without letting it out, it will build to dangerous levels – like steam in a pressure cooker will build if it is not vented.
So, it was thought that expressing your anger would allow you to get the bad emotion out of your system. However, recent research suggests the opposite conclusion. While people report that they feel better after venting, they actually become more angry.
Negative self-expression takes a toll. As the venom flows out of our mouths, we savor it.
I once knew another clergyman who had a quick temper. He didn't swear, but he rarely passed up an opportunity to get in a quarrel! I would guess that some of his happiest moments were spent in feuding with bishops! Yet he was a good example of someone who should have held his tongue. Although those of us who knew this priest loved his forceful personality, we knew that his free speech could get the better of him, and we should steer clear of him when he was in a bad mood.
Of course, actions can be more important than words. It's better to have a kind employer whose language is rough than a boss with pristine speech who treats his workers badly.
In the end, it's that evil intention that counts. Why do we say what we say? If we feel the anger leads us to swear, we can ask what is in our souls that's making us mad. And we can ask God to put something better in our hearts.
And now unto that same God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be ascribed as is most justly due all might, majesty, power, dominion, and praise, now and forever. Amen.
Jn. 6.51-58
The words of today's Gospel are familiar to regular churchgoers. They are repeated in one form or another every time the bread and wine of the Eucharist are shared.
Yet to someone hearing them for the first time, these words could be shocking. "Jesus said, 'I am the living bread that came down from heaven…the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."
The context of this passage is a discussion Christ is having with Hebrew leaders about the nature of his mission. They hear his words and they're shocked! The leaders ask the common sense question: "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
But Jesus sticks by his prediction: "Very truly, I tell you," he says, "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you."
And to be sure the point is made, Jesus goes on to say, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.''
These images certainly get our attention. They're puzzling. They're disturbing. But I don't think they're a challenge to faith.
On the contrary: these words are intended to deepen our faith. For Christ is giving us a way that we can get closer to God. The bread and wine remind us that we can actually share the life of the divine.
St. Paul said that we "live in Christ;" he claimed that Christ "lives in us." We are part of a community united by the Spirit of Christ. In fact, the unity we find is so strong that we can think of ourselves not just as one in the Spirit of Christ but part of the Body of Christ. Which is precisely what Jesus tells us in today's Gospel.
The vivid language Jesus uses has another purpose. It reminds us that Christ's spirit comes to us in the bread and the wine of the sacrament. These "elements" of the rite, as they are called, are a unique way of coming to feel the shared life of God's Kingdom.
Over the centuries, of course, Christians have tried to dig deeper. They have asked what the Eucharist means in philosophical or theological terms. Our Anglican tradition explains the sacrament by the doctrine of the "real presence."
This understanding was formulated in reaction to the theological controversies of the English Reformation in the 1500's. When the Church of England broke away from the Pope, it attempted to combine the best ideas of the Roman Catholic Church with the most useful concepts of the Protestant churches.
The split between Catholics and Protestants had originally occurred in part because of a disagreement about the Mass. Catholics claimed that the substance of the bread and wine changed into the substance of Christ's body; this doctrine was called, "transubstantiation."
Protestants like John Calvin, on the other hand, felt that the Eucharist had become too prominent in the church's life. People became so obsessed with it that a lot of magical thinking revolved around it.
Protestants thus felt that the best thing was to see the ritual as a symbol of the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus died once on the Cross. The Holy Communion is only a reminder of that original sacrifice, not a new sacrifice.
The doctrine of the Real Presence aims to keep the strengths of each position. Like the Protestants, Anglicans recognize the dangers of superstitious belief in the Eucharist. So we purposely leave the metaphysics vague. We don't get specific about "what happens" at the Lord's Table.
But, like the Roman Catholics, we do believe that something happens. We believe that when the rite is properly celebrated, there is a unique divine presence—the spirit of God that was incarnate in his Son Jesus when Jesus was on earth also comes to us, today. God-in-Christ is present. Really!
Now if you're still perplexed about the meaning of the Eucharist—well, don't be surprised that you're perplexed! After all, the communion service is referred to as the "holy mysteries."
I have sometimes pointed this out when I talk with parents about their children receiving communion. Children can come to the altar rail so long as they are baptized and the parents agree they can receive.
But some parents have asked me, "What if my child doesn't understand the doctrines associated with Communion".
My answer is that no one completely understands this ceremony! Bishops, theologians, saints—no one can comprehend how the Almighty God, the creator of all things becomes present to us in ordinary food and drink.
No wonder, then, that individual responses to the sacrament can vary quite a lot. At the communion rail, some of us think of the man, Jesus, and his compassion for all human beings.
Others of us sometimes have a general feeling of divine love. Others of us will have a less defined experience–yet we will often leave church with an awareness that we have been fed. Our spiritual hunger has been satisfied.
Whatever we feel, our Anglican view of sacraments is valuable. As we say, a sacrament is "an outward sign of an inward grace." So, in rites like the communion service or baptism or marriage, God always acts.
The failings of the priest or the imperfections of the worshippers don't matter. When the outward signs are present—the bread and wine of communion, the water of baptism, the wedding vows–God will deliver the inward grace. That's the reason for the bold language. God is a real presence.
Now in our culture today, the term, "real" is supposed to be a guarantee of authenticity—like cookies made with "real butter."
But "real" is a tricky word. For example, what does it mean to say that some food has "real butter flavor?" Does the food have butter in it or not?
When people ask the question, "Really?" they're wondering if something is what it claims to be. For the Christian, what's really real lies beyond the material. It is in the spiritual that we find the deepest reality.
I believe the spiritual was present in our Assembly Hall on Friday, when the Vacation Bible School students had their closing communion service. There were many non-Anglican children there who were receiving Christ for the first time. They couldn't have been able to describe the doctrine of the Real Presence. But they were able to realize they were in the presence of something beyond the ordinary. Something Spiritual. Something Holy. Something Real.
And now unto God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit be ascribed as is most justly due all might, majesty, power, dominion, and praise, now and forever. Amen.
2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a
We aren't the best judges of ourselves. As the old joke reminds us! "Denial isn't just a river in Egypt."
Besides being a river, "Denial" is delusion about ourselves – delusion that we cling to with all our hearts. A woman believes that she's always the life of the party. In reality, her constant craving for attention and awkward jokes make the people around her uncomfortable. Often she is the death of the party.
Now we may think that we have a treatment that will cure these delusions about ourselves. For example, we have the benefits of psychology to tell us who we really are.
The science of psychology reveals our unconscious desires and motivations. Psychotherapists can employ their subtle methods to help us unlock the secrets of our hearts and after we get therapy, we don't pretend that we're people that we're not.
But sometimes denial can't be overcome by science. Sometimes denial is a moral problem, not a medical one. Today's Old Testament reading presents a breathtaking case. In the story, Nathan, a Hebrew prophet, functions like a psychiatrist; he helps David see himself as he really is.
The Bible's account of David's affair with Bathsheba extends over several chapters of the Second Book of Samuel; bits of the story have been assigned for our lessons during several recent Sunday services.
The story begins when David looks out from his palace balcony and sees a beautiful woman bathing. Being a king, he has the power to summon the woman named Bathsheba to his presence. David has her brought to his palace, and he seduces her.
Bathsheba turns out to be married. She is the wife of Uriah the Hittite, an officer in the army of Israel.
David, however, finds a way to rid himself of the inconvenient husband. He sends Uriah out into a harsh battle, having arranged beforehand for the troops around him to retreat. The Hebrew soldiers fall back, and Uriah finds himself alone and overwhelmed by the enemy. Despite his bravery, he is slain.
As today's portion of the story begins, the period of mourning for Uriah is over and King David adds Bathsheba to his collection of wives. But God won't let David get away with this outrage. He sends the prophet Nathan to David and Nathan tells David a story:
"There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing but one little lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him.
"Now there came a traveler to visit the rich man, and the rich man was loath to take one of his own flock to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him."
David is furious when he hears of the rich man's greed. He said to Nathan, "the man who has done this deserves to die; he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity." Then Nathan replies, in unforgettable words: "You are the man!"
King David had many virtues. He was the brave conqueror of the giant Goliath and the Philistines. He was a fine musician and a brilliant composer. History regards him as the greatest of Israel's kings. The early Church saw him as an ancestor of Jesus, the Messiah, who was known as the "Son of David."
And yet what David did to poor Uriah is appalling. The king had access to a number of women, a power kings possessed in those days. Uriah, though had just his one cherished "lamb"—his one lovely wife. And yet David took Bathsheba away from Uriah and arranged for his death.
"You are the man." Imagine what David felt when he heard those words. He was "the man"—whatever his virtues, he was a cruel and selfish person.
And imagine what the people of Israel thought when they heard this story. If the great David could be so blind to his failings, what about them? What about ordinary people?
This story reminds us of the dangers of submitting ourselves to supreme rulers. As one of the Psalms advises: "Put not your trust in princes." But the story also should remind us that however wise we are, we can never be sure that we're really behaving the way we believe we are.
Think of the excuses we come up with to justify our self-indulgence. Recall, for instance, a time when you were tempted to have a late night snack—of course, that would be a snack with miniscule nutritional value and lots of calories!
To justify the snack, you pretended to yourself that the food would make you sleep better. Or that you thought that you deserved a little treat after a long day of work. Or you told yourself that your treat wouldn't be bad for you. A simple action—supported by a complicated web of denial!
Or think of a casual remark you made one day to a friend. Without realizing it, you hurt his feelings so he calls you on it—you respond that you didn't mean any offense.
Only much later, days later, do you admit to yourself that you did want to insult your friend. You were jealous of his success, and you wanted to try to pull him down a little.
In the end of the story, King David confesses to the prophet Nathan: "I have sinned against the LORD." It's no wonder that our liturgy reminds us so often of our sinfulness. We might prefer not even to hear the word, "sin"—much less consider our actions that fall into that category. But it's there, nevertheless.
Denial is real. Sin is real.
Yet so is confession. And so is forgiveness.
And so is freedom – the real freedom from delusion and selfishness that comes when we acknowledge our imperfections before God and accept His generous grace.
Psalm 14/Ephesians 3
A recent poll has gotten a lot of church leaders worried.
The poll by the Pew Research Center claims that the percentage of Americans who don't profess any faith or who claim to be atheists has increased dramatically in the last few years.
Researchers were surprised to learn that 23% of our citizens classify themselves as not believing in any religion. The percentage of atheists and agnostics doubled from 3.5% to 7% of the population. Equally worrisome for the future of the church: the younger persons polled tended to be more skeptical than the older ones.
Many explanations have been offered for these poll results. I would speculate that some people who have always been indifferent to religion now feel free to admit that they are unbelievers. In these cases, people aren't becoming more unreligious—just more honest about what they don't believe.
Researchers have suggested that other respondents may have been swayed by the anti-religious arguments of some recent best-selling authors. Still others may simply be turned off by the violence and extremism of the religious fanatics who are now in the news. In these cases, declining church affiliation is predictable, and it shouldn't surprise us.
But whatever the cause, "atheism" has become a more common word than it used to be. Those widely-read authors I mentioned—such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins–are now sometimes referred to as the "New Atheists."
Yet it's questionable just how "new" this skepticism really is. For example, today's Psalm—which is at least 2,500 years old—talks about an atheist. And it happens to have some very interesting things to say about unbelief.
Psalm 14 begins, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Of course the Psalms are written from a religious point of view. For Hebrews, God certainly did exist. Theism is taken for granted, so from the Hebrew perspective, saying in your heart that there isn't any God is indeed foolish!
But if we look further at the text, we see that it has something to say to teach modern people, whatever their belief or non-belief. For example, according to the text, the fool says there is no God. That is, he states it as a fact. The non-existence of the divine is therefore a conclusion that the fool has reached in his mind.
Yet, also according to the text, the fool says there is no God "in his heart." The Psalm writer thus suggests that a person can disbelieve in two ways: mentally in his mind, or emotionally in his soul. The atheist can think that God is an impossible concept. Or she can feel indifferent to religion.
This distinction is important for us who have faith and want to share it. It implies that we should adopt different strategies to approach intellectual atheists than we employ to address emotional atheists.
For instance, we could respond to the intellectual skeptic by referring to the arguments of the many Christian philosophers writing today. These thinkers present a coherent defense of belief in God that incorporates modern logic and scientific research.
Take the belief in life after death. Some Christian philosophers have argued that the idea of immortality that the Bible talks about can now be described as taking place in another dimension – like those described in modern physics.
Physicists contend that there may be 6 or 7 dimensions beyond the three dimensions of space and single dimension of time that we now know. Perhaps our souls go into one of these dimensions when we die. That seems possible.
Life in Heaven would still be a mystery—but it wouldn't be a total mystery. Eternal life with God would remain a hope for Christians.
What, then, about emotional atheists? How could their doubts be overcome?
Well, they might be moved by forms of worship. Many people attend our carol services at Christmas even though they're not regular churchgoers. These visitors often respond to the services at the level of feeling. For emotional atheists, worship suggests warmth and community and transcendence – gifts that are hard to find in a purely secular environment.
Today's Psalm also has some advice for those of us who already possess religious faith. For the Psalm goes on to say, "The LORD looks down from heaven upon us all, to see if there is any who is wise, if there is one who seeks after God."
The wise person, unlike the fool, searches for the divine. Notice that, on this view, it isn't achieving some high level of belief that pleases God. Rather, what's important is the attempt you make to "seek after God."
If you're smart, you'll know what's good for you. And it's good for you always to be looking for more spiritual knowledge. For that spiritual knowledge helps you figure out what's important to you at any given moment – what will make you content with your life.
In that regard, it's interesting that the same polls that have charted a decline of religious belief have also noted a trend that goes in the opposite direction. Surveys of believers and non-believers have consistently indicated that believers are happier.
It's not clear why. Perhaps because religious people have more control over their appetites, so they don't abuse their bodies like the unreligious. (I myself don't find this argument persuasive. All human beings are tempted by self-indulgence. Religious people may be happier than non-religious but I don't think we're morally superior.)
Nor does religion necessarily make life easier. Christians have a responsibility to care for the poor, for example. According to our ideals, as long as there is someone suffering, somewhere in the world we are bound to care for that person. This is who we are, and if the suffering of others makes us feel guilty until we do something about it—well, that guilt comes with the territory. That's part of bearing the Cross of Christ in a fallen world.
Still, it really shouldn't surprise us that religious people are happier. If indeed there is wisdom in the religious quest, then there should be benefits to that wisdom. So we may gain an increasing sense of God's care for us. And we may have fewer anxieties as we become more confident that God is on our side.
As the Bible also says, "There is nothing new under the sun." Atheists come and go. And there are always fools who rush to follow them.
Fortunately, there is an option for those who search for spiritual truth. As St. Paul says, we can "know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge." And in that love, we "may be filled with all the fullness of God."
Commentary on contemporary problems of church and society, with responses from the congregation.
Church of the Incarnation - An Episcopal Church in Murray Hill New York, NY
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Good Sunday Songs
May 21, 2017 / countrymusicanalytics	/ Leave a comment
Each day of the week is almost like a mini stage in life attached to certain activities and emotions and I like country songs that speak to this. Songs like George Jones' "Finally Friday" and Garth's (and Jones') "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)" – neither written by Jones or Brooks – and Steve Azar's "I Don't Have to Be Me ('til Monday)" – co-written by Azar – are great Friday songs. They're about checking out of work and blowing off steam from the week maybe with some beers. The feel of a day like Friday or Monday or Wednesday is more straightforward, but Sunday has its own, less obvious, feel: basically collecting from the past week/end and the Take-This-Job-And-Shove-It-bosses and all of those George Jones six packs, reflecting with self, God and family and resting (and gearing) up for things to come.
Zac Brown Band's "No Hurry" is one of the great Sunday songs. It's great for a lot of reasons, but in terms of lyrical content really hits the Sunday vibe. ZBB explicitly ignores of the boss calling on the telephone, household chores that need to be done and bills to be paid in favor of relaxing retreat:
There's nothing wrong with an old cane fishing pole / and the smell of early spring
Sit down in a fold-up easy chair / on a quiet, shady river bank
Let the world go on without me / wouldn't have it any other way,
cause I ain't in no hurry today
The song takes the Sunday concept a little further, as a broader approach to life, and also focuses on getting right with the Lord – faith a core of the Sunday reflection and improvement themes.
Toby Keith hits the same themes in "My List". This is fine song, not written by Keith but delivered well. The narrator starts off crossing lots of weekend chores off the to-do list, but then comes around to those more important things in life to take care of. The strength of this song (in addition to the direct but soft rhymes) is the really nice things on that life list:
like go for a walk, say a little prayer
take a deep breath of mountain air
put on my glove and play some catch
wade the shore and cast a line
look up a long lost friend of mine
sit on the porch and give my girl a kiss
raise a little hell, laugh 'til it hurts
put an extra five in the plate at church
call up my folks, just to chat
stay up late, then oversleep
show her what she means to me
start livin'
Listing activities turns out to be a pretty effective means of conveying the Sunday theme. By sort of aggregating the feelings associated with each individual listed activity set in context, we get a sum total of Sunday. Craig Morgan's "That's What I Love About Sunday" does it the same way, listing out church-going and family BBQ imagery in particular along with other typical Sunday activities. My favorite verse is:
I stroll to the end of the drive / pick up the Sunday Times / grab my coffee cup
It looks like Sally and Ron / finally tied the knot / well it's about time
It's 35 cents off of ground round / Baby cut that coupon out!
That's what I love about Sunday
The wedding announcements are a nice Sunday tradition, and it's also the vivid routine of lazily and leisurely walking down to the end of the driveway to grab the paper. And it's especially, in the context of the love- and family-oriented song, the family-driven and romantic love with which we imagine the narrator pouring over the coupons with his wife. The music videos and album artwork associated with these songs are consistent with the themes: the narrator being outside communing with nature (even holding church outside), creating lasting memories with kids (of course weaving in baseball, what could be stronger father-and-song bonding?), retreating with and protecting family or laying on a couch looking up to God in the middle of a wide open field.
Other songs get at the same theme without such explicit listing. Alabama's "I'm in a Hurry (And Don't Know Why)" is also a great Sunday song. While the tempo of the song is clearly in the "I'm in a Hurry" vein of the title, the content repudiates the rushing mentality and messages a slow down. Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Coming Down" – one scarcely imagines being sung by anyone other than Johnny Cash – is another great example. The song starts with the fallout from (and a bit of continuation of) the previous Saturday night and quickly turns to introspective reflection with the narrator taking in the Sunday sights, sounds and smells – kids playing, church songs and bells ringing, frying chicken – and engaging with God in thinking about the course of his life.
The feeling of Sunday is multi-faceted and hard to dig into and meaningfully capture, but I think there's really a huge payoff in the form of such nice music when songs put this task in focus and are able to execute successfully.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Natty Watters joins me for a fun and eventful podcast. Natty shares some fun and awesome news and we explore some odd news stories. Apartment leases with odd requirements, removing teeth to set a world record, odd Father's Day gifts and what you shouldn't make the theme of your restaurant.
If you have paid any attention to our Facebook page, you have seen that there have been several recent blog posts by Carrie McCloud and Carrie has had some adversity thrown at her recently.
On this podcast I sit down with Carrie and she talks about life and what she has had to face.
Amber and I play a fun game of Two Truths and a Lie. This and more with my funny friend.


Citation Paugy, D., K. Traoré and P.S. Diouf, 1994. Faune ichtyologique des eaux douces d'Afrique de l'Ouest. p.35-66. In G.G. Teugels, J.F. Guégan and J.J. Albaret (eds.) Biological diversity of African fresh-and brackish water fishes. Geographical overviews presented at the PARADI Symposium, Senegal, 15-20 November 1993. Ann. Mus. R. Afr. Centr., Sci. Zool., 275:177 p.


black-stem rust A disease which affects a wide range of cereals and other grasses. Symptoms include the appearance on stems and leaves of patches of reddish-brown spores. The causal agent is a fungus, Puccinia graminis; this organism requires two hosts to complete its life cycle, the other host being the barberry (Berberis).
"black-stem rust." A Dictionary of Ecology. . Encyclopedia.com. 22 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
black-stem rust A disease that affects a wide range of cereals and other grasses. Symptoms include the appearance on stems and leaves of patches of reddish-brown spores. The causal agent is a fungus, Puccinia graminis; this organism requires two hosts to complete its life cycle, the other host being the barberry (Berberis).
"black-stem rust." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. . Encyclopedia.com. 22 Apr. 2019 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.


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Success at 2017 AHR Expo
From The President's Desk: Success at the 2017 AHR Expo
From The President's Desk:
Success at the 2017 AHR Expo
By Keith Coursin, President, Desert Aire Corp.
Desert Aire was one of the many exhibitors at the 2017 AHR Expo in Las Vegas this past January. As a company we were very pleased with the results of the show, and statistically it was the largest AHR Expo in history! There were over 2,000 exhibitors who set a net show space record of 500,000 square feet with over 68,000 people walking the show floors.
Showcasing New Dehumidification Equipment, New Energy Metrics
The Desert Aire booth showcased several new dehumidification equipment products. More importantly, we provided an introduction to 2 new energy metrics. The metrics were recently added to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 -- Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. Standard 90.1 has been a benchmark for commercial building energy codes in the United States. It's also been a key basis for codes and standards around the world for more than 35 years. Standard 90.1 specifically has added two new dehumidification metrics.
The first new metric provides a moisture removal efficiency measurement for indoor pool dehumidifiers. This new term referred to as "MRE" is defined in AHRI Standard 910, Performance Rating of Indoor Pool Dehumidifiers. Desert Aire is proud to announce that its line of indoor pool dehumidifiers is compliant with this new metric.
The metric provides a measurement of pounds of condensate per kilowatt of power input. This provides an ability to measure the energy efficiency of indoor pool dehumidifiers in a similar way that an energy efficiency ratio (EER) was defined for air conditioners. The rating occurs at a typical pool condition of 820F/60% RH.
The second metric provides a solution to the more complicated subject of rating DX-DOAS systems. This new addition to the ASHRAE 90.1 standard provides a definition of Integrated Seasonal Moisture Removal Efficiency (ISMRE); and Integrated Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (ISCOP) if the system is a heat pump.
These metrics are defined in ANSI/AHRI Standard 920 Performance Rating of DX-Dedicated Outdoor Air System Units. This standard recognizes 13 different classifications of DX-DOAS systems. Desert Aire announced that its DOAS systems not only meet this standard, they exceed it by up to two times whether the metric used is ISMRE or ISCOP.
The standard is now a tool that design engineers can use to place a simple metric within their HVAC system specifications. Doing so ensures their customers achieve the goals of properly treating ventilation air, but doing so by using the most energy efficient method.
Co-Starring The GrowAire™ Series
Desert Aire's booth also featured our GrowAire™ series of environmental control systems for the grow room and indoor farming industry. These grow room dehumidification systems eliminate the need to install separate air conditioning systems for lights-on modes and dehumidifiers for lights-off modes. By integrating environmental control needs into a single system customers can maintain precise vapor pressure deficits (differentials) to increase their crop yields, while eliminating the moisture that can cause mold and mildew damage.
Advancing ASHRAE Causes
Across town at the ASHRAE Winter Conference, Desert Aire engineering executives were helping to advance the Society's causes as well as the standards and technologies that impact Desert Aire customers and their building users. On Monday there was the meeting of Technical Committee 9.8 Large Building Air-Conditioning Applications. Tuesday, Desert Aire executives met with industry peers at the meeting of Technical Committee 8.10 Mechanical Dehumidification Equipment And Heat Pipes.
A Bright Future With Multistack
Finally, Desert Aire was pleased to announce its acquisition by Multistack (visit http://www.multistack.com), another quality HVAC industry firm that focuses on energy efficient systems as it provides solutions to the chiller segment. It's exciting to think of future possibilities and the new products the united companies can create.
For those of you who could not travel to Las Vegas, please visit the Resources/Video Gallery area of Desert Aire's website and watch "Showtime!", a short video with highlights of our AHR Expo experiences. The video does a great job showing everyone's enthusiasm at our booth.
— Keith Coursin
Desert-aire.com Notes: For more information on performance ratings for DX-Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems, refer to Desert Aire's Application Note 24 — AHRI 920 Performance Rating and Comparisons of DX-DOAS Unit Efficiency; available in the Resources/Document Library area of our website.


Originally Aired: 02/01/19 – We review Reign of the Supermen. We celebrate our 9th anniversary with J. Torres, Matthew Rosenberg and Tim Rozon.
Our review of Reign of the Supermen starring Jerry O'Connell, Rebecca Romijn and Rainn Wilson. SUPERMAN IS DEAD. But now, four mysterious beings appear–all with the powers and abilities of the Man of Steel! One claims he is a clone from the DNA of Superman. Another–half-man and half-machine–says he is Superman with a cyborg body. Still another, a cold redeemer of justice, states that he alone has the right to wear the "S" shield. And, finally, an armored figure who says he fights with the heart and soul of Superman. Who is the true Superman?
We also celebrate our 451st episode & 9th year on air at Reality Radio 101. Joining us in studio for the show is J. Torres.
We also talk with com That's right is that time of year again where we present our Froggy Awards to the guests we have spoken to in 2018. With the help of our 2012 Golden Grant Award Winner J. Torres. He joins us in studio to help once again give out the award to our Best Comic Creator Guest of 2018 – aka The Golden Grant Award. Matthew Rosenberg called in to accept his award and speak with us about Uncanny X-Men, The Punisher and more. We also gave out the award for the Best Video Interview of 2018 After much deliberation, we gave this award to Megan Follows who Andrew spoke with at Toronto ComiCon 2018 for her many roles in her career check out the full video here. And finally, the award for our Guest of the Year 2018 went to actor/cowboy/mustache Tim Rozon (Doc Holiday on Wynonna Earp)! Tim joined us via phone to accept his award and talk with us about the Wynonna fans, comics and answer some fan questions.
Plus exclusively for our $4/month+ Patreon supporters, our latest Geek Hard Extra After Credits segment discussing the DC Universe Titans show with J. Torres.


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A Look at What Christmas Was Like During the Great Depression
During the Great Depression, many families had to make do on very little, though not everyone suffered the same fate. Some businesses prospered during the 1930s, despite the hardships that many people faced. Some folks barely got by. Still, with some amounts of relief coming in from the efforts of government agencies like the Farm Security Administration and the Works Progress Administration the occasional family was able to celebrate the Christmas season with lights and trees. Have a look at what Christmas was like during the Great Depression.
Christmas 1938 for these unemployed men was a shack with a barrel fire for warmth and a bare pine tree outside for decoration. Via/ Library of Congress
"The cook on a fishing boat in Charleston, South Carolina, peeling potatoes for Christmas dinner." 1938. Via/ Library of Congress
"Toys and dolls mended by workers: many of the dolls are made available to underprivileged children through Toy Lending Libraries, given to WPA Nursery Schools, and some are given out at Christmas time for children to keep." 1935. Via/ U.S. National Archives
Santa on the stoplight pole on Main Street, 1936. Via/ U.S. National Archives
There's no Christmas tree in this 1935 bed-sit, but is that a turkey wrapped in cloth on the table? Via/ Library of Congress
"Christmas dinner in home of Earl Pauley. Near Smithfield, Iowa. Dinner consisted of potatoes, cabbage and pie." 1936. Via/ Library of Congress
"Children of H.H. Tripp wrapping presents for Christmas. Near Dickens, Iowa. Tripp operates his mother's farm." 1936. Via/ Library of Congress
Not a holiday decoration in sight, but we have to wonder if she'll make a pumpkin pie from that ripe specimen on the table. 1935. Via/ Library of Congress
Notice the small Christmas tree on the pole and all the toys on sidewalk. 1935. Via/ Library of Congress
Living room, bedroom, and nursery all in one, but this lucky family still had a Christmas tree. 1940. Via/ Library of Congress
8 ways macaroni helped Depression families get by: Click "Next Page" below!
The Baroque Jewel Box Hidden in the Austrian Countryside


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Is Paradise on Bended Knees as a Result of Corona? Sweet #758
To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep the mind strong and clear." – Buddha
I am mentally exhausted, too tired to pen this piece, however, will power pushes me towards the keyboard.
This virus tests the mental fortitude of every single individual. It is In times like these family, friendships and your faith in God comes into focus.
"Courage isn't having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don't have strength."
– Napoléon Bonaparte
What a week!!!
An eventful week for every concerned citizen of Saint Lucia. This week we mourned as a country the passing of two of our sisters due to the dreadful corona virus. The number of cases rose exponentially.
Fair Helen is on bended knees as the corona virus has savagely ravaged her beauty. Her children show signs of helplessness. Navigation seems almost impossible as visuals are blurred. The captain responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the ship has fallen asleep! Sadly, the ship floods while crew members in a mad dash grabbed a life jacket. The ship slowly descends into the underworld.
Mother Helen's Children
Why must the people of Fair Helen continue to suffer? The shepherd hibernates and must be awoken before imminent disaster occurs.
The Corona Virus manifested its ugly head on the soil of Fair Helen, March 13th, 2020. This virus was new to the world. St. Lucia was by no means immune from its deadly horns. The tight grip of its claws has left the stench of death throughout the island. A foul smell many would like to omit from their memory. To-date, 10 St. Lucian soldiers have departed this earth. Survival is the "new normal" and old routines have evaporated.
One can safely say health care in Fair Helen is a figment of the imagination. Medical Professionals are under siege. They perform miracles with limited resources. as tools required for the job are in short supply. Ward maids are tapped out having to do Covid-19 clean ups without compensation.
Previous and present governments have failed the people of Fair Helen time and time again. A critical service such as Health Care should never be placed on the back burner. As a consequence, the chickens have come home to roost as the medical facilities burst at its seams. Vacationing medical staff were all summoned back to work.
This pandemic is King and calls the shots!
Dr Francis S Collins, Director, National Institutes of Health, USA stated that there's a well-understood correlation that as the economy of a country improves, so the health of its citizens improves. What may be less obvious is that the opposite is also true – improving the health of a nation's citizens can directly result in economic growth, because there will be more people able to conduct effective activities in the workforce.
Recently, there was an outcry by the authorities for St. Lucians of childbearing age to conceive as a result of its ageing population. This was very amusing given the current state of the health care system. Studies have shown a country with an ageing population faces many challenges. Older citizens would require frequent access to health services as they suffer with various ailments.
At this juncture no stone should be left unturned in saving Fair Helen's children. No effort should be spared in sourcing the necessary finances to save Mother Helen and her children!!
Frontliners are superheroes. These are uncertain times and they risk their lives daily to save us. Gratitude is a MUST!
Following protocols could save your life and that of others. Do the right thing!!!!
Chilling message from former Prime Minister of St. Lucia Dr Kenny D Anthony
Let us ALL work as a team in fighting this virus because no man is an island .In the end we all would have won this dreadful battle.
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Sohria Alexander
Sohria Alexander is a single mother of two sons. She lives on the beautiful island of Saint Lucia. From the tender age of five, Sohria was nurtured to became deeply grounded in spiritual things. Her love for God and for people were the main reasons she felt compelled to write this inspiring spiritual book during this Covid-19 crisis. Sohria is very passionate about her faith in God. This is her first publication. She is also passionate about the indigent and the youth in society.
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On March 9th and 10th, our Year 5 children set off on the adventure of a lifetime to visit London.
We know how excited the children are, but also how nervous the adults are, so from the moment we leave, if you check on our website you will find pictures, information and an update of where we are.
Looking forward to an amazing trip.


I've posted about pet leasing before. It's a predatory lending tactic used by some unscrupulous pet stores. It's almost like leasing a car as in you don't actually own your pet but more like you're renting it and you have the option to buy at the end of the lease. In many cases, the pet stores getting people to sign up for these leases are not divulging the full details of the lease and new pet owners are often surprised by all the additional fees the lease entails. Many critics of pet leasing say that it unfairly targets low-income families and that many of the pets leased come from puppy mills. There have even been instances where pets have been repossessed and then euthanized.
The states of Nevada and California already ban pet leasing and now legislators in both Pennsylvania and New York are looking to ban the practice as well. Sadly, the practice of pet leasing is considered legal by the Federal Trade Commission, however, the leases need to comply with the Consumer Leasing Act. If lease companies and pet stores are being cagey about the details of the payments then they are in violation of the law.
As stated previously, Geebo does not accept pet ads since many of the animals advertised on classifieds can be sick and abused animals from puppy mills or disreputable backyard breeders. As always, as animal lovers, we recommend that if you're looking to have a furry addition to your family that you either go to a licensed breeder or even better, adopting from your local shelter. We also encourage adopting older dogs from shelters as often, they have a harder time being adopted. Either way, if you adopt a pet in these manners you won't have to worry about your pet being taken away for failure to make a payment.


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ACP, 17, 4493–4511, 2017
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 4493–4511, 2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-4493-2017
Research article 04 Apr 2017
Research article | 04 Apr 2017
Characterization of the long-term radiosonde temperature biases in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere using COSMIC and Metop-A/GRAS data from 2006 to 2014
Shu-peng Ho et al.
Evaluating tropospheric humidity from GPS radio occultation, radiosonde, and AIRS from high-resolution time series
Therese Rieckh, Richard Anthes, William Randel, Shu-Peng Ho, and Ulrich Foelsche
Water vapor is the most important tropospheric greenhouse gas and is also highly variable in space and time. We study the vertical structure and variability of tropospheric humidity using various observing techniques (GPS radio occultation, radiosondes, Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) and models. Time–height cross sections reveal seasonal biases for different pressure layers. We find that radio occultation humidity has high accuracy and can contribute valuable information in data assimilation.
Comparison of global observations and trends of total precipitable water derived from microwave radiometers and COSMIC radio occultation from 2006 to 2013
Shu-Peng Ho, Liang Peng, Carl Mears, and Richard A. Anthes
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 259–274, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-259-2018,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-259-2018, 2018
In this study, we compare 7 years of atmospheric total precipitable water (TPW) derived from multiple microwave radiometers to collocated TPW estimates derived from COSMIC radio occultation under various atmospheric conditions over the oceans. Results show that these two TPW trends from independent observations are larger than previous estimates and are a strong indication of the positive water vapor–temperature feedback on a warming planet.
Tropospheric dry layers in the tropical western Pacific: comparisons of GPS radio occultation with multiple data sets
We use GPS radio occultation (RO) data to investigate the structure and temporal behavior of extremely dry, high-ozone tropospheric air in the tropical western Pacific and compare them to various data sets (research aircraft, radiosonde, infrared sounder, and model reanalyses). All these data sets have limitations. We show that the RO data contribute significant information on the water vapor content. Our results also verify the quality of the reanalyses.
On the quality of RS41 radiosonde descent data
Bruce Ingleby, Martin Motl, Graeme Marlton, David Edwards, Michael Sommer, Christoph von Rohden, Holger Vömel, and Hannu Jauhiainen
Radiosonde descent data could provide extra profiles of the atmosphere for forecasting and other uses. Descent data from Vaisala RS41 radiosondes have been compared with the ascent profiles and with ECMWF short-range forecasts. The agreement is mostly good. The descent rate is very variable and high descent rates cause temperature biases, especially at upper levels. Ascent winds are affected by pendulum motion; on average, the descent winds are smoother.
TROPOMI tropospheric ozone column data: geophysical assessment and comparison to ozonesondes, GOME-2B and OMI
Daan Hubert, Klaus-Peter Heue, Jean-Christopher Lambert, Tijl Verhoelst, Marc Allaart, Steven Compernolle, Patrick D. Cullis, Angelika Dehn, Christian Félix, Bryan J. Johnson, Arno Keppens, Debra E. Kollonige, Christophe Lerot, Diego Loyola, Matakite Maata, Sukarni Mitro, Maznorizan Mohamad, Ankie Piters, Fabian Romahn, Henry B. Selkirk, Francisco R. da Silva, Ryan M. Stauffer, Anne M. Thompson, J. Pepijn Veefkind, Holger Vömel, Jacquelyn C. Witte, and Claus Zehner
We assess the first 2 years of TROPOMI tropical tropospheric ozone column data. Comparisons to reference measurements by ozonesonde and satellite sensors show that TROPOMI bias (−0.1 to +2.3 DU) and precision (1.5 to 2.5 DU) meet mission requirements. Potential causes of bias and its spatio-temporal structure are discussed, as well as ways to identify sampling errors. Our analysis of known geophysical patterns demonstrates the improved performance of TROPOMI with respect to its predecessors.
The SPARC water vapor assessment II: Assessment of satellite measurements of upper tropospheric water vapor
William G. Read, Gabriele Stiller, Stefan Lossow, Michael Kiefer, Farahnaz Khosrawi, Dale Hurst, Holger Vömel, Karen Rosenlof, Bianca M. Dinelli, Piera Raspollini, Gerald E. Nedoluha, John C. Gille, Yasuko Kasai, Patrick Eriksson, Chistopher E. Sioris, Kaley A. Walker, Katja Weigel, John P. Burrows, and Alexei Rozanov
Preprint under review for AMT
This paper attempts to provide an assessment of the accuracy of 21 satellite based instruments that remotely measure atmospheric humidity in the upper troposphere of the Earth's atmosphere. The instruments made their measurements from 1984 to the present time; however, most of these instruments began operations after 2000 and only a few are still operational. The objective of this study is to quantify the accuracy of each satellite humidity data set.
High-resolution in situ observations of atmospheric thermodynamics using dropsondes during the Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection (OTREC) field campaign
Holger Vömel, Mack Goodstein, Laura Tudor, Jacquelyn Witte, Željka Fuchs-Stone, Stipo Sentić, David Raymond, Jose Martinez-Claros, Ana Juračić, Vijit Maithel, and Justin W. Whitaker
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 1107–1117, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-1107-2021,https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-1107-2021, 2021
We provide an extensive data set of in situ vertical profile observations for pressure, temperature, humidity, and winds from 648 NCAR NRD41 dropsondes during the Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection (OTREC) field campaign. The measurements were taken during 22 flights of the NSF/NCAR G-V research aircraft in August and September 2019 over the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The data allow a detailed study of atmospheric dynamics and convection over the tropical ocean.
Strong day-to-day variability of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL) in August 2016 at the Himalayan foothills
Sreeharsha Hanumanthu, Bärbel Vogel, Rolf Müller, Simone Brunamonti, Suvarna Fadnavis, Dan Li, Peter Ölsner, Manish Naja, Bhupendra Bahadur Singh, Kunchala Ravi Kumar, Sunil Sonbawne, Hannu Jauhiainen, Holger Vömel, Beiping Luo, Teresa Jorge, Frank G. Wienhold, Ruud Dirkson, and Thomas Peter
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 14273–14302, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14273-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14273-2020, 2020
During boreal summer, anthropogenic sources yield the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL), found in Asia between about 13 and 18 km altitude. Balloon-borne measurements of the ATAL conducted in northern India in 2016 show the strong variability of the ATAL. To explain its observed variability, model simulations are performed to deduce the origin of air masses on the Earth's surface, which is important to develop recommendations for regulations of anthropogenic surface emissions of the ATAL.
A new method to correct the electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesonde time response and its implications for "background current" and pump efficiency
Holger Vömel, Herman G. J. Smit, David Tarasick, Bryan Johnson, Samuel J. Oltmans, Henry Selkirk, Anne M. Thompson, Ryan M. Stauffer, Jacquelyn C. Witte, Jonathan Davies, Roeland van Malderen, Gary A. Morris, Tatsumi Nakano, and Rene Stübi
The time response of electrochemical concentration cell (ECC) ozonesondes points to at least two distinct reaction pathways with time constants of approximately 20 s and 25 min. Properly considering these time constants eliminates the need for a poorly defined "background" and allows reducing ad hoc corrections based on laboratory tests. This reduces the uncertainty of ECC ozonesonde measurements throughout the profile and especially in regions of low ozone and strong gradients of ozone.
Effect of deep convection on the tropical tropopause layer composition over the southwest Indian Ocean during austral summer
Stephanie Evan, Jerome Brioude, Karen Rosenlof, Sean M. Davis, Holger Vömel, Damien Héron, Françoise Posny, Jean-Marc Metzger, Valentin Duflot, Guillaume Payen, Hélène Vérèmes, Philippe Keckhut, and Jean-Pierre Cammas
The role of deep convection in the southwest Indian Ocean (the 3rd most active tropical cyclone basin) on the composition of the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) and the climate system is less understood due to scarce observations. Balloon-borne lidar and satellite measurements in the southwest Indian Ocean were used to study tropical cyclones' influence on TTL composition. This study compares the impact of a tropical storm and cyclone on the humidification of the TTL over the SW Indian Ocean.
Dehydration and low ozone in the tropopause layer over the Asian monsoon caused by tropical cyclones: Lagrangian transport calculations using ERA-Interim and ERA5 reanalysis data
Dan Li, Bärbel Vogel, Rolf Müller, Jianchun Bian, Gebhard Günther, Felix Ploeger, Qian Li, Jinqiang Zhang, Zhixuan Bai, Holger Vömel, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 4133–4152, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4133-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-4133-2020, 2020
Low ozone and low water vapour signatures in the UTLS were investigated using balloon-borne measurements and trajectory calculations. The results show that deep convection in tropical cyclones over the western Pacific transports boundary air parcels with low ozone into the tropopause region. Subsequently, these air parcels are dehydrated when passing the lowest temperature region (< 190 K) during quasi-horizontal advection.
Comparison of ground-based and satellite measurements of water vapour vertical profiles over Ellesmere Island, Nunavut
Dan Weaver, Kimberly Strong, Kaley A. Walker, Chris Sioris, Matthias Schneider, C. Thomas McElroy, Holger Vömel, Michael Sommer, Katja Weigel, Alexei Rozanov, John P. Burrows, William G. Read, Evan Fishbein, and Gabriele Stiller
This work assesses water vapour profiles acquired by Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) satellite instruments in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) using comparisons to radiosondes and ground-based Fourier transform infrared spectrometer measurements acquired at a Canadian high Arctic measurement site in Eureka, Nunavut. Additional comparisons are made between these Eureka measurements and other water vapour satellite datasets for context, including AIRS, MLS, and others.
Observational evidence of particle hygroscopic growth in the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere (UTLS) over the Tibetan Plateau
Qianshan He, Jianzhong Ma, Xiangdong Zheng, Xiaolu Yan, Holger Vömel, Frank G. Wienhold, Wei Gao, Dongwei Liu, Guangming Shi, and Tiantao Cheng
An enhanced aerosol layer in the upper troposphere--lower stratosphere was observed by a COBALD over the Tibetan Plateau, in the summer of 2014. The color index of the enhanced aerosol layer indicates the prevalence of dominant fine particles with a mode radius < 0.1 μm. Unlike the very small particles at low relative humidity (RHi < 40%), the relatively large particles in the aerosol layer were generally very hydrophilic as their size increased dramatically with relative humidity.
High tropospheric ozone in Lhasa within the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone in 2013: influence of convective transport and stratospheric intrusions
Dan Li, Bärbel Vogel, Rolf Müller, Jianchun Bian, Gebhard Günther, Qian Li, Jinqiang Zhang, Zhixuan Bai, Holger Vömel, and Martin Riese
Balloon-borne measurements performed over Lhasa in August 2013 are investigated using CLaMS trajectory calculations. Here, we focus on high ozone mixing ratios in the free troposphere. Our findings demonstrate that both stratospheric intrusions and convective transport of air pollution play a major role in enhancing middle and upper tropospheric ozone.
Intercomparison of atmospheric water vapour measurements at a Canadian High Arctic site
Dan Weaver, Kimberly Strong, Matthias Schneider, Penny M. Rowe, Chris Sioris, Kaley A. Walker, Zen Mariani, Taneil Uttal, C. Thomas McElroy, Holger Vömel, Alessio Spassiani, and James R. Drummond
We have compared techniques used by several PEARL instruments to measure atmospheric water vapour. No single instrument can comprehensively map the atmosphere. We documented how well these techniques perform and quantified the agreement and biases between them. This work showed that new FTIR datasets at PEARL capture accurate measurements of High Arctic water vapour.
Validation of 10-year SAO OMI Ozone Profile (PROFOZ) product using ozonesonde observations
Guanyu Huang, Xiong Liu, Kelly Chance, Kai Yang, Pawan K. Bhartia, Zhaonan Cai, Marc Allaart, Gérard Ancellet, Bertrand Calpini, Gerrie J. R. Coetzee, Emilio Cuevas-Agulló, Manuel Cupeiro, Hugo De Backer, Manvendra K. Dubey, Henry E. Fuelberg, Masatomo Fujiwara, Sophie Godin-Beekmann, Tristan J. Hall, Bryan Johnson, Everette Joseph, Rigel Kivi, Bogumil Kois, Ninong Komala, Gert König-Langlo, Giovanni Laneve, Thierry Leblanc, Marion Marchand, Kenneth R. Minschwaner, Gary Morris, Michael J. Newchurch, Shin-Ya Ogino, Nozomu Ohkawara, Ankie J. M. Piters, Françoise Posny, Richard Querel, Rinus Scheele, Frank J. Schmidlin, Russell C. Schnell, Otto Schrems, Henry Selkirk, Masato Shiotani, Pavla Skrivánková, René Stübi, Ghassan Taha, David W. Tarasick, Anne M. Thompson, Valérie Thouret, Matthew B. Tully, Roeland Van Malderen, Holger Vömel, Peter von der Gathen, Jacquelyn C. Witte, and Margarita Yela
It is essential to understand the data quality of +10-year OMI ozone product and impacts of the "row anomaly" (RA). We validate the OMI Ozone Profile (PROFOZ) product from Oct 2004 to Dec 2014 against ozonesonde observations globally. Generally, OMI has good agreement with ozonesondes. The spatiotemporal variation of retrieval performance suggests the need to improve OMI's radiometric calibration especially during the post-RA period to maintain the long-term stability.
Impact of typhoons on the composition of the upper troposphere within the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone: the SWOP campaign in Lhasa 2013
Dan Li, Bärbel Vogel, Jianchun Bian, Rolf Müller, Laura L. Pan, Gebhard Günther, Zhixuan Bai, Qian Li, Jinqiang Zhang, Qiujun Fan, and Holger Vömel
High-resolution ozone and water vapour profiles over Lhasa, China, were measured in August 2013. The correlations between ozone and water vapour profiles show a strong variability in the upper troposphere. These relationships were investigated using CLaMS trajectory calculations. The model results demonstrate that three tropical cyclones (Jebi, Utor, and Trami), occurring over the western Pacific, had a strong impact on the vertical structure of ozone and water vapour profiles.
A Raman lidar at Maïdo Observatory (Reunion Island) to measure water vapor in the troposphere and lower stratosphere: calibration and validation
Hélène Vérèmes, Guillaume Payen, Philippe Keckhut, Valentin Duflot, Jean-Luc Baray, Jean-Pierre Cammas, Jimmy Leclair De Bellevue, Stéphanie Evan, Françoise Posny, Franck Gabarrot, Jean-Marc Metzger, Nicolas Marquestaut, Susanne Meier, Holger Vömel, and Ruud Dirksen
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2017-32,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2017-32, 2017
Preprint withdrawn
The Stratospheric Water and Ozone Satellite Homogenized (SWOOSH) database: a long-term database for climate studies
Sean M. Davis, Karen H. Rosenlof, Birgit Hassler, Dale F. Hurst, William G. Read, Holger Vömel, Henry Selkirk, Masatomo Fujiwara, and Robert Damadeo
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 8, 461–490, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-461-2016,https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-461-2016, 2016
This paper describes the construction of the Stratospheric Water and Ozone Satellite Homogenized (SWOOSH) database, whose main feature is a combined data product created by homogenizing multiple satellite records. This motivation for SWOOSH is that in order to study multiyear to decadal variability in ozone and water vapor concentrations, it is necessary to have a continuous and smooth record without artificial jumps in the data.
Recent divergences in stratospheric water vapor measurements by frost point hygrometers and the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder
Dale F. Hurst, William G. Read, Holger Vömel, Henry B. Selkirk, Karen H. Rosenlof, Sean M. Davis, Emrys G. Hall, Allen F. Jordan, and Samuel J. Oltmans
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 4447–4457, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-4447-2016,https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-4447-2016, 2016
This study compares stratospheric water vapor measurements by the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and balloon-borne frost point hygrometers (FPs) at five sites that launch two different types of FPs. The results demonstrate that FP and MLS measurements have been diverging at statistically significant rates of 0.6 to 1.5 % per year since approximately 2010. Similarities in the divergences at different sites suggest a positive drift in MLS retrievals since approximately 2010.
Advancements, measurement uncertainties, and recent comparisons of the NOAA frost point hygrometer
Emrys G. Hall, Allen F. Jordan, Dale F. Hurst, Samuel J. Oltmans, Holger Vömel, Benjamin Kühnreich, and Volker Ebert
This work focuses on the balloon borne NOAA frost point hygrometer (FPH) instrument flown at three locations around the world: Boulder, Colorado, Lauder, New Zealand, and Hilo, Hawaii. The ongoing 36-year record is the longest continuous water vapor record with profiles reaching 28 km. Significant instrument updates in 2008 decreased the weight, cost, power consumption, and manufacturing time offering greater precision and ease of use.
An update on the uncertainties of water vapor measurements using cryogenic frost point hygrometers
Holger Vömel, Tatjana Naebert, Ruud Dirksen, and Michael Sommer
This paper describes the fidelity of vertical profile measurements of atmospheric water vapor using the Cryogenic Frostpoint Hygrometer (CFH), which depends on the stability of the calibration, instrument behaviour, and validation of these measurements with respect to a reference. Being able to characterize each of these elements is essential in the understanding long time series of atmospheric water vapor measurements and in the interpretation of water vapor process studies.
Validation of Aura MLS retrievals of temperature, water vapour and ozone in the upper troposphere and lower–middle stratosphere over the Tibetan Plateau during boreal summer
Xiaolu Yan, Jonathon S. Wright, Xiangdong Zheng, Nathaniel J. Livesey, Holger Vömel, and Xiuji Zhou
We evaluate Aura Microwave Limb Sounder retrievals of temperature, water vapour and ozone over the eastern Tibetan Plateau against measurements from balloon-borne instruments. The newest version of the retrievals (v4) represents a slight improvement over the previous version, particularly with respect to data yields and upper tropospheric ozone. We identify several biases that did not appear in evaluations conducted elsewhere, highlighting the unique challenges of remote sensing in this region.
How stratospheric are deep stratospheric intrusions? LUAMI 2008
Thomas Trickl, Hannes Vogelmann, Andreas Fix, Andreas Schäfler, Martin Wirth, Bertrand Calpini, Gilbert Levrat, Gonzague Romanens, Arnoud Apituley, Keith M. Wilson, Robert Begbie, Jens Reichardt, Holger Vömel, and Michael Sprenger
A rather homogeneous deep stratospheric intrusion event was mapped by vertical sounding over central Europe and by model calculations along the transport path. The very low minimum H2O mixing ratios demonstrate almost negligible mixing with tropospheric air during the downward transport. The vertical distributions of O3 and aerosol were transferred from the source region to Europe without major change. A rather shallow outflow from the stratosphere was found.
Altitude misestimation caused by the Vaisala RS80 pressure bias and its impact on meteorological profiles
Y. Inai, M. Shiotani, M. Fujiwara, F. Hasebe, and H. Vömel
For conventional soundings, the pressure bias of radiosonde leads to an altitude misestimation, which can lead to offsets in any meteorological profile. Therefore, we must take this issue into account to improve historical data sets.
Validation of GOME-2/MetOp-A total water vapour column using reference radiosonde data from the GRUAN network
M. Antón, D. Loyola, R. Román, and H. Vömel
The main goal of this article was to validate the total water vapour column (TWVC) measured by the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2) satellite sensor highly accurate sounding measurements. The smallest relative differences found in this satellite-sounding comparison (below 10%) were achieved for those cloud-free cases with satellite SZA below 50º which can be considered as a good result for satellite retrievals.
Reference quality upper-air measurements: GRUAN data processing for the Vaisala RS92 radiosonde
R. J. Dirksen, M. Sommer, F. J. Immler, D. F. Hurst, R. Kivi, and H. Vömel
The AquaVIT-1 intercomparison of atmospheric water vapor measurement techniques
D. W. Fahey, R.-S. Gao, O. Möhler, H. Saathoff, C. Schiller, V. Ebert, M. Krämer, T. Peter, N. Amarouche, L. M. Avallone, R. Bauer, Z. Bozóki, L. E. Christensen, S. M. Davis, G. Durry, C. Dyroff, R. L. Herman, S. Hunsmann, S. M. Khaykin, P. Mackrodt, J. Meyer, J. B. Smith, N. Spelten, R. F. Troy, H. Vömel, S. Wagner, and F. G. Wienhold
Arctic stratospheric dehydration – Part 2: Microphysical modeling
I. Engel, B. P. Luo, S. M. Khaykin, F. G. Wienhold, H. Vömel, R. Kivi, C. R. Hoyle, J.-U. Grooß, M. C. Pitts, and T. Peter
Nitric acid trihydrate nucleation and denitrification in the Arctic stratosphere
J.-U. Grooß, I. Engel, S. Borrmann, W. Frey, G. Günther, C. R. Hoyle, R. Kivi, B. P. Luo, S. Molleker, T. Peter, M. C. Pitts, H. Schlager, G. Stiller, H. Vömel, K. A. Walker, and R. Müller
Arctic stratospheric dehydration – Part 1: Unprecedented observation of vertical redistribution of water
S. M. Khaykin, I. Engel, H. Vömel, I. M. Formanyuk, R. Kivi, L. I. Korshunov, M. Krämer, A. D. Lykov, S. Meier, T. Naebert, M. C. Pitts, M. L. Santee, N. Spelten, F. G. Wienhold, V. A. Yushkov, and T. Peter
Dehydration in the tropical tropopause layer estimated from the water vapor match
Y. Inai, F. Hasebe, M. Fujiwara, M. Shiotani, N. Nishi, S.-Y. Ogino, H. Vömel, S. Iwasaki, and T. Shibata
Cold trap dehydration in the Tropical Tropopause Layer characterised by SOWER chilled-mirror hygrometer network data in the Tropical Pacific
F. Hasebe, Y. Inai, M. Shiotani, M. Fujiwara, H. Vömel, N. Nishi, S.-Y. Ogino, T. Shibata, S. Iwasaki, N. Komala, T. Peter, and S. J. Oltmans
Subject: Radiation | Research Activity: Remote Sensing | Altitude Range: Stratosphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Response of middle atmospheric temperature to the 27 d solar cycle: an analysis of 13 years of microwave limb sounder data
Piao Rong, Christian von Savigny, Chunmin Zhang, Christoph G. Hoffmann, and Michael J. Schwartz
We study the presence and characteristics of 27 d solar signatures in middle atmospheric temperature observed by the microwave limb sounder on NASA's Aura spacecraft. This is a highly interesting and significant subject because the physical and chemical mechanisms leading to these 27 d solar-driven signatures are, in many cases, not well understood. The analysis shows that highly significant 27 d solar signatures in middle atmospheric temperature are present at many altitudes and latitudes.
Intercomparison of stratospheric temperature profiles from a ground-based microwave radiometer with other techniques
Francisco Navas-Guzmán, Niklaus Kämpfer, Franziska Schranz, Wolfgang Steinbrecht, and Alexander Haefele
The paper presents assessment of the stratospheric measurements of a relatively new temperature radiometer (TEMPERA) at 60 GHz. The temperature profiles from TEMPERA have been compared with measurements from different techniques such as radiosondes, MLS satellite and Rayleigh lidar and with the temperature outputs from the SD-WACCM model. The results showed absolute biases and standard deviations lower than 2 K for most of the altitudes and comparisons, proving the good performance of TEMPERA.
A method for merging nadir-sounding climate records, with an application to the global-mean stratospheric temperature data sets from SSU and AMSU
C. McLandress, T. G. Shepherd, A. I. Jonsson, T. von Clarmann, and B. Funke
This is the first paper of its kind describing a method for merging the long-term satellite records of global stratospheric temperature from SSU and AMSU to yield a continuous data set from 1979 to present (and beyond). Since global-mean stratospheric temperature is close to radiative equilibrium, our "extended" SSU data set is an important climate record for the detection and attribution of anthropogenic influence.
The use of IASI data to identify systematic errors in the ECMWF forecasts of temperature in the upper stratosphere
G. Masiello, M. Matricardi, and C. Serio
Comparison of UV irradiances from Aura/Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) with Brewer measurements at El Arenosillo (Spain) – Part 1: Analysis of parameter influence
M. Antón, V. E. Cachorro, J. M. Vilaplana, C. Toledano, N. A. Krotkov, A. Arola, A. Serrano, and B. de la Morena
Technical Note: An assessment of the accuracy of the RTTOV fast radiative transfer model using IASI data
M. Matricardi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 6899–6913, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-6899-2009,https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-9-6899-2009, 2009
Andrae, U., Sokka, N., and Onogi, K.: The radiosonde temperature bias correction in ERA-40, ERA-40 Project Report Series, 15, 34 pp., 2004.
Anthes, R. A., Bernhardt, P., Chen, Y., Cucurull, L., Dymond, K., Ector, D., Healy, S., Ho, S.-P., Hunt, D., Kuo, Y.-H., Liu, H., Manning, K., McCormick, C., Meehan, T., Randel, W., Rocken, C. R., Schreiner, W., Sokolovskiy, S., Syndergaard, S., Thompson, D., Trenberth, K., Wee, T.-K., and Zeng, Z.: The COSMIC/FORMOSAT-3 Mission: Early Results, B. Am. Meteorol. Sci., 89, 313–333, 2008.
COSMIC Data Analysis and Archive Center: Atmospheric Profiles from COSMIC Occultation Data, http://cdaac-www.cosmic.ucar.edu/cdaac/products.html (last access: 30 March 2015), 2013.
Dach, R., Lutz, S., Walser, P., and Fridez, P. (Eds): Bernese GNSS Software Version 5.2, User manual, Astronomical Institute, Universtiy of Bern, Bern Open Publishing, https://doi.org/10.7892/boris.72297, ISBN: 978-3-906813-05-9, 2015.
Dirksen, R. J., Sommer, M., Immler, F. J., Hurst, D. F., Kivi, R., and Vömel, H.: Reference quality upper-air measurements: GRUAN data processing for the Vaisala RS92 radiosonde, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 4463–4490, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-4463-2014, 2014.
Durre, I., Reale, T., Carlson, D., Christy, J., Uddstrom, M., Gelman, M., and Thorne, P.: Improving the usefulness of operational radiosonde data, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 86, 411–418, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-86-3-411, 2005.
Elliott, W. P., Ross, R. J., and Blackmore, W. H.: Recent Changes in NWS Upper-Air Observations with Emphasis on Changes from VIZ to Vaisala Radiosondes, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 83, 1003–1017, 2002.
Foelsche, U., Pirscher, B., Borsche, M., Kirchengast, G., and Wickert, J.: Assessing the climate monitoring utility of radio occultation data: From CHAMP to FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC, Terr. Atmos. Ocean. Sci., 20, 155–170, https://doi.org/10.3319/TAO.2008.01.14.01(F3C), 2009.
Free, M., Angle, J. K., Durre, I., Lanzante, J., Peterson, T. C., and Seidel, D. J.: Using first differences to reduce inhomogeneity in radiosonde temperature datasets, J. Clim., 17, 4171–4179, 2004.
Free, M., Seidel, D. J., Angell, J. K., Lanzante, J., Durre, I., and Peterson, T. C.: Radiosonde atmospheric temperature products for assessing climate (RATPAC): A new data set of large-area anomaly time series, J. Geophys. Res., 110, D22101, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JD006169, 2005.
Haimberger, L.: Homogenization of radiosonde temperature time series using innovation statistics, J. Clim., 20, 1377–1403, 2007.
Haimberger, L. and Andrae, U.: Radiosonde temperature bias correction in ERA-Interim, ERA Rep. Series, 8, 17 pp., 2011.
Haimberger, L., Tavolato, C., and Sperka, S.: Toward elimination of the warm bias in historic radiosonde temperature records – Some new results from a comprehensive intercomparison of upper-air data, J. Clim., 21, 4587–4606, 2008.
He, W., Ho, S.-P., Chen, H., Zhou, X., Hunt, D., and Kuo, Y.: Assessment of radiosonde temperature measurements in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere using COSMIC radio occultation data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L17807, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GL038712, 2009.
Ho, S.-P., Kuo, Y. H., Zeng, Z., and Peterson, T.: A Comparison of Lower Stratosphere Temperature from Microwave Measurements with CHAMP GPS RO Data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L15701, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL030202, 2007.
Ho, S.-P. et al.: Estimating the Uncertainty of using GPS Radio Occultation Data for Climate Monitoring: Inter-comparison of CHAMP Refractivity Climate Records 2002–2006 from Different Data Centers, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D23107, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD011969, 2009a.
Ho, S.-P., Goldberg, M., Kuo, Y.-H., Zou, C.-Z., and Schreiner, W.: Calibration of Temperature in the Lower Stratosphere from Microwave Measurements using COSMIC Radio Occultation Data: Preliminary Results, Terr. Atmos. Ocean. Sci., 20, 87–100, https://doi.org/10.3319/TAO.2007.12.06.01(F3C), 2009b.
Ho, S.-P., Zhou, X., Kuo, Y.-H., Hunt, D., and Wang, J.-H.: Global Evaluation of Radiosonde Water Vapor Systematic Biases using GPS Radio Occultation from COSMIC and ECMWF Analysis, Remote Sens., 2, 1320–1330, 2010a.
Ho, S.-P., Kuo, Y.-H., Schreiner, W., and Zhou, X.: Using SI-traceable Global Positioning System Radio Occultation Measurements for Climate Monitoring, in: States of the Climate in 2009, B. Amer. Meteorol. Sci., 91, S36–S37, 2010b.
Ho, S.-P., Hunt, D., Steiner, A. K., Mannucci, A. J., Kirchengast, G., Gleisner, H., Heise, S., von Engeln, A., Marquardt, C., Sokolovskiy, S., Schreiner, W., Scherllin-Pirscher, B., Ao, C., Wickert, J., Syndergaard, S., Lauritsen, K., B., Leroy, S., Kursinski, E. R., Kuo, Y.-H., Foelsche, U., Schmidt, T., and Gorbunov, M.: Reproducibility of GPS Radio Occultation Data for Climate Monitoring: Profile-to-Profile Inter-comparison of CHAMP Climate Records 2002 to 2008 from Six Data Centers, J. Geophy. Res., 117, D18111, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JD017665, 2012.
Ho, S.-P., Peng, L., and Hunt, D.: Construction of consistent temperature climate data records in the lower Troposphere using COSMIC, Metop-A/GRAS, and Metop-B/GRAS from 2006 to 2015, Atmos. Meas. Tech., submitted, 2016.
Kobayashi, E., Noto, Y., Wakino, S., Yoshii, H., Ohyoshi, T., Saito, S., and Baba Y.: Comparison of Meisei RS2-91 Rawinsondes and Vaisala RS92-SGP Radiosondes at Tateno for the Data Continuity for Climatic Data Analysis, J. Meteorol. Soc. Jpn., 90, 923–945, https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2012-605, 2012.
Kuo, Y. H., Wee, T. K., Sokolovskiy, S., Rocken, C., Schreiner, W., and Hunt, D.: Inversion and error estimation of GPS radio occultation data, J. Meteorol. Soc. Jpn., 82, 507–531, 2004.
Lanzante, J. R., Klein, S. A., and Seidel, D. J.: Temporal homogenisation of monthly radiosonde temperature data, Part I: Methodology, J. Clim., 16, 224–240, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(2003)016, 2003.
Luers, J. K.: Temperature error of the Vaisala RS90 radiosonde, J. Atmos. Ocean. Technol., 14, 1520–1532, 1997.
Luers, J. K. and Eskridge, R. E.: Temperature corrections for the VIZ and Vaisala radiosondes, J. Appl. Meteor., 34, 1241–1253, 1995.
Luers, J. K. and Eskridge, R. E.: Use of radiosonde temperature data in climate studies, J. Clim., 11, 1002–1019, 1998.
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Randel, W. J., Smith, A. K., Wu, F., Zhou, C.-Z., and Qian, H.: Stratospheric temperature trends over 1979–2015 derived from combined SSU, MLS, and SABER satellite observations, J. Clim., 29, 4843–4859, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0629.1, 2016.
Redder, C. R., Luers, J. K., and Eskridge, R. E.: Unexplained Discontinuity in the US Radiosonde Temperature Data, Part II: Stratosphere, J. Atmos. Ocean Tech., 21, 1133–1144, 2004.
Schreiner, W., Sokolovskiy, S., Hunt, D., Rocken, C., and Kuo, Y.-H.: Analysis of GPS radio occultation data from the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC and Metop/GRAS missions at CDAAC, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 4, 2255–2272, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-4-2255-2011, 2011.
Seidel, D. J., Berger, F. H., Immler, F., Sommer, M., Vömel, H., Diamond, H. J., Dykema, J., Goodrich, D., Murray, W., Peterson, T., Sisterson, D., Thorne, P., and Wang, J.: Reference upper-air observations for climate: Rationale, progress, and plans, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 90, 361–369, 2009.
Seidel, D. J., Gillett, N. P., Lanzante, J. R., Shine, K. P., and Thorne, P. W.: Stratospheric tem- perature trends: Our evolving understanding, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews, 2, 592–616, 2011.
Sherwood, S. C., Meyer, C. L., Allen, R. J., and Titchner, H. A.: Robust tropospheric warming as revealed by iteratively homogenized radiosonde data, J. Clim., 21, 5336–5352, 2008.
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Sun, B., Reale, A., Seidel, D. J., and Hunt, D. C.: Comparing radiosonde and COSMIC atmospheric profile data to quantify differences among radiosonde types and the effects of imperfect collocation on comparison statistics, J. Geophys. Res., 115, D23104, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD014457, 2010.
Sun, B., Reale, A., Schroeder, S., Seidel, D. J., and Ballish, B.: Toward improved corrections for radiation-induced biases in radiosonde temperature observations, J. Geophys. Res., 118, 4231–4243, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50369, 2013.
Thorne, P. W., Parker, D. E., Christy, J. R., and Mears, C. A.: Uncertainties in climate trends: Lessons from upper-air temperature records, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 86, 1437–1442, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-86-10-1437, 2005.
Thorne, P. W., Brohan, P., Titchner, H. A., McCarthy, M. P., Sherwood, S. C., Peterson, T. C., Haimberger, L., Parker, D. E., Tett, S. F. B., Santer, B. D., Fereday, D. R., and Kennedy, J. J.: A quantification of uncertainties in historical tropical tropospheric temperature trends from radiosondes, J. Geophys. Res., 116, D12116, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD015487, 2011.
Ware, R., Exner, M., Feng, D., Gorbunov, M., Hardy, K., Herman, B., Kuo, Y., Meehan, T., Melbourne, W., Rocken, C., Schreiner, W., Sokolovskiy, S., Solheim, F., Zou, X., Anthes, R., Businger, S., and Trenberth, K.: GPS sounding of the atmosphere from low Earth orbit: Preliminary results, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 77, 19–40, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477, 1996.
Wei, L.: Performance analysis for China-made bead resistance temperature sensors, Journal of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Natural Science Edition, 3, 346–353, 2011.
Radiosonde observations (RAOBs) have provided the only long-term global in situ temperature measurements since 1958. In this study, we use Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultation (RO) temperature data from 2006 to 2014 to characterize the inter-seasonal and interannual variability of temperature biases in the lower stratosphere. Results from this study also demonstrate the feasibility to use RO data to correct RAOB temperature biases for different sensor types.
Radiosonde observations (RAOBs) have provided the only long-term global in situ temperature...


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Discussion in 'Introduce Yourself' started by Owl, Sep 24, 2013.
My tinnitus got worse over the past month because I have been listening to youtube videos of ocean waves, rushing waterfalls, and rain on rooftops while I type on my cpu. I had noticed that it seemed worse after my cpu sessions, but wasn't sure. Just recently I was listening to some youtube videos of harp playing and also some folk music in addition, at once, along with waves. I do this to try to conceal out the household noises I hear in the background because I am highly sound sensitive. Anyway, I noticed my ringing was 2-3x louder than the music I was listening to. That has never happened before. I hope it lesses! I wonder if anyone else has had the experience of waves increasing their tinnitus?
You have my empathy Owl, I know how stressful it can be just when you think you already have enough to deal with but then T strikes down once again. I had a similar experience a little over a month ago, though I've recovered from the worst of it. Lets hope you're able to do the same.. which is most probable.
I don't use typical masking noises when my tinnitus is bugging me. I've got an iPod with some Michael Jackson songs that seem to distract me well enough. I don't have experience, but I doubt it was specifically the noise of waves that have worsened your T, after all you did mention you had numerous tracks going at once. What I think has happened is you've "tired" your ears out with too many sounds possibly and now without the music your T seems much louder because you aren't used to the absence of noise to mask it. I know you mentioned that you noticed your T seemed to be louder while the music was still going, but maybe that was just and still is your perception of it? I've had moments when I imagine mine to be much louder than it actually is.
Welcome by the way. I hope you feel better and your T lessens soon.
Hey Owl: Funny... I can tell you that most water sounds (rain, ocean waves, flowing streams) drive my T crazy. I have no idea why. Many people find them relaxing. Even the real sound of rain on my car roof aggravates it. But my shower? No problem. Maybe its the frequency.
Anyway, just listen to something else and my guess is your T will quiet down. I have the WhiteNoise app on my iPhone and avoid all the water sounds -- but there are, like, 20 others to choose from. "Cat purring" and "air conditioner" are my favorites. Also, an inner ear surgeon who himself has tinnitus told me very light classical music is good, as it has a wider range of frequencies for the brain to listen to, helping it block out the tinnitus noise.
Thank y'all so much. I was really getting scared. I also like the cat purring. I knew I had to stay away from these loud/high frequency masking noises but I haven't yet been able to work out an alternative that covers up the intrusive sounds in my environment.
I hope my ears are just tired, though I think it may be both the high volume I was using (to block out sound) and the high frequency. My tinnitus doesn't seem to be affected by brown noise, but it seems to be disturbed by pink noise, and white noise is somewhere in the middle in affecting me. Brown noise is more medium frequencies.
I also have both hyperacusis and misophonia, which causes my adrenaline and fight or flight to rise, and I am always battling this. It is disturbed by everyday sounds and in addition it causes rapid heartbeat and stress. This is why I sometimes need to turn my masking sounds up pretty loudly.
Years ago I took some medication, I forgot what for, either depression or anxiety or for sleep, and it increased my tinnitus. My doctor didn't believe me though. I believe my tinnitus has actually increased from this and it is not just seeming to. I know this because I have had used masking noises for over a decade and have never had tinnitus this bad before.


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Jack Giarraputo
Movie Review: Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015)
Greg Eichelberger
The question wasn't why it took so long to make Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, the unanticipated sequel to 2009's "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," as much as why waste the time, money and effort to make one at all. The original was a mediocre comedy at best and at worst was the indirect inspiration for…
Movie Trailer #2: Jack and Jill (2011)
WOW! An international trailer for the sure to be train wreck Jack and Jill has surfaced and it's just as unfunny as the domestic trailer. I'm guessing Happy Madison, the brains behind this venture, knows this movie, which has Adam Sandler playing both roles of fraternal twins (one of which is an annoying woman), is…
Movie Trailer: Jack and Jill (2011)
From the producers of "Grown Ups" and "Just Go With It." I'm not so sure that is a badge of honor to wear. Anyways, Sandler and the Happy Madison team have concocted Jack and Jill, a film that gives an audience twice the Adam Sandler in one sitting. One as his boyish self and one…
Movie Trailer: Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011)
The porn business. Every man in the civilized world has had a dream or two (or three or four) to get into the industry to screw super hot, bleached blond porn stars. Uberdork Bucky Larson, well, he just wants find his way after being fired from his grocery bagging job. So off to Los Angeles…
Movie Review: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007)
General Disdain
Leave to Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison Productions production company to find another ridiculous premise to bring to the cinema. Instead of a retarded football player ("The Waterboy"), a freaky little man-whore ("Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo") or a morally corrupt child actor ("Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star") we get male fire fighters pretending to…
Movie Review: Click (2006)
It's been awhile since we've reviewed a movie starring Adam Sandler. Been even longer since we've actually looked forward to a movie starring Adam Sandler. But believe it or not, I was actually interested in watching Click. Perhaps I was hoping for comedy genius to strike again for him (see "Waterboy" or "Happy Gilmore") —…
Movie Review: The Benchwarmers (2006)
While the wife and children slept today and after the final conference call I cleared a bit of time to watch The Benchwarmers. This is the latest offering from our good friends at Happy Madison (Adam Sandler's production company), and it shouldn't be much of a surprise when I tell you the movie was utter…
Movie Review: The Stairs (2021)
Movie Review: Batman: The Killing Joke (2016)
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