The Light Of Reason

The greatest tool ever invented by kings and dictators was propaganda. 
Disinformation can help to win wars. 


In WW2 the German naval codes were broken at Bletchley.  At about the same time, a new type of radar had been developed to detect surfaced submarines.  The U-boats would run surfaced at night to re-charge their batteries.  The code-breaking allowed allied aircraft to narrow down the search area so that the radar could be deployed more effectively.  An aircraft guided to a search area by good intelligence could be further guided by its on-board radar.  Once over the target the aircraft would switch on its high intensity Leigh light and illuminate the problem.

Interpreting Arctic Satellite Images And Data #2 - Animations

Now that NASA's MODIS rapid response system is back online I am able to present some animations which I hope you will find interesting.

This article is a continuation of Interpreting Arctic Satellite Images And Data.

Interpreting Arctic Satellite Images And Data


Science writers and media reporters owe a duty of care to their readers: a duty to present facts undistorted by personal opinion or agenda.
That duty of care extends not just to what is written, but to what is portrayed in graphs and images.

A graphic produced for a specific science-oriented context can be as misleading if taken out of context as any cherry-picked data or quoted words.

Sermeq Kujalleq - Jakobshavn Isbrae Retreat

The Jakobshavn Isbrae, or Jakobshavn glacier, now becoming known by its local name - Sermeq Kujalleq - has been observed retreating since about 1851.


Near the small town of Ilulissat, formerly Jakobshavn, Sermeq Kujalleq is the Northern hemisphere's largest glacier with an outlet to the sea.  It drains about 6.5% of Greenland's ice sheet. The ice stream's contribution to sea level rise is about 0.06 millimeters - about 0.002 inches - per year, roughly 4% of the 20th century rate of sea level increase.

Arctic Tipping Points - #5: Where Warm Water Meets Ice


The flows of meltwater and ocean currents in the Arctic make Niagara Falls look like a kitchen tap.