Ice Patterns

Writing experts tell us to never, ever open a story with the weather. And while a brief comment on the weather can sometimes be an ice breaker, extended conversations about it more likely signal that both parties have run out of interesting things to say.

That’s all changing now.  Polarization on the climate change issue has made weather a much less predictable – and sometimes more exciting – conversation opener.

“Brrrrrrrr.  It sure is cold out there.”

“Yup.  Just shows how wrong Al Gore is.  No UN is going to tell me what to do. No, liberal scientists are going to…”

Thanks to those who confuse variable weather with climate change, any mention of a localized cold snap can become explosive.

I pondered this politicization of weather as I prepared a wordless post on ice patterns in the Sandy River Delta.  We don’t often have clear days with temperatures in the teens to freeze ponds in the Portland area.  And it’s coinciding not only with unusually cold temperatures throughout western North America, but also with the Copenhagen Conference. Would sharing evidence of novel weather this week lend itself to exploitation by climate deniers?  Theoretically, perhaps.  Practically, no, since most of my visitors are spammers.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to post the photos alone during this week of intense debate.  I imagined what it would be like if we lived during the time when evidence pointed to a round earth, but many people clung to the notion of a flat one.  Think of how powerful a boring drawing of a flat farm field might be in the wrong hands.

With all that in mind, let me be clear.  The following photos documenting evidence of a local cold snap are in no way meant as a denial of climate change.  Any use of these photos to support arguments denying climate change is strictly prohibited.

For smart coverage of climate change, check-out Grist.