We received some research into the CNYcentral Weather Center recently telling us that the water temperature of streams and rivers, at least some streams and rivers in the eastern United States, have shown a significant warming over the past 50+ years.

Below is the official announcement we received about this warming of the waters. Also below are a few links you may find of interest, including a climate video.

Of course this raises the question “Why is this happening?”.  Global warming or could it be something else?

Although I am by no means an expert on global warming and have performed no detailed climate studies, my feeling is this. The earth probably IS warming. It’s hard to dispute this fact considering all the information I have seen. BUT… is it a man made global warming OR some sort of world wide climate cycle that might actually be considered a more-or-less “normal” warming?  My feeling is, it is the latter.

Drilling down into the ice cores in the arctic and Antarctic, which gives a good indication of warming and cooling over roughly 10,000+ years, shows that the climate has warmed and cooled over this time. Also, just think logically. How did the Finger Lakes form? Warming, then cooling, then warming cycles over millions of years, and obviously this was way before we had air pollution from smoke stacks and car pollution. It was all the earth undergoing natural climate changes.

So, what do you think?  Man made warming or simply natural warming?
Let me know.

Meanwhile, onto the official press release this afternoon.

Moving from Chicago to Baltimore, where the average temperature is about ten degrees Fahrenheit warmer, might take a little bit of adjustment but almost certainly wouldn’t be fatal for humans. Most fish and other aquatic species, however, would not survive an equivalent temperature change. Warmer water temperatures have contributed to the elimination of the Brook Trout from many streams in the eastern U.S. In the mid-Atlantic region, temperatures are becoming intolerable for some sensitive species like the Longnose dace and Cutlips minnow. Temperatures are beginning to enter the danger zone even for the relatively tough and tolerant Blacknose dace, the most common species in the region’s urban streams.
 
Annual mean water temperatures in the nation’s streams and rivers are increasing at an average rate of 0.016 and 0.139 degrees Fahrenheit per year, respectively. The Potomac River around our Nation’s capital is seven degrees warmer than it was in the 1920s and the Delaware River around Philadelphia is 4.5 degrees warmer that it was in 1965. Some likely factors behind the rising water temperatures include:
A Warming Climate: Warming water temperatures are linked to the rise in surface temperatures that have occurred over the same period.
Land Use Changes: Surfaces like concrete, asphalt and rooftops hold more heat more than vegetated ground, making runoff from urban areas warmer than runoff from rural or forested areas. These hard surfaces also prevent water from soaking into the ground, leading to sudden discharges of warm waters into streams and rivers. Urban runoff during a summertime thunderstorm can raise a stream’s temperature by 12 degrees in less than 30 minutes.
Loss of Trees: Fewer trees on stream banks mean that streams receive more direct sunlight, raising their temperatures.
Thermal Power Plants: Increased demand for electricity has led to the construction of more thermal power plants over the last century, and these power plants discharge hot water.
Dams: Dams create large bodies of standing water, which absorbs more energy than running water.

Great Lakes water temperatures:  

Lake Ontario home page:  

Precision Weather Service: My company: