29th January - Today's News: Is a Third of Global Warming Caused by Water Vapour?

Confidence is growing that February is going to see a return to very cold weather across the UK, with further disruptive snowfall likely. That said, snow for Scotland even to low levels already today - as weather hits northeast roads and schools - as we have a nice little northerly set in for the weekend. Here in the Midlands should be cold and clear under fresh Arctic air - a good weekend for star gazing.

And this continuing cold and snowy winter is further good news for the Scottish ski industry as already snow brings 100,000 to the slopes with all 5 resorts reporting an excellent start to a season which usually doesn't get fully underway until at least mid February.

Canada launches special weather website for the Olympics - all they need now is some snow. Maybe Scotland could sell them some?

More winter storms in the US as heavy snow, ice bury southern Plains, cut power

Not really weather news, but it's a nice story as dog adrift on ice saved from Baltic Sea

Down in Macchu Picchu, Peru hopes to get last tourists out Friday (today) as the region starts to dry out.

In Brisbane they've got sandbags on standby as tides on rise whilst in Sydney lightning strikes man doing dishes. Well that's my excuse sorted for not washing up in future!

Tectonic plates a likely cause of Yellowstone earthquakes - so the recent swarm isn't a sign of an imminent supervolcanic eruption - phew!

A new kind of lightning discovered - but only found in volcanic eruptions. Not that we can any kind of lightning around Evesham .... !

Amplification of global warming by carbon-cycle feedback significantly less than thought?

Research on global 'sun block' needed now, experts argue - although if we just stopped burning the forests, cut pollution and made better use of the energy we produce it probably won't be needed ..... Besides, if you ask me, geoengineering solutions to geoengineered problems are not the way forward. Remember that law of unintended consequences ....

It's claimed that scientists in stolen email scandal hid climate data - however, significantly, this has nothing to do with the requests for raw climate data, but instead revolves around an attempt to obtain copies of communications to prove that certain scientists were trying to discredit other scientists. And the conclusion that those at the CRU were at fault seems to be based only on comments made in the publicly revealed emails, not as a result of any formal inquiry. And in any case, the Times headline is wholly erroneous because there's no suggestion here that any data was hidden. The seperate FOI requests made for raw climate data are a different matter, since under the FOIA it's quite clear such data - available elsewhere and held by the CRU under licence from those other sources - is exempt from such requests.

Edit: and in a new twist to the story, UEA 'gravely concerned' over data findings request - especially since that consulted the ICO as to how to respond ...... It does very much seem as if the ICO comments are based solely on an interpretation of certain personal emails and an assumption that such comments reflected on actual actions.

Meanwhile, water vapour caused one-third of global warming in 1990s, study reveals - but interestingly there's a suggesting that there may be a negative feedback in progress here. More research needed methinks. Meanwhile, what with natural cycles, black soot, contrails, land use change etc etc is there any room left for CO2 to have been having any effect at all? Or are there other negative factors we're not fully considering?