Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Saturday 13 March 2010

This winter – 'not as exceptional as we think it is'

January 2009: Epeigné-les-Bois

Interesting analysis of this winter's weather in the Loire by Patrick Galois, forecaster for Météo-France, in today's La Nouvelle République:


Pour la NR, Patrick Galois, prévisionniste à Météo-France, revient sur un hiver qui tarde à passer et qui a été marqué par de nombreux épisodes neigeux.
Est-ce que l'hiver 2008-2009 est à marquer d'une pierre blanche ?
« La vraie originalité de cet hiver est sa fréquence d'épisodes neigeux. A Tours, il y a eu 17 jours de chute de neige et 11 jours où la neige a tenu au sol et la région Centre n'a pas été parmi les plus enneigées. A Poitiers, il y a eu 17 jours de chute de neige et elle a tenu pendant 14 jours au sol.


Galois dismisses the idea that 2009-2010 has been an exceptionally harsh, cold winter, pointing out that 1962-63 was much colder. Although there have been waves of cold this winter there have also been warmer periods. He also says that the recent storm, Xynthia, can't really be ascribed to global warming.

3 comments:

Jean said...

My belief is that global warming is blamed too often for extreme weather. We have been having peculiar weather ever since I was born and long before anybody had heard of global warming. Being cynical, I think it's a convenient way for politicians to clobber those of us who pay through the nose for everything for even more tax. Also a godsend for the marketing people.

I must compliment you on your recent photos. Very good.

Jim's Loire said...

Jean I agree. I think it is very difficult to differentiate between the effects of global warming and the natural variations in climate.

Jim's Loire said...

Jean. Thanks also for your photo comment.