Predicting Long Range Weather via the Moon..

Turtwig

Well I found the skeptics forum.:)
(Had to stalk Rob first;))

I am a little intrigued by this site.
It basically supposes that our weather can predicted in the long range by the moon and sun. The problem is I don't know how he claims it works. So I can't thoroughly dismiss it or address it without fear of constructing a straw man. I will say that his ridiculous arguements against AGW aren't helping him here.

What's scary is that the guy behind this is now appearing on Irish Radio giving these forecasts.(Not to mention several newspapers) I think he's also in that lovely privileged position of having no scientific tests carried out on his "forecasts" and only anecdotal evidence. The problem is the "fad" is growing so quickly that when scientists do thoroughly test his claims he can simply cry conspiracy anyway if he so pleases.

So, fellow skeptics, have you heard of this and is there any truth behind these extraordinary claims?

Skeptical as ever,
Malt:)


Edit : Ahh Fup, there's a big thread on this already.

Edit Edit :

Farmers Journal wrote:

Ken claims that pollutant impurities put into the air should not alter weather patterns any more than ink poured into the sea would change the tides.

Besides, anything put into the air originally came from the air. Carbon dioxide is the breath of life to plants. Plants add a molecule of water to a CO2 molecule to produce a carbohydrate -- the building block of life. An oxygen molecule is ejected as a by-product of photosynthesis.

sceptic

Ken is a sceptic of human-induced climate change. Pollution is not climate. Weather conditions happening now have happened before. Nature recycles.

The ocean has never warmed so much that it boiled and evaporated away, nor did it freeze to a block of ice. The ice caps have never expanded to cover the world, nor contracted until there was nothing left. The sea level never rose to cover all the land nor decreased til all water disappeared.

Ken suggests that modern western politics seem to be trying to distance us from the old way of viewing nature as a system of cycles, because there are more taxation opportunities in blaming people for outcomes rather than blaming providence.

Linky
If what that article is saying is accurately reflecting his methodology then I think I can call cold turkey on this already. Jeez that wasn't too long.
Em perhaps we should discuss the claim that the moon's influence on our weather needs to be better understand?

robindch

Malty_T wrote: »

Well I found the skeptics forum.:)
(Had to stalk Rob first;))

A stalker. At last!!

Malty_T wrote: »

It basically supposes that our weather can predicted in the long range by the moon and sun. The problem is I don't know how he claims it works.

Basically, he's trying to use astrology to "predict" the weather. Of course, he doesn't say that, since he refers to something called "astro-meterology" (a new one for me, thanks!) but that's what he's doing.

Anyhow, it's been tried. It doesn't work. Though I see that he's charging people $25 regardless.

btw, that website design is pretty cool. He's a good designer, or knows one. Can't say the same about his knowledge of meterology.