Author Archives: Philip Orton

Five Flavors of Fog Turn NYC Greyscale

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Philip Orton

A rare but often beautiful sight around New York City is dense fog.  It might have to do with my vantage point, from Hoboken or Manhattan, where we often look over it from the outside.  It might not be so … Continue reading →

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Where are the Currents Weakest Around Manhattan?

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Philip Orton

A law firm recently contacted our oceanography research group with a request for research on whether or not the Marine garbage Transfer Station (MTS) proposed for 91st Street in Manhattan would cause navigational problems.  If we were willing to do … Continue reading →

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Blowing out the Ocean’s Waters

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Philip Orton

A fellow blogger over at Spoonbeams read my post on king tides and beachcoming  and asked what caused this Sunday’s extreme low tide in the Hudson way up near Germantown, which was baring previously unseen underwater obstacles. Here’s a plot … Continue reading →

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“Winter” 2011-2012: Hitting 50+ degrees Every Week

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Philip Orton

It keeps striking me how we seem to hit 50+ degree temperatures every week this winter, so I checked it out.  Here’s a plot showing hourly temperature data at Central Park and La Guardia.  Not only have we hit 50+ … Continue reading →

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Is there a Future to Skiing in the Adirondacks?

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Philip Orton

I often find myself correcting environmentalists about their mis-representations of certain aspects of the scientific consensus on climate change.  For example, after Hurricane Katrina trashed New Orleans, I think that hurricanes seemed to be a politically useful topic for getting … Continue reading →

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Our Cozy Little Heat Island

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Philip Orton

As our year’s coldest weather may be on its way this weekend, it might warm you to compare this spell to one lesser-known historical cold temperature record.  New York City metro area winters are a quite a bit warmer than … Continue reading →

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Garbage Transfer Stations and Delicate Ecosystems

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Philip Orton

[This is an Op-Ed that was originally published in text-only form yesterday in the weekly free newspaper Our Town, serving Manhattan’s Upper East Side] Mayor Bloomberg has been pushing to rebuild and reopen a shuttered marine garbage transfer station (MTS) … Continue reading →

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King Tides, a Window to Future Sea Level Rise

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Philip Orton

In late October, there was a little photo op, an NYC runway show for climate change, so to speak.  People were asked to go out and take a picture of the unusually high “king tide” which was about one foot … Continue reading →

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King Tides and Sea Level Rise (and beachcombing!)

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Philip Orton

Some of the highest tides of the year are coming in the next two days, and an event is being organized to raise awareness of sea level rise.  Kate Boicourt at the New York / New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program … Continue reading →

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Fall Colors and The Urban Heat Island

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Philip Orton

One of my favorite things about living in New York City is checking out the fall colors on my bike commute through Central Park.  However, for subway commuters and tourists who don’t get to cruise through the park every day, … Continue reading →

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