Let's put this thing to rest....... I didn't mean to get everyone all worked up. For that, I'm truly sorry I ever posted this. Perhaps I should have changed the title to "Map shows POSSIBLE Global Warming". On the other hand, it shows just how sharply divided people are on this isssue. Dragontek, your last remarks were uncalled for. Why resort to insults? It was in your very first post on this topic that you said "until something that comes along that disputes the rapid warming and melting in the arctic-", and then go in the opposite direction and state:"climate change and global warming does not mean it is going to become warm all at once". YOU are the only one who suggested that, but then insult anyone who might think that as being "from a red state and just plain DUMB".......how would you feel if someone here made a remark like 'people from BLUE states are arrogant, prejudiced and prone to childish name-calling'? It might bode well for you to remember that many of the people living in the warmer, more hospitable RED states are retirees and business people who relocated from the colder, less hospitable BLUE states. As for donray posting his link....sorry, you lost me there. A link to a page showing the Confederate flag and lyrics for 'Dixie'? Not sure what that has to do with global warming. Unless you were just trying to get back at dragontek....I fear all you may have accomplished by posting that link was to reinforce dragontek's rather outdated and predjudiced views. Maybe spockvr6 hit the mark early on....short-term data should not be ignored, but it's not a means to an end. Only another piece of the puzzle. In the grand scheme of things, a few years is nothing. From a chronological viewpoint, even 10,000 years is a mere wink in the eye of time. It's only been within the last 30 to 40 years that we as humans have become more attuned to our climates and the weather. There's still just so much we don't know, and can't predict. Loss of the ozone layer, factory and automotive exhaust emissions, the loss of wetlands and rainforests....all of which are playing a role in our changing climate, for better or worse. While I do not suggest surrender or indifference, just shrugging our shoulders and trying to roll with the punches, I do say that a lot of what happens with the weather in the coming years will ultimately be beyond anyone's control. It will be up to all of us to try and make the best of it and shape a brighter future with a more stable climate.

I repeated the "sugar test" with better results this time. It appears that the temperature gradient from front to back is pretty small, although it appears to be real. This time I took the same pan I had before (1/2 sheet insulated jelly roll pan), lined it with foil, and sprinkled granulated sugar over the pan as evenly as I could. I preheated the oven to 350F. It cycled at least two times, but I wasn't paying super close attention. I centered the pan on the middle rack and left it in for 15 mins. Results below: None of the sugar melted (the melting point for table sugar is 367F). This tells me that when set to 350F no part of the pan made it to 367F for any appreciable amount of time. The sugar did get a little tosted (to be expected). I then removed the pan and adjusted the oven to 375F. Again, it cycled at least two times when getting to to the 375F setting. The pan went in again in the same position for 15 minutes. The result is below. All the sugar melted in the pan, with the sugar that was towards the back of the oven browning more than the sugar towards the front of the oven (the top of the pan in the photo), indicating warmer temps in the back as observed before. What I have learned: 1) my ability to turn a knob to a set temperature in a reproducible fashion is questionable. 2) there is a temperature gradient in the oven cavity, albeit a small one (probably on the order of 8F or less when the oven is set to 375F in this case). The difference, although small, can be significant in certain cooking situations if other basic precautions aren't taken. 3) I am way too caught up in this and need to get on with my life! ;) BTW the oven door lock issue has not repeated itself. Perhaps the mechanism was just a little sticky when the range was brand spankin' new.

My only experience is with smaller countertop wine coolers, but one I used did manage to keep about a 10°F difference between the topmost and bottommost shelves. Not divided into neat zones though; the middle shelves are simply between the two temperatures, the lower the colder. I've never found the standard temperature rules for red/pink/white wine to necessarily be the best though, with for example, shiraz tasting better when served cooler than cabernet even though they're both red, so the variable temperatures proved useful. Some wine coolers work like most refrigerators - they use a compressor. Others don't use a compressor, which have the side benefits of being silent and making more efficient use of space. Both varieties can be made to cool different compartments to different temperatures if designed carefully. You may want to crosspost this question on the GW wine forum too.

How convenient! I was just doing some temperature measurements this afternoon for my own study. I did it a bit differently, but perhaps the data may still be helpful for you. My measurements seem to be quite in line with what was written by Evergreen Gardenworks. I've always been a bit worried about soil temperatures, but have been thinking that Mesembs and small succulent plants have shallow root systems that would see a significant rise in temperatures during normal days. On hot days like today, 33°C / 91°F by the weather station, pot temperatures are definitely higher than I would like. I would prefer to put my larger pots in front (since there is more soil to shield the roots), but then the smaller pots would lose out on light in the back. Note that my growing area gets full sun nearly the whole day (05:43 to 21:13 yesterday). Here are my rooftop results, taken with an infrared thermometer in full sun at 3pm today: There were slight variations between temperatures of pots of different sizes, but overall it was quite consistent. Based on my basic knowledge of thermodynamics, I would reasonably assume that the temperature gradient of a pot from cool-to-hot side is ~linear. 36°C / 97°F Ambient Temperature 47°C / 117°F Pot Side in Sun 36°C / 97°F Pot Side in Bright Shade 31°C / 88°F Pot Side after Misting with Water 70°C / 158°F Deck Surface in Sun 39°C / 102°F Deck Surface in Bright Shade 53°C / 127°F Top Dressing White 55°C / 131°F Top Dressing Gritty Mix 63°C / 145°F Top Dressing Brown Top dressings are shown below - white / gritty (typical sample) / brown: Pots were last watered 2 days ago, so I expected them to be fairly dry. Many plants showed signs of thirst. My moisture sensor reading was 14%. At 6pm, 3 hours after very thorough watering, I have re-checked pot temperatures. Moisture sensor reading is now 27%. The differences were in the tenths of a degree, so I considered them essentially the same. 31°C / 88°F Ambient Temperature 32°C / 89°F Water Temperature 31°C / 88°F Watered Pot Side in Shade 31°C / 88°F Completely Dry Pot Side in Shade (Control pot) The exception is a Lithops clump that I repotted and put out at 4pm, also measured at 6pm. 24°C / 75°F Watered Pot Side in Shade The soil mix and pot were in the garage at 24°C / 79°F. I used cool water and flushed until the water ran clear, since my ambient temperature water had a small quantity of fertilizer in it. Conclusions? Well... no surprises here honestly. But it is quite interesting! Try to use lighter top dressings. Don't put your smaller pots on the outside if you can help it. Watering your pots won't help you get better than ambient, unless you use cool water. Shading your pots gets them to about ambient temperature. Full sun exposes your pots to about a +10° temperature rise. Misting the sides of your pots does help (cooling by evaporation). Hopefully others can post their findings and maybe you'll have some updates too, ez!