Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Mr. Sparkle

(2,929 posts)
Wed Feb 1, 2012, 03:30 PM Feb 2012

Check With Climate Scientists for Views on Climate

This is a rebuttal to an article in the wsj, this past week which several notable scientists said there was no need to panic about global warming.

Do you consult your dentist about your heart condition? In science, as in any area, reputations are based on knowledge and expertise in a field and on published, peer-reviewed work. If you need surgery, you want a highly experienced expert in the field who has done a large number of the proposed operations.

You published "No Need to Panic About Global Warming" (op-ed, Jan. 27) on climate change by the climate-science equivalent of dentists practicing cardiology. While accomplished in their own fields, most of these authors have no expertise in climate science. The few authors who have such expertise are known to have extreme views that are out of step with nearly every other climate expert. This happens in nearly every field of science. For example, there is a retrovirus expert who does not accept that HIV causes AIDS. And it is instructive to recall that a few scientists continued to state that smoking did not cause cancer, long after that was settled science.

Climate experts know that the long-term warming trend has not abated in the past decade. In fact, it was the warmest decade on record. Observations show unequivocally that our planet is getting hotter. And computer models have recently shown that during periods when there is a smaller increase of surface temperatures, warming is occurring elsewhere in the climate system, typically in the deep ocean. Such periods are a relatively common climate phenomenon, are consistent with our physical understanding of how the climate system works, and certainly do not invalidate our understanding of human-induced warming or the models used to simulate that warming.

Thus, climate experts also know what one of us, Kevin Trenberth, actually meant by the out-of-context, misrepresented quote used in the op-ed. Mr. Trenberth was lamenting the inadequacy of observing systems to fully monitor warming trends in the deep ocean and other aspects of the short-term variations that always occur, together with the long-term human-induced warming trend.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204740904577193270727472662.html
4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Check With Climate Scientists for Views on Climate (Original Post) Mr. Sparkle Feb 2012 OP
Long term charts the most importnt ones Ian62 Feb 2012 #1
Junk science that badly misquotes the Met Office - here's their debunking of it muriel_volestrangler Feb 2012 #3
Longer term still Ian62 Feb 2012 #2
First you post something that peabody Feb 2012 #4

muriel_volestrangler

(101,271 posts)
3. Junk science that badly misquotes the Met Office - here's their debunking of it
Wed Feb 1, 2012, 05:58 PM
Feb 2012
This article includes numerous errors in the reporting of published peer reviewed science undertaken by the Met Office Hadley Centre and for Mr. Rose to suggest that the latest global temperatures available show no warming in the last 15 years is entirely misleading.

Despite the Met Office having spoken to David Rose ahead of the publication of the story, he has chosen to not fully include the answers we gave him to questions around decadal projections produced by the Met Office or his belief that we have seen no warming since 1997.
...
Furthermore despite criticism of a paper published by the Met Office he chose not to ask us to respond to his misconceptions. The study in question, supported by many others, provides an insight into the sensitivity of our climate to changes in the output of the sun.

It confirmed that although solar output is likely to reduce over the next 90 years this will not substantially delay expected increases in global temperatures caused by greenhouse gases. The study found that the expected decrease in solar activity would only most likely cause a reduction in global temperatures of 0.08 °C. This compares to an expected warming of about 2.5 °C over the same period due to greenhouse gases (according to the IPCC’s B2 scenario for greenhouse gas emissions that does not involve efforts to mitigate emissions). In addition the study also showed that if solar output reduced below that seen in the Maunder Minimum – a period between 1645 and 1715 when solar activity was at its lowest observed level – the global temperature reduction would be 0.13C.

http://metofficenews.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/met-office-in-the-media-29-january-2012/
 

Ian62

(604 posts)
2. Longer term still
Wed Feb 1, 2012, 04:31 PM
Feb 2012

I used to have a chart going back several million years showng ice age periods and warm periods. From ice core samples. Lost it now.
The climate change "scientists" can tweak their climate models to show almost anything. They don't understand what changes the climate - tis complicated stuff. Seems to be around natural sun cycles tho. Tis a multi billion dollar industry now - the climate change business.

peabody

(445 posts)
4. First you post something that
Thu Feb 2, 2012, 03:45 AM
Feb 2012

was debunked by the very source of the article; and then you make a broad brush statement about how climate scientist can tweak their models to show almost anything (Their conclusions are peer reviewed. The link you posted was not). Your tactics are weak and your credibility is even weaker.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Editorials & Other Articles»Check With Climate Scient...