http://mediamatters.org/research/201107210024July 21, 2011 4:54 pm ET
A Forbes column falsely attributed to climate scientist Phil Jones a quote that appears to have been written by conservative commentator Steven Hayward. The Forbes column also attempts to undermine global surface temperature records with several other misleading claims.
Forbes Column Attempts To Undermine Surface Temperature Records
Forbes Column: NASA "Relies On Surface (Not Satellite Data)." Throughout his Forbes.com column, Larry Bell, an architecture professor who thinks global warming is a "hoax," attempts to discredit all of the major global surface temperature estimates. For instance, the column states that NASA's data cannot be "relied on to give us the real scoop":
The next time you read that NASA declares this or that day, month or year the hottest since yadda, yadda, yadda -- you might want to check the source. It's a pretty safe bet that it came from the Goddard Institute for Space Studies and probably quotes its director, James Hansen. snip
In Fact, Satellite Data Confirms Warming Trend
Temperature Data From Satellites Agrees With Surface Temperature Data. The following chart complied by geographer Ole Humlum shows global temperature data derived from satellites (for lower atmosphere rather than surface) by both the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH) and by the research firm Remote Sensing Systems (RSS), dating back to 1979 when the first satellite information is available. The chart also plots data from the three primary global surface temperature datasets. The black line is an average of all five records. Humlum notes that "the different types of temperature estimates appear to agree quite well as to the overall temperature variations on a 2-3 year scale, although on a short term scale there may be considerable differences."