Climate change scientists on the spot
By Monte Morin, Los Angeles Times
It’s a climate puzzle that has vexed scientists for more than a decade and added fuel to the arguments of those who insist man-made global warming is a myth.
Since just before the start of the 21st century, the Earth’s average global surface temperature has failed to rise despite soaring levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and years of dire warnings from environmental advocates.
Now, as scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gather in Sweden this week to approve portions of the IPCC’s fifth assessment report, they are finding themselves pressured to explain this glaring discrepancy.
The panel, a United Nations creation that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore, hopes to brief world leaders on the current state of climate science in a clear, unified voice. However, experts inside and outside the process say members probably will engage in heated debate over the causes and significance of the so-called global warming hiatus.
“It’s contentious,” said IPCC panelist Shang-Ping Xie, a professor of climate science at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. “The stakes have been raised by various people, especially the skeptics.”
Though scientists don’t have any firm answers, they do have multiple theories. Xie has argued that the hiatus is the result of heat absorption by the Pacific Ocean — a little-understood, naturally occurring process that repeats itself every few decades. Xie and his colleagues presented the idea in a study published last month in the prestigious journal Nature.
The Earth’s temperature has been varying for millions of years before humans and most likely will long after we’ve gone.
Our challenge is to learn to live with the variations, not to practice extreme narcissism.
Maybe the recorded temperatures are rising due to more pavement. This may appear to be a joke, but I’m at least half serious. We keep adding pavement to our suburbs and we keep recording the temperatures each day. As the sun heats the pavement, the air temperature is greatly influenced by the heated pavement. This is like a hot plate below the air. The more pavement on the ground, the more hot ground surfaces influence the air mass above. The result is higher recorded temperatures. There’s nothing complicated about this theory, and it makes sense. Could this be our problem ? It makes a lot more sense than a weird theory about gases high in the atmosphere. Scientists like to dazzle us with their brains. They could be mistaken about the cause.
One thing Rush followers who believe man is incapable of altering climate and science deniers have going for them-they’ll never try to dazzle us with their brains.
Shouldn’t the articles title be, “Climate change political scientists on the spot.”
Pizza eater your right on. It is called the “heat island” effect regarding built up areas.
I recall the “Chicken Little” types back in the early 70’s telling us that we were on the verge of a mini-ice age. Global temps were going down and the scientists foretold of huge sheets of ice covering much of the northern hemisphere. This was all connected to the oil shortage of the 70’s. None of this happened so why do we all believe them when they tell horror stories of global warming?
I agree with tahoeadvocate. The earth’s temperature has been changing for millions of years and will continue to do so. We just have better equipment to record the changes.
Well, like everything created by the politico’s and the power hungry ( oops, one in the same) the hub of the creation of Global Warming ~ now Climate Change ~ is reversing the montra again!
http://www.humanevents.com/author/john-hayward/
The “Weather” is always changing whether man is around or not!! Those are the dynamics of the earth God created.
The scientists can dazzle people with their complex theories. Some people with simple minds cannot understand the flaws in their theories. The obvious obvious flaw in their theory here is that the world has in the past gone through great temperature change that couldn’t have been attributed to humans. Now this man, Xie, presents this “”idea” that hiatus to change is attributed to “heat absorption by the Pacific Ocean”. Here you have these scientists trying to dazzle us with their “ideas” that not even they can support with any evidence. Their technique is to use theories that average people cannot understand. People fear they will be considered foolish if they don’t understand the science. This results in people refusing to challenge the theory. If you disagree with me, show me proof that heat has been absorbed by the Pacific Ocean.
Unlike you brilliant reality deniers, my college degree was not in science-Therefore I trust the opinions of 95+% of actual climate scientists and their peer reviewed data as opposed to some drug addled radio blabberer and a few skeptics, some of whom are the same people, or come from the same ‘think tanks’ that said smoking was not dangerous and nicotine was not addictive-try googling ocean temps and see the avalanche of evidence supporting heat absorption-or you can get your proof from rush and some doofus writing for tabloids like Human Events or The Daily Fail
We’re entering a new ice age, and Global Warming is nothing but a bunch of bunk designed by politicians who week more control over the lives of the uninformed lemmings.
Remember when the fanatics claimed that cutting down the North Bowl trees would increase global warming?
I went on the internet and reviewed some of the old news footage that appeared after hurricane Katrina. Almost cartoon like, nothing they predicted came true.
Teatotal, It is not all Rush’s fault. Not all people who do not believe in climate listen to Rush.
Everyone, peer reviewed data is only as good as the peers who review it. If Rush submits data to Mega Conservative Journal (hypothetical, and peer reviewed for this example) would it be acceptable? I am not saying that all peer reviewed climate data is reviewed by like minded peers, but some of it very well may be.
A scientific theory is only a theory until it is proven wrong. Then it is simply an idea someone had.
Data is very easily manipulated to construct a misguided reality.
I am working on a PhD, not in science. I see these issues in my research. People who do research at such a high level often have very deep feelings, and often millions of dollars in future funding (income) riding on the outcome of their research.
I agree with some arguments both sides of the climate change debate put forth. However, I am not a scientist. Just be mindful of how real your (or other peoples) sources are. Critical thinking is a wonderful thing.
HEY TEATOTAL If people do not earn your trust, and you just hand your mind over to them, they’ll have the power to make you think what they want you to think. College doesn’t teach us everything. Reasoning is not a subject taught in college. You make points that support your opposition. When smoking was first considered dangerous, they cut open dead peoples lungs and showed the difference between a non smoker and smoker. That’s called evidence.
If anyone is interested in where many of the misinformed get their information I recommend http://www.rightwingwatch.org
The psychological projection and pathetic denial of facts is a common denominator mental disconnect with the real world exhibited by many of these teabaggers.
It’s going to be cold tomorrow; therefore, global warming is a hoax. Glaciers and continental ice are melting because it’s getting colder.
“I am working on a PhD, not in science.”
Do you know the basics of hypothesis testing?
Scientists attempt to prove that the climate is not changing, etc, in the tests. Confidence intervals, etc. Ever wonder why climate is numerically defined as it is? think about n-1 when s->S. That is no coincidence.
Also Marlene, Angry Sky Man is probably not happy with what we are doing to their master planned climate. If Angry Sky Man want’s to kill millions of people again, that is their decision. Sounds legit.
Also, define climate.
Thanks.
Well… this is the dumbest thing I’ve read all week. Maybe all month.
” Reasoning is not a subject taught in college.”
LOL.
*slow clap*
Did you ever write reports in high school? Remember the part about evaluating your sources? You should have learned that already. All of you. And the deniers seem to be the worst offenders.
The earth will end up a lifeless cold ball orbiting the sun no matter what we do or dont dO.
it matters little how we get there ore how or when it happens WE WONT BE THERE WHEN IT HAPPPENS.
TT, it is more than obvious you never took any science courses, but why brag about it? Also the earth will eventually be enveloped by a dying sun, maybe 4 or 5 billion years from now. So what the heck, it is hopeless.