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Environment
Global Warming
Myths vs. Facts: Global Warming
Station Drop Out
Station Drop Out
Many in the denialist camp like to talk about the fact that many temperature reading stations were taken out, and that is why the temperature readings showed global warming. But in reality, this is "Pure disinformation". According to Gavin Schmidt (NASA/GISS) "You can do the same analysis with only stations that remained and it makes no difference."
Global Weather Stations Map
From CNN interview: Jan. 13 2009
LOU DOBBS
The global temperatures by NOAA are seven of the eight warmest years on record have occurred since 2001. The ten warmest years have all occurred since 1995. So let me start, if I may, Joseph, your reaction to those numbers. Do you quibble with what they represent?D'ALEO:
"Yes, I do. In fact, if you look at the satellite data, which is the most reliable data, the best coverage of the globe, 2008 was the 14th coldest in 30 years. That doesn't jive with the tenth warmest in 159 years in the Hadley data set or 113 or 114 years in the NOAA data set. Those global data sets are contaminated by the fact that two-thirds of the globe's stations dropped out in 1990. Most of them rural and they performed no urban adjustment. And, Lou, you know, and the people in your studio know that if they live in the suburbs of New York City, it's a lot colder in rural areas than in the city. Now we have more urban effect in those numbers reflecting — that show up in that enhanced or exaggerated warming in the global data set."
GAVIN SCHMIDT NASA/GISS
"D'Aleo is misdirecting through his teeth here. He knows that the satellite analyses have more variability over ENSO cycles than the surface records, he also knows that urban heat island effects are corrected for in the surface records, and he also knows that this doesn't effect ocean temperatures, and that the station dropping out doesn't affect the trends at all (you can do the same analysis with only stations that remained and it makes no difference). Pure disinformation.
Source: 2009 CNN is spun right round baby right round.
Compare the fake chart apparently made by Ross McKitrick (inspired by Joe D'Aleo from icecap.us) to the NASA global temperature chart. Notice there is not bump in temperature in the NASA graph. The McKitrick graph is fake, it does not show temperature rise.
McKitrick: "In the spreadsheet I used to generate the graph I construct the average temperature as weighted by the number of stations in each group."
In other words, he is creating a calculation that shows in the graph that the weighting changes the numbers representing temperature. Confused yet? Let's clear up the picture. If you weight the average temperature with the number of stations in each group, you are no longer showing temperature, you are showing a made up number that has nothing to do with temperature, it's just a made up number. Conclusion: the graph is a misrepresentation.
This type of abstraction is common in conspiracy theorists and Mr. McKitrick may for his next trick want to show us all how the moon landing was faked in a Hollywood studio, how smoking is not dangerous to human health, or how the ozone hole was just a made up problem to scare everyone into thinking we needed to control pollution?
McKitrick/D'Aleo Graph
NASA Global Mean Temperature Chart
Links
- NASA Earth Observatory: Earth's Temperature Tracker
- NASA Earth Observatory: Earth, it's Cooling... no it's warming
- NASA Earth Observatory: The Data & The Details
- NASA Earth Observatory: From A Dimmer Past to a Brighter Future?
