Global Warming: "Pseudoscientific Fraud"

[Jeff Lebowski]

That's really good (including the clever and funny bits) and instructive. Two things come to my mind whenever this issue comes up. First, I'm interested in how they know with such precision what the average temperatures were at any time tens of thousands of years ago (but not so interested that I want to read a lot--I'd love an abstract).

Here is your abstract:

https://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/schmidt_01/

And second, I think one of the problems people have in accepting the seriousness of global warming is that a shift of "only" a few degrees doesn't sound all that problematic--in the course of a day my office (and cowboy's!) temperature swings a few degrees, so what? The swing is even greater, of course, outside, esp. over a full year.

I absolutely accept it's a big problem when the shift is on a global scale; I'm just saying I understand why to the uninformed an increase of a few degrees may not seem like a big deal.

A shift of 4 degrees C is the difference between our current climate and Boston being covered by a mile-thick sheet of ice. It really is remarkable.

[Uncle Ted]

A shift of 4 degrees C is the difference between our current climate and Boston being covered by a mile-thick sheet of ice. It really is remarkable.

Ah, back in the good ole days when most of north America was under ice and the weather in Texas was actually reasonable in the summers.

[Uncle Ted]

One of the ways folks try to minimize the impact of global warming is to say "So what? The earth's temperature has always fluctuated." XKCD author produces a comic that puts that notion in perspective.

http://xkcd.com/1732/

Hey, so what caused the "little ice age" back in Newton's day? Volcanos? We just need figure that out and cause another little ice age.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Here is your abstract:

https://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/schmidt_01/

That's exactly what I was looking for, thanks. I have great respect, and zero envy, for scientists who devote their lives to such things. Studying isotopes in deep sedimentary layers holds absolutely no interest for me, but it's cool they're doing it.

[Topper]

That's exactly what I was looking for, thanks. I have great respect, and zero envy, for scientists who devote their lives to such things. Studying isotopes in deep sedimentary layers holds absolutely no interest for me, but it's cool they're doing it.

You prefer navel gazing, delving into deep minutiae of regulatory enforcement and oversight. So much better.

[Moliere]

Global Warming: "Pseudoscientific Fraud"

How different would that graph look if modern day temps were measured similar to the ancient years? I guess I'm asking if there is some inherent smoothing over hundreds or thousands of years that results in more volatility being shown in modern days, which volatility is smoothed out in the ancient periods.

No one will really know, but I'd probably say the graph is a bit misleading. Not much, but just a bit.


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[falafel]

How different would that graph look if modern day temps were measured similar to the ancient years? I guess I'm asking if there is some inherent smoothing over hundreds or thousands of years that results in more volatility being shown in modern days, which volatility is smoothed out in the ancient periods.

No one will really know, but I'd probably say the graph is a bit misleading. Not much, but just a bit.


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The graph addresses the smoothing out issue.

[Moliere]

The graph addresses the smoothing out issue.

I'm probably too dumb to figure out how it does that.

[Lost Student]

I'm probably too dumb to figure out how it does that.

Between 16000 and 15500 BCE:

Limits of this data:

Short warming or cooling spikes might be "smoothed out" by the reconstructions, but only if they're small or brief enough.

[All-American]

Hey, so what caused the "little ice age" back in Newton's day? Volcanos? We just need figure that out and cause another little ice age.

The great apostasy, no doubt.

[Uncle Ted]

A new record year...

Earth Sets a Temperature Record for the Third Straight Year

Marking another milestone for a changing planet, scientists reported on Wednesday that the Earth reached its highest temperature on record in 2016 — trouncing a record set only a year earlier, which beat one set in 2014. It is the first time in the modern era of global warming data that temperatures have blown past the previous record three years in a row.


The findings come two days before the inauguration of an American president who has called global warming a Chinese plot and vowed to roll back his predecessor’s efforts to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases.


The data show that politicians cannot wish the problem away. The Earth is heating up, a point long beyond serious scientific dispute, but one becoming more evident as the records keep falling. Temperatures are heading toward levels that many experts believe will pose a profound threat to both the natural world and to human civilization.

[...]

Democrats on the Science committee have been exasperated by what they regard as attempts by Republicans in Congress to intimidate scientists and undermine basic scientific findings.


Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Texan who is the ranking Democrat on the committee, said in a statement, “As the world breaks temperature records seemingly every single year, we desperately need this committee’s and our country’s leadership to reject this anti-science agenda, and get serious about addressing the reality of climate change.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/s...re-record.html

You tell them Eddie!

[Jeff Lebowski]

A new record year...


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/s...re-record.html

You tell them Eddie!

Poor Eddie has an unfortunate middle name.

[byu71]

A new record year...


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/s...re-record.html

You tell them Eddie!

Ouch. Has there ever been another time in earth's history where the earth has set record temperatures 3 times in a row?

Yes, I googled it but all I got was headlines about the earth has been cooling since 1998. However, there could be naturally occuring periods of no warming or even slight cooling and yet still could easily be part of long term warming.

[Moliere]

Ouch. Has there ever been another time in earth's history where the earth has set record temperatures 3 times in a row?

Yes, but not in recorded history

This is very troubling, but since my cash cow is tied to the oil industry I'll just look the other way and pretend I didn't see it.


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[Jeff Lebowski]

Ouch. Has there ever been another time in earth's history where the earth has set record temperatures 3 times in a row?

Yes, I googled it but all I got was headlines about the earth has been cooling since 1998. However, there could be naturally occuring periods of no warming or even slight cooling and yet still could easily be part of long term warming.

Yeah sure. This looks like cooling to me, too.