Monthly Archives: March 2013

UK MSM on climate sensitivity

Posted on March 31, 2013 by | 358 comments

by Judith Curry

If climate scientists were credit-rating agencies, climate sensitivity would be on negative watch. But it would not yet be downgraded. – The Economist

Continue reading →

358 Comments

Posted in climate models, Communication, Sensitivity & feedbacks

Has Trenberth found the ‘missing’ heat?

Posted on March 29, 2013 by | 807 comments

by Judith Curry

Kevin Trenberth famously stated in the CRU emails:

The fact is that we can’t account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can’t.

Continue reading →

807 Comments

Posted in Data and observations

American Physical Society

Posted on March 24, 2013 by | 946 comments

by Judith Curry

The American Physical Society (APS) has a new Topical Group on the Physics of Climate (GPC).

Continue reading →

946 Comments

Posted in Sociology of science

Playing hockey – blowing the whistle

Posted on March 19, 2013 by | 933 comments

by Rud Istvan

This instantly ‘famous’ 2013 Science hockey stick paper derived from Marcott’s 2011 Ph.D thesis at Oregon State University, available here. His thesis doesn’t show a hockey stick ‘blade’ projecting above its anomaly baseline NCDC 1961-1990. H/T to Jean S, posted at Climate Audit. Something changed after the thesis was published to produce the new ‘blade’ in Science. That something was significant, since the Science paper’s Supplementary Information discussion said it did not enable discriminating such a temperature variation (i.e. a ‘blade’) on such a short a time scale.

Continue reading →

933 Comments

Posted in Data and observations

Obesity (?) of the U.S. scientific research enterprise

Posted on March 17, 2013 by | 178 comments

by Judith Curry

The scientific enterprise is not immune from the perils of obesity.  – Mike Kelly

Continue reading →

178 Comments

Posted in Policy

Let’s play hockey – again

Posted on March 11, 2013 by | 1,147 comments

by Rud Istvan

On March 8, 2013, mainstream media around the world carried headlines trumpeting a new study in Science, the gist typified by NBC News:

Warming fastest since dawn of civilization

Except that is not what the paper was about.

Continue reading →

1,147 Comments

Posted in Data and observations

New perspectives on climate sensitivity

Posted on March 10, 2013 by | 495 comments

by Judith Curry

Here is a summary of some important new papers on the topics of climate sensitivity and attribution.

Continue reading →

495 Comments

Posted in Attribution, Sensitivity & feedbacks

Time for some optimism about the climate crisis (?)

Posted on March 9, 2013 by | 196 comments

by Judith Curry

First we discuss the interlinked problems of climate change, peak fossil fuels and the credit crunch and then grounds for some optimism, including means of adjusting energy and commodity markets to start to address these ills, and other measures to deal with non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. – Richard Douthwaite and David Knight

Continue reading →

196 Comments

Posted in Policy

Direct Statistical Simulation

Posted on March 6, 2013 by | 430 comments

by Judith Curry

[A] technique called direct statistical simulation dramatically reduces the time and brute-force computing that current simulation techniques require. The process does a good job of modeling fluid jets, fast-moving flows that form naturally in oceans and in the atmosphere. The findings are a key step toward bringing powerful statistical models rooted in basic physics to bear on climate science.

Continue reading →

430 Comments

Posted in climate models

Hearing postponed

Posted on March 6, 2013 by | 182 comments

by Judith Curry

Dr. Curry,

Due to the weather and the OPM announcement (below) that Federal Offices will be closed, today’s hearing on “Policy-Relevant Climate Issue in Context” will be postponed.  I’m sorry for the trouble.

FEDERAL OFFICES in the Washington, DC, area are CLOSED. Emergency and telework-ready employees required to work must follow their agency’s policies, including written telework agreements.

Continue reading →

182 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Forthcoming Congressional Hearing

Posted on March 4, 2013 by | 403 comments

The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Environment of the Committee on Science, Space & Technology is holding a Hearing this Wed on “Policy Relevant Climate Issues in Context.”  Witnesses:

  • Bjorn Lomborg
  • Judith Curry
  • William Chameides

Continue reading →

403 Comments

Posted in Communication, Policy