CSIRO chief defends climate science

[Spock]

CSIRO chief defends climate science - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

The head of Australia's peak science body has spoken out in defence of climate scientists, saying the link between human activity and climate change is beyond doubt.

With Perth's hottest March since 1934 (as just another one of many records being set lately), I think the the anecdotal evidence is pretty clear.

Of course, there will still be people who scream "left wing conspiracy!"

[jules_1972]

So how did it get to be so hot in 1934 prior to serious pollution in WW2??


Im a left winger!!!

[Spock]

So how did it get to be so hot in 1934 prior to serious pollution in WW2??

There are always peaks and troughs, heat waves and cold waves - but when records are being broken as often as they are nowadays, there's obviously something more to it than just the odd freak occurrance.

[Magilla]

It's not often that you see a scientist say "we're right because we have anecdotal evidence!"

Re: breaking records - it is surprising, coming out of the little ice age, or in the face of the fact that we have less than 150 years of instrumental data out of however long you'd like to believe the earth has been here?

[Spock]

It's not often that you see a scientist say "we're right because we have anecdotal evidence!"

I am not a scientist - so I can say it.

[Magilla]

Yes.

[jules_1972]

Plenty of Nuclear atmospheric testing been done since 1934...

Not alot mentioned about those...

[Red_is_Best]

Some interesting South West WA stuff here...

SWSY Project summaries

[g0zer]

It's not often that you see a scientist say "we're right because we have anecdotal evidence!"

she is saying that CSIRO's trending studies identify human activity as the causal factor that explains the observed high temperatures.

anecdotal implies CSIRO are drawing conclusions from 1st blush and ignores the last three decades they have spent investing in supercomputer technology and human resources leveraging that investment pertaining to climate sciences which qualifies CSIRO to comment on climate change issues.

"We are seeing significant evidence of a changing climate," she said.


"If we just take our temperature, all of Australia has experienced warming over the last 50 years. We are warming in every part of the country during every season and as each decade goes by, the records are being broken.
"We are also seeing fewer cold days so we are seeing some very significant long-term trends in Australia's climate."


"We can certainly look at the long-term trends and any event here or there or a storm here or there really doesn't explain away what we are seeing in these major long-term trends," she said.


"We are also seeing consistency. I think the consistency between our temperatures, what we are seeing in our rainfall, what we are seeing in the increase of carbon dioxide and methane in our atmosphere and of course, what we are now seeing in our oceans.


"So it is not just one measurement that is telling us. It is our observations and science that we are seeing in many areas being consistent."

"We know two things. We know that our CO2 has never risen so quickly. We are now starting to see CO2 and methane in the atmosphere at levels that we just haven't seen for the past 800,000 years, possibly even 20 million years," she said.


"We also know that that rapid increase that we've been measuring was at the same time that we saw the industrial revolution so it is very likely that these two are connected."

"Whenever we come into groups with very complex issues as a society, every time we have done that, we should challenge and we do challenge and it brings us back to our observations," she said.


"It makes us re-look at what we are really seeing. It makes us ask those questions, so I think challenge is simply part of coming to understand an issue.


"But at the same time, plucking out a snow storm in the US or a flood in Queensland or a cold day somewhere and trying to use that to explain away some of these long-term trends, of course, we know is not the right way to do it."


"Our records here are extremely robust and of course, CSIRO is studying and researching and looking at those trends for over 50 years so I think we are very blessed in this country to have some very, very robust data and very long-term [data]."

[Magilla]

50 years is very long-term compared to what, exactly? I'd find it difficult to call anything less than the period of living memory long-term, in terms of the global climate.

[Jamathi]

CSIRO chief defends climate science - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)



With Perth's hottest March since 1934 (as just another one of many records being set lately), I think the the anecdotal evidence is pretty clear.

Of course, there will still be people who scream "left wing conspiracy!"

Perth ain't the worlds universe!
YET,
America's, & Europe's cold weather in the last 6 months might have escaped some "scientists"
An elaborate scheme to tax the developed world a bit more!
All for some nice bats in their "ceiling" loft as it must have plenty of space there!
I'd like carbon Fibre shoes and walk on the beach leaving carbon footprints behind!

[g0zer]

50 years is very long-term compared to what, exactly? I'd find it difficult to call anything less than the period of living memory long-term, in terms of the global climate.

the methodologies that supercomputing technology and high level mathmatics make available for trending i think is somewhat more arcane than looking at 50 years of data and saying shit the last 10 years is kind of hot.

think defining a mathmatical system that lets you predict temperatures of any place on earth to within a couple of C and the mean temperature of earth as a system to within a decimal place for hundreds of thousands of years

if variance of observed against predicitive is rising for the last 50 years then how would you account for it?

say 'it must be CO2, thats a lot higher than it used to be'

or allow for the amount of energy every single molecule of O=C=O and C-H4 ect in the atmosphere absorbs from sunlight and recalculate the energy balance for the entire earth to see if it brings the variance of observed against predictive within the limits bounded by the last several hundred thousand years?

[Desmo]

but when records are being broken as often as they are nowadays.

Care to provide some independent supporting evidence for this claim?

[Spock]

Care to provide some independent supporting evidence for this claim?

Here's just a few:

The head of Australia's peak science body has spoken out in defence of climate scientists, saying the link between human activity and climate change is beyond doubt.
The head of the CSIRO, Dr Megan Clark, says the evidence of global warming is unquestionable, and in Australia it is backed by years of robust research.
Dr Clark says climate records are being broken every decade and all parts of the nation are warming.
"We are seeing significant evidence of a changing climate," she said.
"If we just take our temperature, all of Australia has experienced warming over the last 50 years. We are warming in every part of the country during every season and as each decade goes by, the records are being broken.
"We are also seeing fewer cold days so we are seeing some very significant long-term trends in Australia's climate."

Byline: PAT HURST and DUNCAN BEGG
BRITAIN experienced its hottest day for 13 years yesterday -and the temperature fell just short of being Britain's hottest day yet, weather forecasters said.
But the record may still be broken on Saturday as temperatures continue to soar.
The highest temperature recorded yesterday was 35.9C (96.6F)at Gravesend in Kent, nudging the record 37.1C (98.8F) set at Cheltenham on August 3,1990.
It was also the hottest day in central London for 46 years with a top temperature of 35.1C(95F) recorded by the London Weather Centre.
But the record for the hottest day in this country's history is still under …

WASHINGTON — It may be cold comfort during a frigid February, but last month was by far the hottest January ever.
The new record was fueled by a waning El Niño and a gradually warming world, according to U.S. scientists who reported the data Thursday. Records on the planet's temperature have been kept since 1880.
Spurred on by unusually warm Siberia, Canada, northern Asia and Europe, the world's land areas were 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than a normal January, according to the U.S. National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.
Getting warmer


Northern Hemisphere land areas were 4.1 degrees warmer than normal for January, breaking the old record by about three-quarters of a degree. Siberia was an average of 9 degrees warmer than normal, Eastern Europe 8 degrees and Canada more than 5 degrees.
Source: U.S. National Climatic
Data Center
The Associated Press

[Spock]

An elaborate scheme to tax the developed world a bit more!

The really think the CSIRO, staffed by public servants (rather than politicians) is part of a world-wide conspiracy to tax rich people?!

[goof]

If you monitor enough variables and data mine it enough it's easy to quote 'broken records'.

"It's been the windiest 3rd Tuesday in February for 6 years"

Oh noes, the world's spinning faster!

[Cbr1k]

This is just the natural solar cycle.

Any climate change wouldn't be felt for ages.

IIRC mankind only makes up 3 percent of Carbon in the air. The majority of it comes from Volcanoes.

[Maxo]

[Spock]

This is just the natural solar cycle.

Any climate change wouldn't be felt for ages.

IIRC mankind only makes up 3 percent of Carbon in the air. The majority of it comes from Volcanoes.

So the CSIRO is wrong? Okay, thanks for clearing that up.

Better close this thread - and maybe also the CSIRO - as they clearly are just wasting taxpayers money telling us what we don't want to hear.

[g0zer]

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2842091.htm

Google "climate change" and you get nearly 60 million hits. Now go to the menu labelled "more" at the top, pull it down and choose the "scholar" option. 58 million hits disappear. The remaining scientific information will get you in touch with the reality on this planet

didnt know you could use google to filter for scientific papers- pretty handy if you want to google for scientific information about climate change

climate change - Google Scholar