Topic: If It’s That Warm, How Come It’s So Damned Cold?

[sam]

The past year, 2009, tied as the second warmest year in the 130 years of global instrumental temperature records, in the surface temperature analysis of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). The Southern Hemisphere set a record as the warmest year for that half of the world. Global mean temperature, as shown in Figure 1a, was 0.57°C (1.0°F) warmer than climatology (the 1951-1980 base period). Southern Hemisphere mean temperature, as shown in Figure 1b, was 0.49°C (0.88°F) warmer than in the period of climatology.

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/01/2009-temperatures-by-jim-hansen/

[Simon]

Oh, is that the time?   

[sam]

haha

[GillE]

The temperature may be rising, but here's another report which fails to show the cause as being anthropological.  Yet in the concluding paragraph there is this sentence:

For the time being, until humanity brings its greenhouse gas emissions under control, we can expect each decade to be warmer than the preceding one.

Come on, guys, let's establish cause and effect before writing such statements!

The Daily Mail has an interesting (albeit probably less authoritative) report today:

UN science report which stated Himalayan glaciers would melt within 25 years 'was a guess'

[sam]

yes I do wish they'd leave there personal opinions out of this - good article apart from that though.

Oh and did I post an article to that report earlier in the week? I came across an interesting one... I'll see if I can find if I did.

[sam]

I can't find what I was thinking of but.. http://www.pc-pals.com/smf/index.php?topic=30023.0 is interesting..

[Clive]

UN science report which stated Himalayan glaciers would melt within 25 years 'was a guess'

But the experts behind the warning have now admitted their claim was not based on hard science - but a news story that appeared in the magazine New Scientist in the late 1990s.

That story was itself based on a telephone conversation with an Indian scientist who has since admitted it was little more than speculation.

Never believe anything published in New Scientist unless you have it verified by someone who has a full grasp of the subject.  Never believe phone calls from India.   

[Simon]

[Rik]

Never believe phone calls from India.   

Especially if they're from BT.

[Clive]