Friday 3 October 2014

Climate change and satellite findings

John Christy and Roy Spencer of the University of Alabama have long been critical of the majority scientific view that global warming is man-made. Their latest findings, that global surface temperatures have remained stable for 18 years, are quoted approvingly by Guido Fawkes.

Then come apparently contradictory data, also from a satellite survey, showing the effects of ice loss in Antarctica in the latter part of the period covered by the Christy/Spencer findings. I say apparently contradictory because the two surveys measure different things, and I am sure are both sound. One explanation for the lack of warming at the surface is that the oceans are absorbing the increase.

Christy and Spencer may just be right and that the global warming since the Industrial Revolution may be coincidental and part of a natural variation. However, global cooling does not seem to be close and the seas continue to expand. Politicians should surely be concerned about mitigating the effects of sea-level rise, whatever the cause.


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