Bishop Hill Nic Lewis in the Guardian
Aug 29, 2012 Climate: Surface Nic Lewis has a letter in the Guardian:
You report (Arctic ice melt likely to break record as 100,000 sq km disappears per day, 24 August) that research just published in Nature says that warming in the Antarctic "where temperatures have risen about 1.5C over the past 50 years" is unusual but not unprecedented. That gives the impression that typical temperatures in Antarctica have risen by about 1.5C. In fact, there was no statistically significant increase in average Antarctica temperatures over the 50 years to 2006. (The relevant study, of which I was a co-author, was published in Journal of Climate last year.)
The latest Nature research refers to warming at a location in the Antarctic peninsula. While the peninsula has certainly warmed rapidly over the last 50 years – our paper estimated by slightly more than 1.5C – it represents only a small part of Antarctica by area and even less by ice sheet volume, and its climate is distinct from that of continental Antarctica.
Nicholas Lewis
Bath, Somerset
Reader Comments (22)
Well done to Nic. But why would the Grauniad print it?
My thoughts as well, Philip B. I emailed the author - John Vidal - of the article about Arctic ice, to note the many and various riders that needed to be added to the story for it to reflect reality - such as the NSIDC's own caveats with regard to the accuracy of its summer measurements, the effects of the recent huge storm there, links to Watts and Steve Goddard's Real Science articles various on this twaddle. Not to mention that "record" means "in the last 30 years".
No response. No mention in the article. So much for "Facts are sacred..."; rather, for the Guardian, Agendas are sacred. I do so hope they go down the pan.
for the Guardian, Agendas are sacred. I do so hope they go down the pan.
Aug 29, 2012 at 5:05 PM | Jeremy Poynton
Yeah, I'lll drink to that. Mine's a very large G&T with loads of ice!
I assumed that when they reorganised the ownership of the Guardian from being by The Scott Trust to being by The Scott Trust Ltd, it was a sign of the rats planning to enrich themselves as they abandoned the ship.
off topic but..... via twitter !?
Joss Garman@jossgarman
Very sad to learn Richard Black is leaving the BBC. Consistently one of the best environment correspondents in the world. @enviroblack
Which world would that be?
@BW
Wow! I wonder which cushy number he's lined up for - too many to list i think
Good for Nic Lewis.
What is also never mentioned in the relentless focus on the peninsula and warming, is that the bits they're talking about are almost always the bits outside the Antarctic Circle.
No, no, no, Nic; didn't you see that Nature cover with bright pink splayed all over it? I saw it with my own eyes, and seeing is believing.
========
"But why would the Grauniad print it?"
They didn't understand it?
Barry Woods , the 'Teams ' losing its BBC bag boy , I wonder if they lined something up for their boy.
Hmm, has Mr. Black's twitter page gone as well?
Ian,
ALL BBC staff twitter pages should be gone! It's a travesty that the BBC reports its opinions as the news and that has to end!
Mailman
His use of @BBCRBlack - or whatever it was (he blocked me) was outrageous. He used a BBC twitter address to strongly vent his own personal opinions camoflaged as neutral BBC science.
One can only hope that this is the work of new director general George Entwistle attempting to do some restoration work on BBC scientific integrity.
Now @enviroblack "soon-to-be-ex-BBC environment correspondent" - gets to keep his 14,000 followers (so same account -rebranded) ... and yes I am still blocked.
I trhink of all the alarmist blogs where they talk about "mole-whacking" to deal with endlessly repeated "denailist" lies. this Antarctic meme is the exact equivalent. It needs
to be whacked out of sight.
I see from Twitter that he's going to do something with "oceans".
Maybe be he's going to mount a Jules Verne-ish expedition to find Trenberth's missing heat.
I note that the guy from WWF said he'd had an email about it - so clearly Richard's closest confidants have been informed personally.
Curfew is welcome to use the North Pole as a swizzle for his very large G&T.
He has only to fish it out of the aquamarine lake of melt water that appeared on the webcam atop the globe two weeks ago.
No more dry martinis for Santa.
"for the Guardian, Agendas are sacred. I do so hope they go down the pan." --Jeremy Poynton
"Yeah, I'lll drink to that. Mine's a very large G&T with loads of ice!" --Curfew
Mine will be a verra, verra wee Drambuie, when it happens.
Maybe I'll have a few ice cold beers for now and resume my G&Ts in a couple of weeks.
Just received an email from RB, saying he can't say what his new venture is at the moment.
My guess is the Stakeholders Forum
Barry Woods reports the following twatter:
" Very sad to learn Richard Black is leaving the BBC. Consistently one of the best environment correspondents in the world. @enviroblac"
My view is much the same as Phil Jones' comment about a different departure:
"In an odd way this is cheering news!"