First, a caveat. What you are about to read my astound you. It may cause your skin to crawl. And unfortunately, what you are about to read is not anything new.
Today in the Washington Post, all doubt has been cast out concerning Global Warming. According to James E. Hansen, a prominent NASA climatologist, the earth is absorbing more heat than it is releasing. This absorption, somehow directly related to the usual suspects (carbon dioxide and ‘other heat-traping emmisions), will cause the global temperature to rise to possibly catastrophic levels.
Data gathered from more precise readings of rising sea levels confirms that oceanic heat absorption is up. And, with heat-retainaing elements in the atmosphere, global temperatures will rise as less heat is allowed to escape, according to models.
Unfortunately, I cannot read the study (Science Magazine requires a subscription, how ironic that such an ‘important study’ is only available for certain people). But, what I gathered from the WP article is enough to make me scoff.
For one, Hanson’s prediction is only for an increase in one degree Fahrenheit in the next hundred years. When I’m frustrated, I think my surface temperature raises higher than this.
For two, this “new” data has no real historical chain: it reaches back only to 2000. And, any attempt to compile historically relavant data would require using less reliable sources, since, as Michael Crichton points out in State of Fear, the integrity of climate data drastically decreases pre-1960.
Anyway, it’s worth a read.
Oh, and this just in: Dr. Roy Cordato has supplied me with a link to Pat Michael’s response to Hanson’s piece.
