Global Warming "Hiatus" and the Global Heat Distribution Engine

Over at SkepticForum I continue hearing echo's of David Rose's erroneous claim that 'global warming stopped 16 years ago' and it makes no sense to me how such a disingenuous hoax lives on and on.

When I hear someone write or say there's been a pause in global warming, or some hiatus, I know I'm dealing with someone who doesn't have any conception of our planet's dynamic multi-layered climate system, it's sad. Worst is when they refuse to look at genuine information and learn from it.

If these types had a conception of heat and energy moving throughout our planet, they would appreciate that the global ocean plays a huge roll in heat absorption and circulation.  That's why I've collected this series of excellent educational videos to share.

It would be wonderful imagining skeptical folks giving this information a chance to soak in.  Understanding that scientific measurements do the best they can with what they have and they'll never be perfect.  But, that shouldn't stop us from learning what we can from the information they can gather.   Maybe then they'd realize that setting impossibly high expectations harms us all.

Michael Mann's continuing saga, Virginia FOIA case moves forward

Well, the climate science "skeptics" have unleashed another flurry substance-less claims and attacks on Dr. Michael Mann in light of the recent court decision allowing the American Tradition Institute's (and a member of  Virginia's House of Delegates, Del Marshall's) lawsuit seeking pretty much any and all working material related to the research of Dr. Michael Mann and his team.  

It doesn't matter to them that the data upon which his studies are based is and has been available, see: http://www.meteo.psu.edu/holocene/public_html/Mann/tools/tools.php

It doesn't matter to them that Mann et al's studies have been investigated many times over, see:
http://www.skepticalscience.com/Climategate-CRU-emails-hacked.htm
also see: 
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/08/22/301163/nsf-investigation-exonerates-hockey-stick-scientist-michael-mann/
and:
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/08/22/300821/nsf-inspector-general-investigation-michael-mann/

It doesn't matter that subsequent studies using different proxies and methods have reported the same basic story, see:
http://www.skepticalscience.com/Hockey-stick-or-hockey-league.html

All that seems to matter to them, is that business leaders and politicians and the public remain as ignorant as possible about what we are doing to our life sustaining climate system.
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From the Washington Post story by Tom Jackman:

Prince William FOIA case on global warming headed for Virginia Supreme Court 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/local/wp/2013/10/09/prince-william-foia-case-on-global-warming-headed-for-virginia-supreme-court/ 

"... Richard C. Kast and Madelyn F. Wessel, U.Va.’s lawyers, argued that Judge Sheridan got it right when he ruled that the university had properly interpreted FOIA. They acknowledged that there was no judicial precedent on the FOIA exemption, but that “the policy of open government under the act is not ‘absolute,’” citing more than 100 exemptions in Virginia’s FOIA law. 

They noted that the Institute and Marshall challenge the judge’s interpretation of “proprietary,” but that the conservatives “offer no alternative definition or explanation as to why the plain meaning of the term should not apply.” Plain meaning, in U.Va.’s view, being “a thing or property owned or in the possession of one who manages and controls them.” 

Mann said in an e-mail to me that “I believe Judge Sheridan’s ruling protecting faculty research correspondence is correct and is precisely what Sen. Thomas Michie intended when he proposed his legislation to amend Virginia’s FOIA law and the legislature enacted in 1984 to enhance the ability of Virginia’s public colleges and university’s to protect the scholarly research endeavor.” 

But late last month the Supreme Court agreed to take the case, which Schnare said happens in about 10 percent of the civil cases appealed to them."

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For a review of what Dr. Mann has been put through, see:

Timeline: Legal Harassment of Climate Scientist Michael Mann

http://www.ucsusa.org/scientific_integrity/abuses_of_science/va-ag-timeline.html

For a look at the players in this most recent episode:

SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: Who's behind the 'information attacks' on climate scientists?

http://www.southernstudies.org/2011/10/special-investigation-whos-behind-the-information-attacks-on-climate-scientists.html

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For a bit more on the tactics used by the contrarians, see:

Climate Skeptics Try To Spin Penn State Exoneration of Dr. Michael Mann Into “Whitewash”

http://www.desmogblog.com/climate-skeptics-try-spin-penn-state-exoneration-dr-michael-mann-“whitewash”

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Michael Mann, hounded researcher

http://www.skepticalscience.com/MichaelMann.html

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NSF IG report on Michael Mann investigation: “No research misconduct. Case closed.” Don't bother telling Rick Perry.

http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/2011/08/22/nsf-ig-report-on-michael-mann-investigation/

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To finish it seems appropriate to allow Dr. Mann to speak for himself:

Michael Mann responds to the “false and misleading claims” in the error-riddled, defamatory WSJ piece by Jeffrey Ball and Keith Johnson

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2010/02/26/205566/michael-mann-false-and-misleading-claims-wall-street-journal-oversimplify-piece-by-jeffrey-ball-and-keith-johnson/

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Michael E. Mann on Climate Change and Muzzling Science CBC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q34jLLTq15o

Published on Mar 29, 2012

MICHAEL E. MANN Physicist, Climatologist, Director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University, author of "The Hockey Stick and The Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines" was George's guest on March 28, 2012

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Michael Mann: Confronting the Climate Change Challenge - 

Conversations from Penn State

Published on Apr 12, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06DdPb_DFo0

Michael Mann was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the team of scientists that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore. Mann discusses his work with the panel, his current outlook on the future of the planet, and his new book, The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars.

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TEDxPSU - Michael Mann - 

A Look Into Our Climate: Past To Present To Future

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElI-XVGHCHs

Uploaded on Dec 5, 2011

Michael Mann is a professor in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, a climatologist, and the director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University. Michael is best known for his extensive background and research in the field of paleoclimatology. This work led to Michael's graph of temperature trends over the last thousand years, popularly coined as the "hockey stick graph" because of its resemblance to the sporting equipment. 

The graph has received acclaim and criticism since its publishing. He has received many awards and honors including, but not limited to, the Outstanding Scientific Paper Award by NOAA in 2002 and also was named one of the 50 Leading Visionaries in Science and Technology by Scientific American. 

Michael is also one of the founders of RealClimate.org, a highly acclaimed climate science website that was chosen in 2005 as one of the top 25 "Science and Technology" websites by Scientific American and as one of the top 15 "green" websites by Time Magazine in 2008. Michael's educational background includes an M.S. degree in Physics from Yale, and a Ph.D. in Geology & Geophysics from Yale.

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The Lord Christopher Monckton Files - an index

I was looking at the actor Topher's "50 to 1 Project's" "supporting data" - it is a single sheet titled  "Is CO2 mitigation cost-effective?" and it was composed by none other than the infamous Lord Christopher Monckton.  

Some fancy terms, lot of numbers tossed out so that the uneducated is expected to be impressed and accept it's veracity, simply because it looks so impressive.  {like that "Oregon Petition" thing}

Thing is, it looks like something a con-man would offer up to convince the gullible to part with their money: "I figured it all out, look at my numbers, we can't go wrong, trust me, now give your cash already!"

As it happens, exactly three years ago I was giving Christopher Monckton's claims a lot of attention.  In fact, we even had a short lived email correspondence going, which lead to a whole series of further emails that I posted at my citizenschallenge.blogspot.

Considering Christopher Monckton seems to be Topher's Braintrust for his 50 to 1 project  - these links to reviews of this scoundrel and serial liar is in order.  Admittedly, I'm no professional writer and these posts were written three years ago, so expect some untidiness, still the information within is sound and supported by links to authoritative sources.  I've also added a few videos.

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The Lord Christopher Monckton Files - an index

Who Is Lord Christopher Monckton?

http://citizenschallenge.blogspot.com/2010/08/who-is-lord-christopher-monckton.html

INDEX for my Climate Science Video Collection

My first website http://citizenschallenge.blogspot.com developed into a venue that focuses primarily on Earth observations, climate science and education, whereas I started this website to focus on climate science deniers and to examine some of their ruthless attacks on rational thinking and learning.  

Since attempting to encourage serious learning by sharing authoritative sources of information is also at the heart of this website. I've decided to share some links to a series of posts where I've collected some first class climate science education videos and lectures.

Enjoy and happy learning!