Blogger Finds Y2K Bug in NASA Climate Data

[safan80]

this is funny and interesting
http://www.dailytech.com/Blogger+Fin...rticle8383.htm

Years of bad data corrected; 1998 no longer the warmest year on record

My earlier column this week detailed the work of a volunteer team to assess problems with US temperature data used for climate modeling. One of these people is Steve McIntyre, who operates the site climateaudit.org. While inspecting historical temperature graphs, he noticed a strange discontinuity, or "jump" in many locations, all occurring around the time of January, 2000.

These graphs were created by NASA's Reto Ruedy and James Hansen (who shot to fame when he accused the administration of trying to censor his views on climate change). Hansen refused to provide McKintyre with the algorithm used to generate graph data, so McKintyre reverse-engineered it. The result appeared to be a Y2K bug in the handling of the raw data.

McKintyre notified the pair of the bug; Ruedy replied and acknowledged the problem as an "oversight" that would be fixed in the next data refresh.

NASA has now silently released corrected figures, and the changes are truly astounding. The warmest year on record is now 1934. 1998 (long trumpeted by the media as record-breaking) moves to second place. 1921 takes third. In fact, 5 of the 10 warmest years on record now all occur before World War II. Anthony Watts has put the new data in chart form, along with a more detailed summary of the events.

The effect of the correction on global temperatures is minor (some 1-2% less warming than originally thought), but the effect on the US global warming propaganda machine could be huge.

Then again-- maybe not. I strongly suspect this story will receive little to no attention from the mainstream media.

[n00b 0f l337]

Actually true or no?

[safan80]

yeah it is. you can click the links to see the info.

[KoHaN69]

So Global Warming is a Y2K bug?

[trainee]

So Global Warming is a Y2K bug?

pretty funny...

Thats an impressive amount of unappreciated work by Steve McIntyre. Maybe NASA should hire him. I mean it works with hackers...

[biohead]

First Michael Mann's hockey stick, now this. Somehow I'm not so surprised. McIntyre is a hero to me. I did a paper on global warming and he and McKitrick are the true scientists if you ask me.

[Machinus]

There should be a special section on this forum called "physics isn't real!!!"

[rogueagent6]

Ohh my GORE!!!

Sorry, had to say it.

[Zytek_Fan]

It's been a really slow news week...

[Shintai]

Just a shame it doesnt match with european research...did exxon flash the wallet again?

Anyway, 2007 will be a (yet another) new heat record for the northern hemisphere.



I´m even thinking of moving more north

[Cuthalu]

Well, according to that data, the climate is still getting warmer. Besides, that's a very short measurement timeline.

[biohead]

"Statistics: The only science that enables different experts using the same figures to draw different conclusions." - Evan Esar

[aMp]

"Statistics: The only science that enables different experts using the same figures to draw different conclusions." - Evan Esar

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

- Mark Twain, by way of Benjamin Disraeli

[Verisimilitude]

Y2K makes it funny, doesn't change much though.

http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf

[Pisu87]

"Statistics: The only science that enables different experts using the same figures to draw different conclusions." - Evan Esar

Statistics: the only science that says that if you've got your head in an oven and your feet in a freezer you're just right.

[Super strokey]

So they way i understand it (i didnt read all the artcile) is that a few of the highest temps have been moved back a few years but the general trend towards warming up is happening? If so who cares when the warm years were, what matters is the big picture of what is happening in general, if not lets go eat some cake... or prehaps some banana cream pie.

[biohead]

Y2K makes it funny, doesn't change much though.

http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf

yeah, the IPCC, now that's a credible source.

[frankR]

Just a shame it doesnt match with european research...did exxon flash the wallet again?

Did you bother to read the article?

The error was found in the Annual Mean Temperature Change in the United States, not the Global Mean! The NASA Global Mean data looks similar to the graph you posted. Furthermore, James Hansen of NASA acknowledged the bug, there is no coercion from big oil here.

I do not understand how you obtain a mean temperature of the United States, much less the entire planet! I have a hard time getting 5 thermometers to agree with each other on a table in a laboratory. How do you measure the temperature of the entire planet? Also, when I don’t see error bars on data I’m instantly skeptical, especially data this questionable and controversial.

[Speederlander]

especially data this questionable and controversial.

Controversy over global warming is manufactured controversy in any event. A few scientists are either paid or dug up who disagree with the vast majority of scientists out there and the anti-global warming machine uses them to create the illusion of "controversy".

[voltaire2030]

[QUOTE=Shintai;2361918]Just a shame it doesnt match with european research...did exxon flash the wallet again?

Anyway, 2007 will be a (yet another) new heat record for the northern hemisphere.



I´m even thinking of moving more north [/QUOTE]

Very soon, we are going to grow oranges and bananas in our country (canada and denmark)

[biohead]

Controversy over global warming is manufactured controversy in any event. A few scientists are either paid or dug up who disagree with the vast majority of scientists out there and the anti-global warming machine uses them to create the illusion of "controversy".

do some research and you'll come up with a different conclusion.

[LordofDoom]

Just a shame it doesnt match with european research...did exxon flash the wallet again?

Anyway, 2007 will be a (yet another) new heat record for the northern hemisphere.



I´m even thinking of moving more north

Here in MD, I've had the warmest summer of my lifetime. I can't remember it ever going above 100 more than once per year, it just did it 3 times this week. 101, 101, 103 >.>

[Verisimilitude]

It just hit 95f in Austin Texas this week, coolest year in a decade.

[Speederlander]

do some research and you'll come up with a different conclusion.

My characterization of the situation was correct. You should take your own advice.

[frankR]

Controversy over global warming is manufactured controversy in any event. A few scientists are either paid or dug up who disagree with the vast majority of scientists out there and the anti-global warming machine uses them to create the illusion of "controversy".

That's your interpretation.

While I do believe through my own readings of the scientific literature that anthropogenic warming is a real effect, I do not believe in the hysteria and virulent defiance of skepticism coming from the politically motivated proselytizers in this heavily model driven and controversial area of research.