Comments on: How not to measure temperature

By: Elliot

Elliot — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:13:58 +0000

My first thought was that if any station had reported such startling data which contradicted the tenets of the High Faith of Global Warming, there would be an investigation.
My second thought was the quote attributed to Robert A. Heinlein:
“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity”

By: John Leake

John Leake — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:11:28 +0000

Many years ago (early 1970′s) I set up a weather station for the US Forest Service on the Teton National Forest. The standards I was given from the US Weather Service were quite explicit that the Marysville weather station is not permitted. Things like no building or structure within 50 feet and no pavement, etc near the station. Using data from bad stations such as the one in Marysville is inexcusable and the weather station itself as a climate reporting station is at best questionable.

I find those who use the data without knowing what it is are at best guilty of bad data leading to bad conclusions. At worst they are guilty of fraudulent manipulation of the data to support their preconceived conclusion. The evidence suggests that some notable names in this area are apparently guilty of the later.

By: Jennifer Marohasy » Beware Thermometer Temperature Data

Jennifer Marohasy » Beware Thermometer Temperature Data — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:11:57 +0000

[...] and blogger, Anthony Watts, has been surveying official weather stations in the US since May 2007 and his findings often make incredible reading. Indeed, many official weather stations are very [...]

By: Where Thermometers Go To Die - How not to measure temperature, part 80 « Watts Up With That?

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:15:36 +0000

[...] questioned how NOAA climate monitoring stations were setup. It wasn’t until I stumbled on the Marysville California fire station and its thermometer that that I began to notice just how badly sited these stations are. When I started looking [...]

By: Poshboy

Poshboy — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 20:22:16 +0000

Oh, this is just TOO delicions. Someone should forward this to the Washington Times. They love printing stuff like this.

The climate change reporter there is Joyce Price, jprice@washingtontimes.com.

By: Warwick Hughes

Warwick Hughes — Sun, 27 May 2007 20:26:10 +0000

I have just added a map of CRU/Jones 1994 temperature stations in the San Francisco grid cell, over at ClimateAudit.

By: Warwick Hughes

Warwick Hughes — Sun, 27 May 2007 05:31:49 +0000

Dear Anthony, You ask, "So the question is, how does bad data like this slip into the NASA GISS model database?" First Anthony, data like this did not "slip into the NASA GISS model database", it has been driven in by the truckload. GISS are not the worst offenders and their effort arrived late on the scene, after the GHCN data was assembled in the 90's. The best documentation of how global T databases were first assembled is by the Jones et al team in 1986, reprinted in 1991. Unfortunately these books are no longer in print but your DoE should rectify that. They had the Jones/CRU team contracted for years. My pages at; http://www.warwickhughes.com/cru86/ try to describe the critical sequence. See link to; http://www.warwickhughes.com/cru86/wood.htm which has scanned copies of Fred Woods critique of Jones et al 1986 and the Wigley and Jones reply. I have a Table setting out replies to 9 points where W & J said Wood was in error. Wood's paper is the only critique I am aware of in print. Form your own view. Also see my Table of Southern Hemisphere stations which shows 40% of Jones et al stations are cities plus 50,000 population, even using the out of date, wrong GHCN population numbers. http://www.warwickhughes.com/cru86/shinv.htm Scroll down that Table, tell me what Southern Hemisphere cities are NOT there. So to recap Anthony, it is not that small places like you are documenting, "slipped" in, reality is that hordes of major cities were as I said, driven in by the truckload. It is just not the 40% either, remember that the urban data tends to be longer term, more complete, less fractured by gaps, easier to work with. Hence the resulting global trends tend to be dominated by the UHI affected metro data. At this page below you can link to several pages where I discuss individual UHI affected cities and surrounding more rural sites. http://www.warwickhughes.com/climate/cities.htm At this page below you can link to various studies of 5 degree grid cells, aiming broadly to show how the more urban stations as used by Jones et al have UHI affected trends that are not supported by rural data. http://www.warwickhughes.com/climate/gridlist.htm Sorry to rave on.

By: David Walton

David Walton — Sat, 26 May 2007 21:04:45 +0000

Senator James Inhofe addresses the U.S. Senate Committee on Public Works and Environment about Global Warming -- Inhofe Statement

By: Russ

Russ — Sat, 26 May 2007 20:38:49 +0000

Anthony: You are on the front page above the fold at Climate Audit.

By: David Walton

David Walton — Sat, 26 May 2007 20:31:59 +0000

If problems similar to the Marysville Fire Station (or other factors) are typical of a significant number of sites used to collect surface temperature data supporting global warming then, indeed, the current cycle of global warming is — without question — completely anthropogenic.

By: Steve McIntyre

Steve McIntyre — Sat, 26 May 2007 20:22:47 +0000

This is a very interesting post, although pictures are pretty sickening. Maybe the temperature gurus should spend a little time on quality control. I’ve cross-posted on this with a link here.

BTW GISS also has adjusted versions of both Marysville and Orland. It might be worthwhile for you to email GISS and ask them how they specifically made adjustments at this site. They probably won’t tell you, but you never know.

By: Warwick Hughes

Warwick Hughes — Sat, 26 May 2007 19:14:18 +0000

Thank you for this research.
Great photos, I look forward to seeing more.

By: Russ

Russ — Sat, 26 May 2007 16:48:20 +0000

Anthony, nice work. The two graphs tell the whole story, and ther photos clinch it, Marysville should not be in the historical data base. Now, the question is across the county, how many other sites are in similar condition. I hope others will take up the challenge to visit all the sites, in all states, and do an assesment.