Having driven just over 800 miles around North Carolina, getting USHCN and GISS stations, like the one in Fayetteville NC yesterday, I’m pretty tired. But I’m at the middle of the trip, a trip made possible by the donations of many readers and supporters like you. Thank you, most sincerely for funding this trip. I’m getting lots of stations, but I’ve kept the centerpiece private until now.
Tomorrow, by an invitation sent almost two months ago, I am meeting with Dr. Thomas Karl and many of the principal scientists at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, NC. I will also be giving a presentation that will include many of the things presented here on this blog, and some that haven’t been.
Here is the meeting agenda prepared by NCDC: watts-visit-ncdcbb PDF file.
I’ll be relaying a couple of communications and have some questions. Feel free to pose some here. The visit has been labeled as an “exchange of ideas and information”, which I’m all for as long as a hockey game doesn’t break out.
More station surveys in western NC and into Tennessee for the weekend. I hope to survey 20-25 on this trip.
Sign up here if you’d like to survey some in your state: www.surfacestations.org
Or if you can’t do surveys but would like to help there’s always the donation button at right to fund the next trip.
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Be sure to check out that Asheville station, Rev. It’s supposed to be the jewel in the CRN crown.
REPLY: I have a personal tour Thursday
The NCDC has posted the adjustments to the USHCN:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/ushcn/ushcn.html
The total of which is illiustrated here:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/ushcn/ts.ushcn_anom25_diffs_urb-raw_pg.gif
Many of us would like the same simple explanations and graphics for the adjustments to global temperature.
I’ve heard that March 2008 was supposedly the warmest on record (over land) globally. Yet the U.S. Climate Summary clearly shows that March is below average which makes three or four months in a row. I’ve also read that Sydney AU has just experienced its coolest summer in 50 years. Is it really possible for the US and Australia to be significantly cooler and the rest of the world so much hotter that the average is the warmest on record? I see this as one real unusual event, though I am not a scientist (bet you can tell) just one who avidly believes that global worming is a crock.
I remain hopeful that I will see the day when the cooling trend is significant enough and lasts long enough for Al Gore to be told to shut up.
Ok, I estimate 5 Cracker Barrels between that sign and your destination.
REPLY: I’ve been using Bojangles as mile markers, seems to be more of those than cracker barrels. And I’ve yet to visit either.
Eating is restaurants here is tough, they allow smoking everywhere. I bailed on dinner tonight midway because person next to me lit up. Not likely to change here, as NC is a Tobacco driven economy. Great roads though, blows the California road system off the map in quality and coverage.
Bob Tisdale said: ‘Many of us would like the same simple explanations and graphics for the adjustments to global temperature.”
I’m constantly amazed at the apparent fact no one seems to question these “adjustments.” Anytime you allow ANYONE to fudge a number regardless how sincere they are, they are still fudged numbers and not woth a tinkers damn as far as I’m concerned.
Jack Koenig, Editor
The Mysterious Climate Project
http://www.climateclinic.com
Bojangles was listed in my original self censored post, along with Cracker Barrel, which may have a non-smoking section, Chick Fil A, and Waffle House.
WARNING: I STRONGLY ADVISE AGAINST EATING AT A WAFFLE HOUSE.
If you head up into the Smokies on your way to Tennessee, you can may be able to buy boiled peanuts, whatever the hell those are, or a confederate flag, on the NC side. When you come down in Tennessee you’ll find yourself in Fisherman’s Wharf South (Gatlinburg), then on past Dollywood and the the NASCAR museum, and a dozen huge dinner theaters for families on the road to Knoxville–really a weird area.
REPLY: There’s a Waffle House right next to my hotel, based on appearance alone (rust and window grime is never inviting) I’ve crossed it off the list. Been to Gatlinburg a long time ago, I’ve setup a “anti crap vortex field generator” on my vehicle for just such an occasion where I’ll have to push through the zone there.
I may use the bathroom at Bojangles, just to say I’ve been there. Cracker Barrel may be worth a shot as cultural experience. Chick Fil-A is actually quite good.
Anthony
I had a feeling this is where your trip was heading. Just returned from there myself, as this is where my son and grandkids live, beautiful part of the country for sure. I always check the temps in Marshall NC, just north of Asheville, since this is where they live. Strong downward trend historically last time I checked. Don’t mention this to your host they may feel obligated to adjust it since it’s in their backyard:) Good luck looking forward to your reports on meeting.
JERRY
REPLY: Thanks Jerry, Marshall’s USHCN station is my first stop after Asheville.
jeez: Ah, those Cracker Barrels. The gift sections are the most banal things I’ve ever seen. Well, close (there is the NY Times editorial section). But they have all those cool antiques hanging from the ceilings! I’d buy those antiques, but not those godawful “gifts”!
they allow smoking everywhere.
In North Carolina smoking is required. (Even the airports had public ashtrays last time I was down there.) As you say, it’s half the economy down there.
I’ve heard that March 2008 was supposedly the warmest on record (over land) globally.
Those are surface measurements. I don’t think the satellites have as big a bounce.
Anthony said: “There’s a Waffle House right next to my hotel, based on appearance alone (rust and window grime is never inviting) I’ve crossed it off the list.”
Sounds to me like they’re housing a good ole USHCN station in there somewhere!
Jack Koenig, Editor
The Mysterious Climate Project
http://www.climateclinic.com
I see you are meeting with Peterson. I can’t wait to read his new paper claiming “there was no consensus in the 1970s that the Earth was headed for a new ice age”. In fact, as I understand it, his paper will claim that “a review of the literature suggests that greenhouse warming even then dominated scientists’ thinking”.
Maybe that is true, maybe not, but I can’t wait to test his search terms on Google Scholar, with some of my own. Of course, my own search terms will be derived from what I found in the New York Times archive, which clearly shows a much higher degree of anxiety of a new ice age during the 1960s and 1970s than global warming.
Why the NYT? Well, I suspect more people read the NYT than the read scientific journals of the era. So public opinion then was driven by the media (such as NYT) and not by the scientific literature, much as it is today. At the end of the day, Peterson may be right about the scientific media, but wrong about the public media.
Mr. Watts,
Well done, good work. Plaudits.
So the NCDC guys at least appear to have some concern for science, good for them. Can you imagine the sh*t-storm if the NCDC announced they were revising the national temperature record, downwards!! Even enlarged error bars would be fatal.
Hint: They may also be looking for a way out of this quandry.
Just a thought: perhaps they will have some insight into “Where’s Waldo” as Steve Mcintyre has labelled the issue of the rise in the Rest Of The World’s land surface temperatures?
Anthony, when driving through the Carolinas Iv;e noticed Fireworks Factories ‘together with Peach Stands1 Did you come across any of that?
REPLY: Oh yeah, almost as many fireworks stands as Bojangles, especilly near military bases like Bragg and Lejuene.
I live in Asheville. I just signed up at surfacestation.org. I was going to go take pictures of the Marshall site, but now I guess I don’t have to. If you are going to be in Asheville for any amount of time I recommend Jack of the Wood if you want a beer
If you are here tomorrow for lunch you should find 12 Bones…
If you can, eat at Tupelo Honey in downtown Asheville. AWESOME!!
I wish you best on your visit, Anthony. A kind of validation for your hard work?
Chicken and Dumplings at Cracker Barrel. Pretty good eats in my opinion. But, heck, I’ll eat most anything except those pickled pig’s feet they sell soaking in the red liquid.
Only ask about latte in the larger towns.
The restroom at the Bojangles in South Boston is the most disgusting indoor plumbing I have ever seen. Hell, it’s worse than most Forest Service two-holers.
I’ve been to some WH’s that are not all that bad.
Never ate af a Chick Fil-A, never found one with truck parking.
Cracker Barrels are not bad, and most have no-smoking sections.
Have a good trip, and break a leg.
Jack Koenig: As a neophyte R&D data aquisition technician in the medical prosthesis industry, I was constantly amazed that I was never allowed to commit raw numbers to storage. Rather I was always instructed to process raw data through someone’s magic formula prior to storage. Being of a more conservative bent, I usually privately set up a file of the raw data as well as the requested finagled numbers. On more than one occasion I saved someone’s butt when it was discovered their massaged numbers lied. Not once was I ever praised…
Now I’m a bit older and wiser!
D. Dodd>>>
Wow, an actual sit-down meeting with the one who signed off on the CRN siting standards.
It would be nice to know, first, if they have any records, pictures, or detailed metadata that is NOT archived somewhere. They had to get field reports on their installations and changeovers. Detail the problems people have had finding the proper sites.
Second, get their input on the use of reporting period (GISS, HadCRU and NCDC all use different ones).
I know, too many questions, not enough time.
We’ve all seen your presentation. The quality map alone is a telling part of the display, along with the recent addition of the FLIR. Knock their socks off, Anthony…
Questions.
1. Can we get the code for SHAP, TOBS, and FILNET
2. Can we get the code for the homogenization based on Menne’s appraoch.
3. Why is the station history file not up to date ( see atmoz work)
4. Can we get CRN data in an easier way, right now we have to scrape the web
site. St. Mac wrote a script, but its R. So an FTP site of CRN data.
5. How will CRN be phased in?
6. sugar or plain?
7. Oh, can the explain the mystery variables Lights and brightness index?
NOT hansens nightlights, but the other two feilds.
8. Ask about using nightlights as opposed to the vegatative index for urban determinition
REPLY: Roger Wilco, some questions already in que.
You’re just about an hour & twenty mins from me, Anthony. Too bad I have to head out to the west coast tomorrow, else I’d come up there just to shake your hand.
I hope you are enjoying our beautiful, cool spring. Perfect time of the year to see the Carolinas (and TN, too)
Oh, and about those Waffle Houses… I echo the good advice already given!
Hey Anthony,
Try the boiled peanuts they are good even if salty. The chick fil a is a good restaurant but is always closed on Sundays. If you like fried chicken you might try
Church’s Fried Chicken.
That is some beautiful country you are going through and just as an info there is a group meeting in Sevierville in May. The Lightning Strike and Electrical Shock Survivors International. Quite a group of people. They meet there every year for a 3 day conference.
Have fun and enjoy.
Bill
OH! Almost forgot: The Mellow Mushroom in town for a very decent pizza!
One last word, Anthony.
I am sure these people you are meeting are all of good will. But keep an eye out for the hockey game ambuscade. There are lots of reputations, careers and money riding on global warming.