August 2009 Global Temperature Update: +0.23 deg. C
Dr. Roy Spencer September 4th, 2009
August 2009 saw a modest fall in the global average tropospheric temperature anomaly, from +0.41 deg. C in July to +0.23 deg. C in August. The tropical and Northern Hemispheric troposphere remain quite warm, but the Southern Hemisphere cooled by over 0.4 deg. C in the last month.
YR MON GLOBE NH SH TROPICS
2009 1 +0.304 +0.443 +0.165 -0.036
2009 2 +0.347 +0.678 +0.016 +0.051
2009 3 +0.206 +0.310 +0.103 -0.149
2009 4 +0.090 +0.124 +0.056 -0.014
2009 5 +0.045 +0.046 +0.044 -0.166
2009 6 +0.003 +0.031 -0.025 -0.003
2009 7 +0.412 +0.212 +0.610 +0.427
2009 8 +0.231 +0.284 +0.179 +0.455
NOTE: For those who are monitoring the daily progress of global-average temperatures here, we are still working on switching from NOAA-15 to Aqua AMSU, which will provide more accurate tracking on a daily basis. We will be including both our lower troposphere (LT) and mid-tropospheric (MT) pre-processing of the data. We will also be adding global sea surface temperature anomalies from the AMSR-E instrument on board the NASA Aqua satellite.
Roger
I appreciate your thoughts. I think power and control drive the ‘human condition’ Roger (with or without “AGW alarm”). I would like to be optimistic, but it’s getting ugly.
I couldn’t agree more Roger, perhaps we only need one more amigo Roy?
Problem … the mob here would only want to lynch me. So, yes – I won’t be back.
Your quip about ‘scams’ is let go for the keeper, sorry.
I will continue to do what I do best … dot the ‘i’s and cross the ‘t’s in my work. As I’ve said, it’s up to others to determine what to do about the conclusions. Sad really, I think now, more than ever, it is incumbent on genuine scientists to step in and help explain the work they do, the conclusions they make and how they can help.
I’ll leave with one question for you to ponder: How can the scientists best co-ordinate and disseminate the findings of their research, assuming what we have is not good enough?
Regards and good bye
MikeE
I don’t “expect blind faith”, that is abhorrent. I was quite prepared to explain and answer questions here about ‘climate science’ in general and my sphere of work/expertise in particular – land/ocean/atmosphere systems: all things water. I would add, most farmers I meet are grateful for my help.
Nevertheless, it appears that the explanations/answers are not accepted if it disagrees with the wannabe scientist’s ‘point of view’. I can’t help these people, and there appears to be preponderance here. And yes, most say I’ve got it wrong and some want to tell me how to do my job.
Best wishes
DavidK (00:52:38) — In case you drop by one more time, David, this may give you a little heart… or chuckle:
Humor Dedicated to Professor Alexander
HYDROLOGY
A student came to the golden gate,
his head was bent down low.
He weakly asked the man in white,
which way he was to go…
“What have you done?” Saint Peter asked,
“that you should come up here?”
“I studied hydrology down below,
for many and many a year.”
Saint Peter opened wide the gate.
and gently pressed the bell.
“Come inside and choose your harp,
you’ve had your share of hell!”
DavidK (00:58:45) :
“Nevertheless, it appears that the explanations/answers are not accepted if it disagrees with the wannabe scientist’s ‘point of view’. I can’t help these people, and there appears to be preponderance here. And yes, most say I’ve got it wrong and some want to tell me how to do my job.”
i wouldnt assume that, i m sure there are many who come here like myself, who seldom post, but read. Some of the more enlightening “discussions” are heated ( you should see the solar guys go at it hammer and tongs) Ive found this thread interesting. There is nothing wrong with having counter points o view. And backing up youre arguments with observations/facts. There should be diverse views on something as complex as climate.
Well thank you David and others for an interesting thread.
DavidK (01:44:08) Richard .. When you asserted; “I just noticed the blighter is comparing October anomalies with August? Ridiculous. First thing you have got to do is compare like with like to try any meaningful analysis” I knew you hadn’t a clue about multivariate analysis,..
For once we are in complete agreement. I dont.
In that long post of yours I noticed the following: Australia had an exceptionally warm August. It was put down to a pressure pattern and compared with a similar pattern in OCTOBER 1988. October 1988 was also very warm. That pressure pattern produces unusual warmth – So far so good.
Now comes the assertion which requires a leap in logic. “The difference of 0.31°C between the two months is close to the size of the warming trend over Australia in that 21-year period, and suggests that the long-term background warming trend is playing a role in increasing the frequency of high temperature extremes of the type seen in August 2009.”
I can examine the facts behind that assertion and here they are:
1. The annual trend from 1988 to 2008 0.103C/decade which would give an increase of 0.206C, or 0.21 and not 0.31, it doesnt give a similar warming trend
2. The October to October trend also doesnt give it.
To me then to suggest that “the long-term background warming trend is playing a role in increasing the frequency of high temperature extremes of the type seen in August 2009”, is dubious. I may not be to you but thats the way I look at it.
As for the other points you have raised MikeE (19:54:56) has said it for me.
No one is wanting to lynch you. A person reading those exchanges might gather the impression that you were trying to put me down.
I am sure that farmers are grateful for the work you do for them. There was nothing personal in what I wanted to say.
Sometimes a layman is better at discerning the wood for the trees as that bloggers and laymen just might have have a better handle on sea ice extent than the majority of Arctic experts themselves article seems to indicate.
The poem I quoted above ( Roger Carr (04:00:43)) was from a student to his professor, Will Alexander, a vitally concerned gentleman worth paying attention to. One story from the professor is quoted from and linked below:
Climate alarmism is a runaway fire
By Professor Will Alexander
Via Email, 21 August 2009
An Honest Climate Debate
DavidK (01:44:08) : “..Murray-Darling Basin Authority chief, Rob Freeman, ..believed the extreme climate patterns that have dried out south-east Australia would not prove to be permanent. Some commentators say this is the new future. I think that is an extreme position and probably a position that’s not helpful to take,” he said, expressing confidence that wetter times would return.”
He does have to back this up though, Richard. Maybe you should point Freeman in the right direction.
No I cannot point him in the right direction. He is probably already in the right direction.
He probably disbelieves that the climate models crunched out in the supercomputers actually reflect reality or can forecast into the deep future with any accuracy.
Maybe he basis his opinion on past climatic history when droughts have been broken and hopes this one will be also.
Maybe he realises that Australia is prone to drought because of its geographical location, corresponding to the Sahara in the Northern hemisphere.
Maybe he realises that even if the drought were to last for a while longer, it would be futile and a criminal waste of money to attempt to break the drought through cap n trade or carbon taxes.
Maybe he sees that such an action is exactly equivalent to the human sacrifices that more primitive cultures made to try and relieve similar situations.
Richard (22:11:29) : “…that more primitive cultures…
There were, Richard? Phew! That’s a relief; though not heartening…
In RE: Hank Hancock (19:11:52) :
Careful, Hank. If we are still recovering from an ice age the long term trend is up – a fact which may yet breathe life into greeniac alarmist crackpot theories.
In RE: DavidK (16:48:48) : “Is it possible that they are using ‘climate change’ (real or not) to urge humanity to grow and develop in a more sustainable way?”
Ah, Al Gore’s excuse – it’s OK to lie as long as you’re lying to get people to do what you want them to do.
First, the claim that humanity is growing in unsustainable ways has been around as long as I’ve been alive and will remain long after I’m dead.
Second, the answer to unsustainable living is not to trap a large segment of the world’s population in unsustainable habits while retarding the progress of those closest to the goal of discovering and implementing sustainable practices.
Third, whether we are causing any measurable climate change or not, the answer isn’t to create a massive government entity who’s members spew carbon as they jet from one exotic location to another to talk about what we should do while we do exactly the opposite.
After all the meetings, all the propaganda, all the lies, all the accusations, has the IPCC or anyone gotten either India or China to commit to real contributions to “stopping climate change”, as if that were even possible?