UPDATE: Response from CRU in interview with another website, see end of this post.
The details on this are still sketchy, we’ll probably never know what went on. But it appears that University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit has been hacked and many many files have been released by the hacker or person unknown.
UPDATED: Original image was for Met Office – corrected This image source: www.cru.uea.ac.uk
I’m currently traveling and writing this from an airport, but here is what I know so far:
An unknown person put postings on some climate skeptic websites that advertised an FTP file on a Russian FTP server, here is the message that was placed on the Air Vent today:
We feel that climate science is, in the current situation, too important to
be kept under wraps.
We hereby release a random selection of correspondence, code, and documents
The file was large, about 61 megabytes, containing hundreds of files.
It contained data, code, and emails from Phil Jones at CRU to and from many people.
I’ve seen the file, it appears to be genuine and from CRU. Others who have seen it concur- it appears genuine. There are so many files it appears unlikely that it is a hoax. The effort would be too great.
Here is some of the emails just posted at Climate Audit on this thread:
http://www.climateaudit.org/?p=7801#comments
I’ve redacted email addresses and direct phone numbers for the moment. The emails all have US public universities in the email addresses, making them public/FOIA actionable I believe.
From: Phil Jones
To: mann@vxxxxx.xxx
Subject: Fwd: John L. Daly dead
Date: Thu Jan 29 14:17:01 2004
From: Timo H‰meranta
To:
Subject: John L. Daly dead
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 12:04:28 +0200
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.4510
Importance: Normal
Mike,
In an odd way this is cheering news ! One other thing about the CC paper – just found
another email – is that McKittrick says it is standard practice in Econometrics journals
to give all the data and codes !! According to legal advice IPR overrides this.
Cheers
Phil
“It is with deep sadness that the Daly Family have to announce the sudden death of John
Daly.Condolences may be sent to John’s email account (daly@john-daly.com)
“
Reported with great sadness
Timo H‰meranta
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Timo H‰meranta, LL.M.
Moderator, Climatesceptics
Martinlaaksontie 42 B 9
01620 Vantaa
Finland, Member State of the European Union
Moderator: timohame@yxxxxx.xxx
Private: timo.hameranta@xxxxx.xx
Home page: [1]personal.inet.fi/koti/hameranta/climate.htm
Moderator of the discussion group “Sceptical Climate Science”
[2]groups.yahoo.com/group/climatesceptics
“To dwell only on horror scenarios of the future
shows only a lack of imagination”. (Kari Enqvist)
“If the facts change, I’ll change my opinion.
What do you do, Sir” (John Maynard Keynes)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Prof. Phil Jones
Climatic Research Unit Telephone +44 (0)xxxxxx
School of Environmental Sciences Fax +44 (0) xxxxxx
University of East Anglia
Norwich Email p.jones@xxx.xx.xx
NR4 7TJ
UK
—————————————————————————-
References
1. http://personal.inet.fi/koti/hameranta/climate.htm
2. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/climatesceptics
From: Phil Jones
To: ray bradley ,mann@xxxxx.xxx, mhughes@xxxx.xxx
Subject: Diagram for WMO Statement
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 1999 13:31:15 +0000
Cc: k.briffa@xxx.xx.xx,t.osborn@xxxx.xxx
Dear Ray, Mike and Malcolm,
Once Tim’s got a diagram here we’ll send that either later today or
first thing tomorrow.
I’ve just completed Mike’s Nature trick of adding in the real temps
to each series for the last 20 years (ie from 1981 onwards) amd from
1961 for Keith’s to hide the decline. Mike’s series got the annual
land and marine values while the other two got April-Sept for NH land
N of 20N. The latter two are real for 1999, while the estimate for 1999
for NH combined is +0.44C wrt 61-90. The Global estimate for 1999 with
data through Oct is +0.35C cf. 0.57 for 1998.
Thanks for the comments, Ray.
Cheers
Phil
Prof. Phil Jones
Climatic Research Unit Telephone +44 (0) xxxxx
School of Environmental Sciences Fax +44 (0) xxxx
University of East Anglia
Norwich Email p.jones@xxxx.xxx
NR4 7TJ
UK
—————————————————————————-
From: Jonathan Overpeck
To: “Michael E. Mann”
Subject: letter to Senate
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 16:49:31 -0700
Cc: Caspar M Ammann , Raymond Bradley , Keith Briffa , Tom Crowley , Malcolm Hughes , Phil Jones , mann@xxxxx.xxx, jto@xxxxx.xx.xxx, omichael@xxxxx.xxx, Tim Osborn , Kevin Trenberth , Tom Wigley
Hi all – I’m not too comfortable with this, and would rather not sign – at least not
without some real time to think it through and debate the issue. It is unprecedented and
political, and that worries me.
My vote would be that we don’t do this without a careful discussion first.
I think it would be more appropriate for the AGU or some other scientific org to do this –
e.g., in reaffirmation of the AGU statement (or whatever it’s called) on global climate
change.
Think about the next step – someone sends another letter to the Senators, then we respond,
then…
I’m not sure we want to go down this path. It would be much better for the AGU etc to do
it.
What are the precedents and outcomes of similar actions? I can imagine a special-interest
org or group doing this like all sorts of other political actions, but is it something for
scientists to do as individuals?
Just seems strange, and for that reason I’d advise against doing anything with out real
thought, and certainly a strong majority of co-authors in support.
Cheers, Peck
Dear fellow Eos co-authors,
Given the continued assault on the science of climate change by some on Capitol Hill,
Michael and I thought it would be worthwhile to send this letter to various members of
the U.S. Senate, accompanied by a copy of our Eos article.
Can we ask you to consider signing on with Michael and me (providing your preferred
title and affiliation). We would like to get this out ASAP.
Thanks in advance,
Michael M and Michael O
______________________________________________________________
Professor Michael E. Mann
Department of Environmental Sciences, Clark Hall
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22903
_______________________________________________________________________
e-mail: mann@xxxxxx.xxx Phone: (434) 924-7770 FAX: (434) xxx-xxxxx
http://www.evsc.virginia.edu/faculty/people/mann.shtml
Attachment converted: Macintosh HD:EOS.senate letter-final.doc (WDBN/MSWD) (00055FCF)
–
Jonathan T. Overpeck
Director, Institute for the Study of Planet Earth
Professor, Department of Geosciences
Mail and Fedex Address:
Institute for the Study of Planet Earth
715 N. Park Ave. 2nd Floor
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721
direct tel: +xxxx
fax: +1 520 792-8795
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/Faculty_Pages/Overpeck.J.html http://www.ispe.arizona.edu/
It appears that the proverbial Climate Science Cat is out of the bag.
Developing story – more later
UPDATE1: Steve McIntyre posted this on Climate Audit, I used a screen cap rtaher than direct link becuase CA is overloaded and slow at the moment.
UPDATE2: Response from CRU h/t to WUWT reader “Nev”
http://briefingroom.typepad.com/the_briefing_room/2009/11/hadleycru-says-leaked-data-is-real.html
The director of Britain’s leading Climate Research Unit, Phil Jones, has told Investigate magazine’s TGIF Edition tonight that his organization has been hacked, and the data flying all over the internet appears to be genuine.
In an exclusive interview, Jones told TGIF, “It was a hacker. We were aware of this about three or four days ago that someone had hacked into our system and taken and copied loads of data files and emails.”
“Have you alerted police”
“Not yet. We were not aware of what had been taken.”
Jones says he was first tipped off to the security breach by colleagues at the website RealClimate.
“Real Climate were given information, but took it down off their site and told me they would send it across to me. They didn’t do that. I only found out it had been released five minutes ago.”
TGIF asked Jones about the controversial email discussing “hiding the decline”, and Jones explained what he was trying to say….
UPDATE3: McIntyre has posted an article by Jean S at climateaudit.org which is terribly overloaded. We have mirrored it.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/20/mikes-nature-trick/
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The ftp site is down. The rapidshare copy has reached a max number of downloads. Can someone post a working URL for the files please. Thanks.
could this be the work of “Deep Cool” – the Mole within Hadley CRU that send Steve the data he was looking for??
This needs to stop being reported as the work of a hacker. Looks like a leak to me.
I could take a look at the fortran code. I’ve been learning F77 for a few weeks now.
So if this is a hack job at Hadley how come it appears to be compiled for a US Freedom of Information Act request?
I am not questioning the legitimacy of the content, just trying to narrow down the true source.
I think it was james bond, he always saves the day
I read this site daily. The new (obscure) poster’s seem to be coming out of the woodwork on this subject! Quite interesting.
[quote]They are in order…the email file names with the lowest number were the earlier ones…higher numbers are later. I think the numbers corispond to some sort of archiving system.[/quote]
It’s UNIX time. You can convert those numbers to a “normal date”.
Is there a single common person (e.g., Phil Jones) for the emails or do they appear to come from indendent sources? My guess is the latter since some includes lucia’s email exchanges with Gavin. If so then can someone explain how these got bundled? I can’t imagine how it was done without leaving some kind of trail.
Is there an MP in the UK who is willing and able to take this on and force an investigation of what the public servants of the UK at CRU are doing?
There is too much speculation on here regarding the veracity of the e-mails.
FORGET ABOUT THE E-MAILS!
Concentrate on an analysis of the data files. Whenever a leak like this occurs, your first job is to check the veracity against known sources.
The e-mails are too convenient and, for now, irrelevant without comparison against the originals on Hadley CRU servers – which may never happen.
The emails can be denied as forgeries, the data cannot.
I say again, concentrate on the data files!
Thanks to those sharing the file – I appreciate it. I intend to d/l when I finish work and have a thorough read. From the snippets I have seen in the comments so far, it strikes me that these people spend an awful lot of time thinking up/discussing ways to minimise the impact of skeptics. What the hell does it matter to them what some blog person says about the climate? The fact that it does, concerns me… Not exactly giving me confidence in their ability to conduct objective research.
[Quote]Patrick G (21:16:49) :
There is too much speculation on here regarding the veracity of the e-mails.
FORGET ABOUT THE E-MAILS!
Concentrate on an analysis of the data files. Whenever a leak like this occurs, your first job is to check the veracity against known sources.
The e-mails are too convenient and, for now, irrelevant without comparison against the originals on Hadley CRU servers – which may never happen.
The emails can be denied as forgeries, the data cannot.
I say again, concentrate on the data files![/Quote]
Totally agree with this
If these emails are validated by a proper official investigation, then Phil Jones must go as director of CRU.
Looks like RC finally sent some comments through…none relevant to this issue!
This story, I believe, has gone viral.
Go do a search on “Hadley CRU hacked.”
The word is getting out fast.
The Examiner, The Herald, forums at Hannity’s site, and many many more.
Alarmists are about to reap the whirlwind for playing with fire.
The Fortran code looks legit. I doubt someone would have gone through the trouble of writing so much “realistic” code to enhance the credibility of a hoax.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=75J4XO4T
I wish I could download this file. The original Russian link doesn’t work.
Some of the emails are without-a-question legitimate. I saw an email from I guy I know and he verified it was a real email he received from Tom Wigley. Steve M verified emails from him to these guys were real.
There may be some fakes, but the vast majority are surely real.
I am still skeptical, but am beginning to believe it may be real. Some have described this as an earthquake. But if this is really true, it is not an earthquake, nor a tsunami….this is SuperNova!!!!!
I can verify that at least one email is legitimate. It was a private conversation that we agreed to keep private. What I find most interesting is that this “private” conversation ended up with someone who was not part of the conversation.
“As embarrassing as the e-mails are, some of the documents are more embarrassing. They include a five-page PDF document titled The Rules of the Game, that appears to be a primer for propagating the AGW message to the average subject/resident of the United Kingdom. The document suggests that it is a precis of a longer document housed at the Web site of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs”
I did a quick scan of emails, documents, Fortran (.for .f90), and awk. IMO they are authentic. I compiled f77 files — they compile.
Mother lode.
There seems to be a lot of posters participating in this thread that I have not noticed posting to WUWT before. Just thinking here, but several posters have offered downloads of what they say is the original ftp file. Gavin, and likely the whole Team are alerted by now. There may be some involved here, at CA and the other sites discussing this hot potato, with other than obvious motives. I suggest caution and restraint.