Bishop Hill writes of a new paper, one so “toe curling” it is worth mentioning here to get more exposure. He writes:
This is science? This is progress?
Reports on Progress in Physics, a journal published by the Institute of Physics here in the UK, has published a paper by Raymond Orbach, an engineer at the University of Texas at Austin. It’s available in return for free registration, and I actually think it’s worth it, if only because it’s so toe-curling.
In some ways the paper’s title tells you all you need to know about it. `Our Sustainable Earth’ looks at (you guessed it) eight climate myths propagated by bad people. Like every other set of climate myths you have ever seen, each of the myths is entirely devoid of sources – Orbach has taken them from this page at his university’s website. Where they got them from is a mystery.
In fact, absence of citations is a bit of an issue. Here’s how Orbach starts to deal with claims about the medieval warm period.
Climate scientists now understand that the Medieval Warm Period was caused by an increase in solar radiation and a decrease in volcanic activity, which both promote warming. Other evidence suggests ocean circulation patterns shifted to bring warmer seawater into the North Atlantic. Those kinds of natural changes have not been detected in the past few decades.
Interesting claims – but where did they come from? We are not told. We are expected to take Prof Obach on trust. At the risk of repeating myself, one would never get away with this kind of thing on a blog.
(PS: Note to Prof Orbach – the ocean near the top of the globe is the Arctic (with a c in the middle). And it’s Santer not Senter.
From the article introduction:
Reports on Progress in Physics, a journal published by the Institute of Physics here in the UK, has published a paper by Raymond Orbach, an engineer at the University of Texas at Austin.
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From what I read in the press releases, Dr. Orbach is an administrator of an engineering program and not an engineer, but that may just be my read. Someone in Texas could probably check with the registrar. He doesn’t show up in a search of registered Texas engineers: http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/search_pe.php?search=pe&intPE=&txtLastName=orbach&txtFirstName=raymond&txtCity=&txtState=TX&txtEmployer=&txtExpires=&txtBranch=&txtStatus=
Gail Combs says:
October 12, 2011 at 7:20 pm
No wonder more and more parents are home schooling. I recommend it every chance I get.
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You got ‘balls’ to write that. I agree with you.
Must….resist….urge…. oh, heck with it.
How did this get published? 😀
Gail Combs says:
October 12, 2011 at 7:20 pm
“You will also note that in US schools many states only require one year of science and two of math (and therefore logic) to graduate from high school.”
In college, logic is an elective. However, one of the dirty little secrets of academia is that there is an ongoing war (yes, war) between professors of Logic (Philosophy) and professors of English/Humanities/Social Sciences/Progressive Science/Whatever. The main criticism of logicians offered by fellow academics is that logicians produce arguments that are obvious and, therefore, trivial. I hope that thought has everyone ROFLOL (rolling on the floor laughing out loud). The goal of logic is to render argument in a step by step fashion that makes each step obvious. It never occurs to the critics of logic that not one of them has the ability to formulate their arguments in a fashion that makes them obvious or reveals their logical defects. Of course when you are a Progressive serving Gaia, the flight of the imagination is everything.
Gail Combs says:
October 12, 2011 at 6:10 am
“Mr. Raymond Lee Orbach:
Physicist “B.S. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1956”
He is about 73 years old. So, most likely, he has a figurehead position.
dtbronzich says:
October 12, 2011 at 5:54 am
“There are a couple of rules down here in Texas Y’all will have to learn.
1. If a scientist in Austin makes a claim about anything, it’s probably the opposite of what he claims. (example; on September 30, the state climatologist made the claim that our drought could last 10 years. It’s been raining fairly steadily ever since that dire pronouncement)”
Why did he wait so long to make the pronouncement?
No doubt the good professor has been listening to Obama, who routinely says ‘Artic.’
While that is not as bad as ‘corpsemen,’ it is still very grating from the smartest president ever.
Theo Goodwin says:
October 12, 2011 at 9:47 pm
Gail Combs says:
October 12, 2011 at 6:10 am
“Mr. Raymond Lee Orbach:
Physicist “B.S. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1956″
He is about 73 years old. So, most likely, he has a figurehead position.
________________________________
Actually it makes him around 76 or 77 if he graduated at 20 or 21. He is certainly old enough to not be as “sharp” as he once was. Clogged arteries and all that comes to mind.
I would not be surprised to find that this paper was “ghost written” by an undergrad. and Orbach’s name attached. Still you would think someone would have proof read the darn thing. My Husband has edited several papers for scientists in China and one from Russia to prepare them for submission for publication in peer reviewed journals, so that type of service is available.
That opening paragraph describing the last decade as hottest ever is really encapsulates all that is wrong with the AGW climate cult hoax. The spelling is bad enough but the content is breathtaking in scope.
It is the sum total of people like Hansen jiggering with past data (1934 for example) and cherry picking locations in the modern era. In my mind this is practically criminal. The damage that these people are intentionally inflicting on ‘Science’ is astounding and apparently knows no bounds.
Anyone that thinks the past 4 or so years are the hottest anything should be wearing a straitjacket and kept away from sharp objects.
*****
Rhys Jaggar says:
October 12, 2011 at 4:10 am
A better test is how many times the Thames froze over in London. That’s never happened in my lifetime, although we’ve had some pretty cold winters.
*****
I don’t think you can go by that any more — there’s too much thermal “pollution” in rivers, etc, in urban areas now. Just a half-degree temp increase of the water can keep it from freezing.
On the light-hearted side, middle-aged British viewers may remember the 1980’s advert for “Arctic Roll”
The penultimate line “Numbers aren’t a problem…..” is what makes me smile.
When I saw this I really LOL’d. Ray Orbach inhabited my student house at Caltech, one year my junior. I had previously heard about his science advisor job in the Looney Beltway and could scarcely believe it. This dude (a descriptor for Texans) was considered to be a real putz by us other guys. How could Mr. Doofus go to Washington? And how could Dr. Greengas assemble such an inconsequential pseudo-scientific fly spec that demolishes credulity? I’ll bet he is a star at APS (AmPhysSoc) from which real and nobel scientists are fleeing. His teachers such as Feynman and Pauling must be spinning i their graves.
For posterity, and so you can avoid giving the IOP your personal infoz.
http://www.filefactory.com/file/ce48421/n/our_sustainable_earth_-_Raymond_L_Orbach.pdf
According to a Wikipedia article, up till the early 19th century the Thames was “broader and shallower” and had not been embanked. As a result it now runs faster than it once did, so it would take some serious cooling to freeze it up again.
(I saw this mentioned somewhere else, which is why I looked it up just now – I’ll bet it was on an earlier WUWT comment thread.)