Saturday, November 9, 2013

Does Anthony Watts know the difference between weather and climate?


Today Anthony Watts has promoted another article (archived here) by Vincent Gray, who took up science denial in a big way six or so years ago when he was 84 years old.  Vincent Gray is a climate crank. He's not a climate scientist. He founded the anti-science organisation the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition (which has received funding from the Heartland Institute).  (The title is misleading.  The organisation doesn't do any climate science research it's one of those disinformation propaganda setups that rejects climate science.)

I've written about Vincent Gray before, here and here and here.

Since Anthony Watts prides himself on his past career as a weather announcer on television, I'm surprised that he promotes articles like this one (archived here).  It makes you wonder if Anthony Watts knows the difference between weather and climate.  Else why would he publish this sort of nonsense. Vincent writes, for example, in talking about short term weather forecasts that:
It should be noticed that nowhere in this effective system is there any mention of carbon dioxide or of “greenhouse gases” They have no place in a scientific study of the climate. Most meteorological organisations do not even bother to measure carbon dioxide over land territories
Why would short term weather forecasts allude to CO2?

On the other hand, to imply that meteorological organisations don't "bother to measure carbon dioxide over land territories" is wrong.

In Australia two meteorological organisations jointly monitor CO2, the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO Division of Marine and Atmospheric Research.  In the USA NOAA (a weather forecasting agency among other things) is a key player in the CCCG cooperative air sampling network, which coordinates a global network of observations sites for monitoring greenhouse gases etc, with information from different organisations around the world, including those responsible for meteorological sciences and weather forecasting and recording.

Vincent is a nutter.  As an example, he makes the following ridiculous claim:
The climate models favoured by “Climate Change” “scientists” completely ignore the scientific discoveries of genuine climate scientists since time immerorial (sic). They promote completely different computer models based on the following absurd principles
· The earth can be considered flat
· The sun has a constant intensity, both day and night.
· All energy exchanges are by radiation
· Energy entering the earth equals that leaving
· All change is caused by changes in:greenhouse gases
· Natural influences are merely :”variable”

None of the above is true, needless to say.  Vincent would know even less than he does about climate and weather if not for climate scientists.  Vincent finishes with this word of wisdom:
If you want to know about climate science switch on or read about the weather forecast.

Like I said - Vincent Gray is a climate crank.

I don't know why Anthony Watts promotes greenhouse effect deniers like Tim Ball or cranks like Vincent Gray and Christopher Monckton.  May he needs them to broaden his audience to include the wide spectrum of science deniers - from those who specialise in climate science denial to those who are raving mad conspiracy nutters of a more general nature.


By the way, Vincent refers his readers to Wikipedia, from which he nabbed some of the more coherent sentences in his article.


7 comments:

  1. "They promote completely different computer models based on the following absurd principles...energy entering the earth equals that leaving."

    By definition, there can be no global warming if this assumption is correct.

    MWS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By definition, there can be global warming if this assumption is correct. That's because the assumption is correct at thermal equilibrium and you're viewing the system as a static one when it is dynamic. Any forcing, e.g. increasing carbon dioxide, will upset that initial equilibrium causing it to move towards a new equilibrium at a higher temperature. Further changes in forcings occurring on the way to that new radiation equilibrium will feed into and affect the system as well. And the change doesn't occur instantaneously because of the thermal inertia, largely down to the oceans, of the climate system.
      Dynamic equilibrium phenomena are found in systems in meteorology, industrial chemistry, ecological communities, economies, ...

      Delete
  2. WUWT is losing its shine for A-list personalities?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm thinking that, too. Then again, WUWT does have hiatus periods. Remember the gaps that Anthony filled with insects and ice age cometh articles?

      Still, he hasn't published an article by a proper scientist in a very, very long time. Not one written especially for WUWT at any rate. The best he can muster these days are press releases and copies of other people's blog articles. (The above isn't a sole source, it's just a copy from another denier blog.)

      As far as sole source goes, it's pretty much just people like greenhouse gas denier and paranoid conspiracy theorist Tim Ball and idiots like Don Easterbrook. Even the potty peer hasn't come up with anything lately and Willis has been absent, apart from one weak effort, since he got chastised by Roy Spencer.

      Not that those people could be called A-list. They're all D-list :)

      WUWT seems to have become a syndicate outlet for miscellanous denier blogs, elevating random silly comments from his readers, long-winded nonsense from Bob Tisdale, and various copies of press releases that Anthony chooses to mock.

      The signs are that Anthony's given up pretending WUWT is a science blog. He gets a bigger audience with his anti-science protests and conspiracy theory articles.

      Delete
  3. Monckton seems to have effectively removed himself from the picture when he became a promogulator of the 'birther' CT. People finally realised him for the fool he was all the time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. However, he's still smarter than you.

      klem

      Delete
  4. Oops, looks like Anthony Watts has gotten under your skin again. Lol!

    klem

    ReplyDelete

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