By Kristen Byrnes Science Foundation Volunteer, John Simmons
Everyone has heard the term, “creating something from thin air.” Now there is a new term, “creating climate data from junk.”
Last summer, volunteers from the Kristen Byrnes Science Foundation completed surveys of the United States Historic Climate Network (USHCN) temperature stations in Maine that are used to measure Global Warming.
Map of Maine with temperature stations by name and NCDC ID #
The results of the station surveys were astonishing and reinforced results from the rest of the country; there is a huge quality problem with data used to support the current global warming theory. Over 50% of the 1221 USHCN stations have been surveyed, and 89% of those are improperly located. Additionally, a statistical analysis of the remaining stations shows them to be warmer, so the worst are yet to be surveyed.
CRN 1 and 2 are acceptable, CRN 3, 4 and 5 are improperly sited. Courtesy Anthony Watts, surfacestations.org
None of the stations in Maine were free of microclimate or urbanization biases.
Woodland, Maine is a rural area of farms and trees but the temperature station is in the parking lot of the local paper mill.
NCDC # 179891 NASA GISS # 425726080020
An important station for climate scientists is Acadia National Forrest. This station is one of NCDC’s rural and NASA’s zero lights stations which is located between a parking lot, buildings, trees and a roadway.
NCDC # 170100 NASA GISS # 425726080010
Millinocket, Maine once had its temperature station in a parking lot
until it was run over by a car
The problem was fixed by attaching non-standard equipment to the roof of a metal building in the rear of the parking lot.
NCDC # 175304 NASA GISS # 425726190050
The station at Orono, Maine is located on the roof of a 4 story university building near a, chimney and furnace exhaust, and above several window mounted air conditioners.
USHCN # 176430 NASA GISS # 425726190030
Discussions were under way to include data from this Eastport temperature station into the USHCN record until KBSF volunteers pressured the NOAA. Courtesy of Anthony Watts, the arrows show the flow of air into the sensor that is 2 feet downwind of the hot air conditioning coils.
Gardiner, Maine is located in the driveway of a local water facility.
NCDC # 173046 NASA GISS # 425743920020
The Lewiston Maine temperature station is in the heart of a large urban heat island and violates every guideline for locating temperature stations. The non-standard equipment is the wrong height, on a slope, between buildings and trees, surrounded by pavement, a few meters from a parking lot, next to a body of water and close to a large air conditioning exhaust and barbecue. To make this station complete, the rain gage is located under a tree.
NCDC # 174566 NASA GISS # 425743890010
Farmington, Presque Isle and Houlton stations all have problems that are not as obvious as the others. The Portland station is at the airport between runways where large passenger jets “run-up” their engines before take-off.
One USHCN station that KBSF did not survey was station number 17714, Ripogenus Dam in Maine, a station that closed 13 years ago. The last original observers report filed was for the month of November, 1995.
The last original observers report for Ripogenus Dam, November 1995
Despite being closed in 1995, USHCN data for this station is publicly available until 2006 at the CDIAC website. The plot below was taken directly from the CDIAC website and clearly sources the data to some of the most prominent climate scientists in the world.
So how is that? The station closed in 1995 but the data continues until 2006? Did some of the worlds leading climate scientists create the data from thin air? Well, not exactly.
Part of the USHCN data is created by a computer program called “filnet” which estimates missing values. According to the NOAA, filnet works by using a weighted average of values from neighboring stations. Filnet is applied after a homogeneity adjustment which is not designed to find many of these problems.
Imagine that, the worlds leading climate scientists creating temperature data from surrounding stations which are biased by barbecues, bodies of water, wind blocks, jet engines, pavement, roof tops, air conditioner exhausts, inversion layers, non-standard equipment, urban heat islands, automobiles and chimneys.
They didn’t create climate data from thin air; they created it from junk.
The USHCN is a network of 1,221 temperature stations which are used to measure global warming in the US. The USHCN is considered to be the highest quality network of temperature stations in the world.
NCDC is a department of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NASA GISS is managed by James Hansen
Rules for locating temperature stations can be found here:
http://www.weather.gov/om/coop/standard.htm
Comments (18)
Elmer,
Your next song should be "cooking up global warming" which features all of the temperature stations near barbecues (there's a bunch of them).
Posted by Mike | July 3, 2008 12:56 PM
Posted on July 3, 2008 12:56
Ha, that's a good idea.
Posted by Elmer Beaureguard | July 3, 2008 4:35 PM
Posted on July 3, 2008 16:35
Our bureaucrats , paid by our tax dollars, at work.
Posted by Scottar | July 5, 2008 2:47 AM
Posted on July 5, 2008 02:47
For debate camp we listened to your npr interview and looked at your website. Then we constructed arguements to prove your points invalid. But thats beside the point. I have to say your a complete, utter moron to belive global warming is not happening. Now I'm not sure what kind of fantasy world you are living in but the fact that global warming is happening and it needs to be dealed with is aparent. The fact is carbon leveles are at an all time high and it is humans fault. Because we are clear cutting trees and realesing more carbon in the by the meanins of car the earth is getting hotter. The lst thing I want to say is that I don't think your a bad person, just that your ideas are flawed.
Posted by Kit- Kat | July 8, 2008 8:16 PM
Posted on July 8, 2008 20:16
Sounds like Kit-Kat is a true believer. True believers don't actually get out and check things for themselves (like Kristen does). True believers don't think for themselves(like Kristen does). True believers just believe what they are told in debate camp (indoctrination camp?).
Kristen, thank you for thinking critically and questioning this troubling 'group think' going on with this global warming issue. Press on, and keep checking the facts surrounding this global warming religion.
Posted by Oh Henry | July 9, 2008 1:50 PM
Posted on July 9, 2008 13:50
Kit Kat cracks me up. It's not like we're taking some one's word for something, there are photos! Any one can visit those temperature stations and their data is public record. So what do I do? Do I take the word of Kit Kat and her band of raving chicken littles? Or do I believe my own two eyes? Do you deny what your eyes are seeing kitty? So kitty, who is the denialist now?
Posted by Mike C | July 9, 2008 4:01 PM
Posted on July 9, 2008 16:01
Kit Kat is a useful idiot. You don't even need to consider the fact she can't spell a word longer than 5 letters or construct a simple sentence to reach that conclusion. I'm not really worried about her and the rest of the teeny bopper crowd who are oh so concerned. The people in that age group are always looking for a cause of some sort. I'm concerned with adults who should know better than to blindly believe the MSM and the other bleating idiots, but go along with it anyway. Those are the people we need to convince and get on our side. Meanwhile pray for the coldest freaking winter ever this year, with tons of snow.
Posted by Schmidty | July 14, 2008 4:22 PM
Posted on July 14, 2008 16:22
Kit-kat, can you please come back and explain why the earth is actually getting so much cooler now? And why did warming stop over 10 years ago? Or did you not know that?
Posted by Chris D. | July 15, 2008 9:47 AM
Posted on July 15, 2008 09:47
I had to revisit Kit Kat's comments for a moment, just to show how misinformed he/she is... Let's analyze Kitty's comments. First Kitty is addressing Kristen so Kitty obviously didn't read that the author of this piece is John Simmons. Next Kitty calls Kristen a moron for not believing that the Earth is warming... Kitty obviously did not read the first paragraph of Ponder the Maunder, because that is where Kristen wrote "let there be no doubt, Earth is warming." Kristen goes onto say why she believes the warming is natural. Then after calling Kristen names, Kitty says she doesn't think Kristen is a bad person.... hmmmm.
Kitty, these are the exact reasons why some around here have referred to you as an idiot... I would have used different language myself (learning impaired, paint sniffer), but maybe you can see their logic. So be kind to yourself, Kitty, read and understand before you talk, it might save you the embarrassment and humiliation you have caused yourself.
Posted by Mike C | July 15, 2008 7:00 PM
Posted on July 15, 2008 19:00
I wonder if KitKat is one of those "concerned greenies" who were persuaded to sign the petition demanding the banning of that truly dangerous chemical, di-hydrogen-monoxide? :-)
Posted by Jeff | July 19, 2008 6:15 AM
Posted on July 19, 2008 06:15
Hey, even here in Asheville home of NCDC they have their weather station on the roof of their building. Definitely something needs to take place before alot of stations can be taken as accurate info. Audits need to be in order on all stations to ensure accuracy. No station that is a reliable reporting station should be immune from auditing.
Posted by Bob | July 19, 2008 3:41 PM
Posted on July 19, 2008 15:41
I found a similar problem at the Wells Nevada station that was closed in 2004, but the data goes to 2006. Details at NC Media Watch.
Posted by Russell Steele | July 19, 2008 10:26 PM
Posted on July 19, 2008 22:26
Please e-mail me at rwsteele@gmail.com if you have more info to share on these phantom temperatures.
Posted by Russell Steele | July 20, 2008 3:25 PM
Posted on July 20, 2008 15:25
More on the uselessness of poorly situated earth stations versus radiosonde and satellite station observations:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24036736-7583,00.html
The problem is that "Global Warming" is now the official state religion of our time. As with the early Christian Church after it became official, The Holy Global Warming Church has to stamp out any heterodox beliefs.
There a lot of grant money and tax money involved now, so if you want to advance in academia, politics, or business, you have to turn off your brain and put your hand out for a share of the global warmning goodies. Pope Algore will bless you for it.
Posted by Tom D | July 22, 2008 5:02 PM
Posted on July 22, 2008 17:02
you need to put better stuff on this website!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Anonymous | November 11, 2008 4:19 PM
Posted on November 11, 2008 16:19
nonymous needs a name, a life and some common sense... maybe even have that Al Gore demon exorcised
Posted by Mike C | November 22, 2008 1:02 PM
Posted on November 22, 2008 13:02
Maybe I should get a grant for a temp station and bolt it to my gas guzzler's engine. Kitty, will you be my Carbon Offset??? In the 70's we were going to freeze. In Al Gore's Global Whining of the present, we are going to fry. Make up my mind already Jacket, no jacket what the heck should I be wearing?
Posted by Carbon Footprint Maximus | December 28, 2008 1:57 AM
Posted on December 28, 2008 01:57
straight jacket because everyone knows that global warming is the reason you are shoveling so much snow lately!
Posted by Mike C | January 7, 2009 10:46 PM
Posted on January 7, 2009 22:46