One of the easiest things to do is to go along to get along. This is true in so many areas of life, including knowledge of science topics. If you don't have an in-depth knowledge of a particular area of science, the "easiest thing" kicks in rather effortlessly. Alternatively, if you have a depth of knowledge on a particular science topic, things can get a whole lot harder, especially if you challenge the prevailing view on that topic. We find … [Read more...]
Obama official concedes it’s impossible to predict the risks of climate change
But media, politicians, and scientists skew climate data A review of Steven E. Koonin's Unsettled? What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters Mark Twain has supposedly quipped that: “What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” Challenging what we know for sure about climate change is Unsettled? What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters, by Steven E. Koonin. Dr. … [Read more...]
50th Earth Day: Compassionate concern for humans and their habitat
A measured response to COVID-19 must balance health and economic needs Fifty years of weather have passed since the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. This was the same year the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was established and the federal Clean Air Act was promulgated. Over the past five decades, since I rode my bike to school celebrating that inaugural day, the nation’s air quality has improved markedly. Particle and gaseous pollutants have been reduced tremendously, and … [Read more...]
The trouble with the political push for climate change activism
The lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, as the old song goes, have shoved their way into the fall. And with them, the political push for climate change activism chucked kids out of the classroom and into the streets this past Friday (not that they needed a reason to cut class, especially in nice weather). Not to be outdone by the shouting students, this past Monday, adults from around the globe with their own dreams of climate utopia (and excuse to cut work and party in a fab city), … [Read more...]
‘Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get’
The old adage “Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get” is telling of the reality of weather extremes in the context of “normal” conditions. But in today’s world, this maxim seems to have been turned on its head with political spin. As an atmospheric scientist with 40 years of experience, my job has always been to look at weather and climate situations objectively. This means observing the dynamics of the atmosphere and evaluating long-term trends in an unbiased manner. When … [Read more...]
The changing climate of science
Have mathematical models replaced good old-fashioned scientific testing? An understanding of the big picture in a field of study helps to frame and give essential perspective to that field. Take the field of natural science for instance. A big-picture look at the overall operation of the natural science profession has traditionally been seen in the “scientific method,” which consists of observation, hypothesis and testing. Rigorous testing of a hypothesis eventually leads to a … [Read more...]
Flaky forecasts of certain climate disaster
Weather observing 160 miles above the Arctic Circle leaves a lasting impression. In the beginning of my atmospheric science career, I observed weather for a season at an isolated military outpost on Alaska’s west coast. Although snow fell on July 5, the temperature in the summer of 1977 later reached 70 degrees Fahrenheit on two days. More typically, the Arctic air was quite cool and the sky cloudy. Rain and mist were frequent. Since then, my decades of work in meteorology have been within … [Read more...]
What Does A Weatherman Know About Settled Climate Science?
What does a weatherman know about the climate? This question is posed all the time as an argument by leftist climate activists against any meteorologist who would dare to oppose the “consensus” narrative that humans are causing long-term, disastrous global climate change. But the argument demonstrates the lack of understanding many have with respect to the discipline of atmospheric science. Those trained in the math- and physics- based atmospheric sciences (this frequently excludes broadcast … [Read more...]
Steering clear of climate alarm: climate change alarmists should chill on Earth Day 2018
Sunday, April 22 will mark the 48th anniversary of Earth Day. A lot of concern about the planet’s future was generated back then and a passionate movement was launched that endures to this day. But much has changed since 1970 when the Earth was in a substantial cooling trend. Today, of course, the angst is over a significant warming. The big concern is that, because of “carbon pollution,” the planet will heat up to catastrophic levels causing all sorts of problems like rising sea levels, … [Read more...]
Maybe ‘exceptional’ weather is just weather
Perhaps the best challenge to the hysterical claims that humans are causing unusual climate change is the demonstration that "exceptional" weather events can be predicted in advance based on their natural occurrence in history. One person who has admirably met this challenge with consistent, convincing demonstrations is meteorologist and forecaster extraordinaire Joe Bastardi. Bastardi – formerly of AccuWeather, now with WeatherBELL Analytics – is the best weather forecaster I have ever … [Read more...]