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 politics … [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...]
In Climate Science We Trust
Many religious people want to be at the forefront of the fight against climate change. They believe it is their spiritual duty. Acting on climate forecasts and analysis, they are inspired to save people and the planet from the evils of fossil fuels. They are convinced that if God was on the planet in person, he would certainly trust the prognostic ability of climate scientists to discern the Earth’s climate decades into the future. And, with the scientists’ sacrosanct ability to confidently … [Read more...]
The future of nature may not be all that bad
INHERITORS OF THE EARTH: HOW NATURE IS THRIVING IN AN AGE OF EXTINCTION, by Chris D. Thomas (PublicAffairs, $28, 320 pages), reviewed by Anthony J. Sadar. The future isn’t all bleak for the natural world. Just ask ecologist Chris D. Thomas, professor of conservation biology at the University of York, U.K. Mr. Thomas‘ new book, “Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature Is Thriving in an Age of Extinction,” examines “the responses of species and ecosystems to human impacts over periods that range … [Read more...]
Why the skeptics reject ‘human-induced’ climate change
As the new school year gets underway, here’s some reflection on what may be the current atmosphere of the academic scientific community. Certain campus professors and theoreticians have cast their lofty claims of climate catastrophe out of the comfort of the credulous classroom and faculty lounge and on to the critical community of the wary general public. The result: substantial resistance. Many campus scientists are dismayed at what they see as unreasonable skepticism of the scientific … [Read more...]
Chasing Climate Change Politics At The EPA
Pulling out of the faulty Paris climate accord, which was steeped in political and scientific gyrations, was necessary for the U.S. Meanwhile, at the nation’s capital, former and current top level Environmental Protection Agency officials are stressed out about politics influencing scientific practice at the EPA. In Washington, D.C. earlier in May, at a conference of the Health Effects Institute–an organization funded by the EPA and motor vehicle industry–a former Obama EPA science policy … [Read more...]
