No doubt : Human Activity Affecting Global Climate Change

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the impact of human activity on global climate change, examining various claims, evidence, and counterarguments. It includes references to scientific studies, data interpretations, and differing viewpoints on the validity of these claims.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants reference a study by prominent atmospheric scientists asserting that human activities are significantly impacting global climate, citing evidence from atmospheric observations and computer models.
  • Others challenge the reliability of this conclusion, suggesting that a decrease in the number of weather stations may skew temperature data, particularly due to the loss of rural stations.
  • Concerns are raised about the lack of direct evidence in the claims made, with calls for more transparency regarding methods and data sources.
  • Some participants argue that government and scientific institutions' references should not be dismissed as hearsay, while others insist that claims must be substantiated with peer-reviewed evidence.
  • There is a mention of a large body of peer-reviewed literature supporting climate change claims, countering the use of non-scientific sources.
  • A participant points out that the thread is from 2004, indicating that previous discussions have already addressed some of the claims being made.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the evidence and interpretations of climate change data. There is no consensus on the validity of the claims made or the reliability of the sources cited.

Contextual Notes

Some claims rely on interpretations of data that may be influenced by the number and location of weather stations, while others emphasize the importance of peer-reviewed sources for substantiating scientific claims. The discussion reflects ongoing debates within the community about the nature of evidence and the validity of various arguments.

Ivan Seeking
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
8,252
Reaction score
2,664
"No doubt": Human Activity Affecting Global Climate Change

An interesting link that I had tucked away.

http://globalchange.gov/

Here is one story from the link.

Two of the nation's premier atmospheric scientists, after reviewing extensive research by their colleagues, say there is no longer any doubt that human activities are having measurable--and increasing--impacts on global climate. Their study cites atmospheric observations and multiple computer models to paint a detailed picture of climate changes likely to buffet Earth in coming decades, including rising temperatures and an increase in extreme weather events, such as flooding and drought. The study appeared December 5 in Science as part of the journal's "State of the Planet" series. The coauthors--Thomas Karl, director of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, and Kevin Trenberth, head of the Climate Analysis Section at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)--conclude that industrial emissions have been the dominant influence on climate change for the past 50 years, overwhelming natural forces. The most important of these emissions is carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps solar radiation and warms the planet. "There is no doubt that the composition of the atmosphere is changing because of human activities, and today greenhouse gases are the largest human influence on global climate," they write. "The likely result is more frequent heat waves, droughts, extreme precipitation events, and related impacts, e.g., wildfires, heat stress, vegetation changes, and sea-level rise which will be regionally dependent." [continued]

http://globalchange.gov/
 
Earth sciences news on Phys.org
well I have heard that song before :biggrin:

But there is other news, global warming is caused by the decrease of number of weather stations:

http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~lambert/img/tempvstations.png

Figure 3 shows the total number of stations in the GHCN (Global Historical Climatology Network - Andre) and the raw (arithmetic) average of temperatures for those stations. Notice that at the same time as the number of stations takes a dive (around 1990 due to the collapse of Communism - Andre) the average temperature (red bars) jumps. This is due, at least in part, to the disproportionate loss of stations in remote and rural locations, as opposed to places like airports and urban areas where it gets warmer over time because of the build-up of the urban environment.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well, that is hardly convincing in lieu of the other information offered.
 
I see no information other than hearsay. "we have reviewed work of others and there is no doubt that they are right". Were are the graphs? What was the method?
 
Government websites with scientific papers referenced is considered hearsay?

This is your definition of hearsay?
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

Note that your graph had no supporting information.
 
Last edited:
Last edited by a moderator:
Andre said:
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~rmckitri/research/econ-persp.pdf
http://www.usefulinfo.co.uk/climate_change_global_warming.php
http://www.warwickhughes.com/hoyt/climate-change.htm

Oh, Perleeze!

There are literally thousands of peer reviewed papers on climate change. Please don't insult your own intelligence by posting pseudo-scientific blogs or articles by paid denialists.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Dear Bored Wombat, this is a thread from 2004. We have already addressed the issue in the https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=280637".
Controversial claims must be supported by evidence that comes from a scientific, peer-reviewed journal or a similarly reliable source, i.e., unsubstantiated claims are not allowed.
This thread is now closed.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Similar threads

  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
4K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
8K
Replies
8
Views
4K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
5K
  • · Replies 34 ·
2
Replies
34
Views
9K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
4K
  • · Replies 75 ·
3
Replies
75
Views
22K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
6K