Climate Audit

Although Science has nice policies on paper requiring data archiving, in practice, its climate authors are singularly poor about doing so. Esper et al [2002] has enough missing data to make it very difficult to get traction on it. Here’s a letter that I sent today to Science requesting that they take steps to get Esper’s data archived.

Esper et al [2002], Low-Frequency Signals in Long Tree-Ring Chronologies for Reconstructing Past Temperature Variability, is a widely cited temperature reconstruction, published in Science. Unfortunately Esper et al. did not archive their data as used, nor provide data citation within the guidelines of (for example) the AGU, who have formal policies for this.

It is possible (and even probable) that some of the sites have been archived at WDCP, but the absence of clear citations makes certainty of identification generally impossible. I can find no conceivable match for 4 sites; the graphic in the article shows the Polar Urals series going earlier than the archived version and suggests that a different version may have been used. For 7 series, there are WDCP versions archived by Schweingruber: possibly these are the same ones as used by Esper, ascribing the series to different authors. Since the names and authors differ, a specific identification in a more adequate SI would be desirable.

Site	Thankee	Possibly
Ath, Athabasca;	B. Luckman	cana170 (Schweingruber)
Bor, Boreal;	Graumlich and A. Lloyd	NA
Mac, Mackenzie;	Szeicz, J.	cana138 “€œ Campbell Dolomite
Que,Quebec;	S. Payette and L. Filion	NA
Upp, Upperwright;	Graumlich and A. Lloyd	NA
Got, Gotland;	Bartholin and W. Karlen	swed022 (Schweingruber)
Jae, Jaemtland;	Bartholin and W. Karlen	swed023 (Schweingruber)
Tir, Tirol;	V. Siebenlist-Kerner	swit177 (Schweingruber)
Tor, Tornetraesk;	Bartholin and W. Karlen	swed019 (Schweingruber)
Man, Mangazeja;	S. Shiyatov	russ067 (Schweingruber)
Mon, Mongolia;	G. Jacoby	mong003 (Jacoby)
Pol, Polar Urals;	S. Shiyatov	russ022 (Schweingruber)
Tai, Taimir	M. Naurzbaev	NA
Zha, Zhaschiviersk.	F. Schweingruber	russ053 (Schweingruber)

In any cases where Esper used a version now archived at WDCP, could you amend the SI to provide a proper data citation. In any cases where the version used by Esper differs from the version at WDCP or where there is no version archived at WDCP, could you ensure that Esper et al. proceed to archive the data as used in accordance with Science policy.

Thank you for your assistance.

Yours truly,

Stephen McIntyre