Wild et al. [2001], a blue-chip study, shows that the downward longwave radiation in cold, dry climates is dramatically under-estimated in the GCMs used in IPCC TAR, as shown in the following excerpt from their Figure 4 (from one of the best GCMs). The bias is systemic. FIG. 4. Annual cycles of model-calculated and observed […]
Since 2000, there have been a number of very important new studies, increasing the estimated NIR absorption parameters of water vapor, stimulated by the discovery of the HITRAN-96 clerical errors, but amounting to significant increases over and above those errors. The increases seem to account for much missing atmospheric absorption. Again, the issue here is […]
By 1999, systematic errors in the HITRAN-96 database for NIR water vapor absorption (which oppose water vapor feedback!) had been identified and widely reported by the most eminent authorities. For example, Systematic errors have been found and corrected in the HITRAN (High Resolution Transmission Molecular Absorption Database) water vapor line absorption intensities in the visible […]
I notice that some posters have been discussing water vapor feedbacks and thought that I’d chip in a little. One aspect of water vapor’s role in the climate system that I find intriguing is absorption of near infrared (NIR) and visible solar radiation by water vapor. This is a topic of very active research by […]
ORIGINAL: A little while ago I mentioned that the original SI at Nature for MBH98 had been deleted. It contained some information which is not in the Corrigendum SI, such as RE statistics for the various steps and the original (incorrect) data listing. Now Mann has either deleted the UMass SI for MBH98 and MBH99 […]
Ross McKitrick has an engaging presentation of the Hockey Stick Debate presented on April 4, 2005. Here is the abstract: The hockey stick debate is about two things. At a technical level it concerns a well-known study that characterized the state of the Earth’s climate over the past thousand years and seemed to prove a […]
There appear to be some important sampling differences between subfossil and modern (living) cores. Briffa et al [CD 1992, 114] provide the following caveat with respect to using the RCS method (global curve fitting) for Tornetrask: “In applying this [RCS] method, each individual tree ring series should ideally start with the innermost ring (preferably near […]
The three cores which account for 1032 being the "coldest" year of the millennium are 862450, 862470 and 862030. One other core (862460) is dated to the late 10th and early 11th century and contributes to early 11th century "coldness". The placement of these 4 cores has to be interpreted from the ring width information […]
The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), a consortium of 68 North American research universities, sent out the invitation shown here for a Senate briefing.
The tree ring dataset for the critical Polar Urals site has gaps of up to 59 years, has cores with as many 7 breaks in them. The problems are so pervasive that COFECHA testing simply fails – an almost unprecented occurrence in a tree ring data set.
Climate Audit 
McKitrick: What the Hockey Stick Debate is About?
Ross McKitrick has an engaging presentation of the Hockey Stick Debate presented on April 4, 2005. Here is the abstract: The hockey stick debate is about two things. At a technical level it concerns a well-known study that characterized the state of the Earth’s climate over the past thousand years and seemed to prove a […]