Saturday, May 31, 2008

Apparent problem with global warming climate models resolved

Science Daily: Yale University scientists reported that they may have resolved a controversial glitch in models of global warming: A key part of the atmosphere didn't seem to be warming as expected.

Computer models and basic principles predict atmospheric temperatures should rise slightly faster than, not lag, increases in surface temperatures. Also, the models predict the fastest warming should occur at the Tropics at an altitude between eight and 12 kilometers. However, temperature readings taken from weather balloons and satellites have, according to most analysts, shown little if any warming there compared to the surface.

By measuring changes in winds, rather than relying upon problematic temperature measurements, Robert J. Allen and Steven C. Sherwood of the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale estimated the atmospheric temperatures near 10 km in the Tropics rose about 0.65 degrees Celsius per decade since 1970—probably the fastest warming rate anywhere in Earth's atmosphere. The temperature increase is in line with predictions of global warming models.

“I think this puts to rest any lingering doubts that the atmosphere really has been warming up more or less as we expect, due mainly to the greenhouse effect of increasing gases like carbon dioxide,” Sherwood said…

A weather balloon, shot by "Wolke," who has released the image into the public domain. Since Wolke means "cloud" in German, we thank the clouds for their generosity.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it just a little strange that they have adjusted just about every data set and the instruments, of course, always err towards cooling?

I just don't buy scores of instrumentality errors that all point in one direction. It smells like someone is cooking the books...