FOXNews.com reports:
Data from hundreds of weather stations located around the U.S. appear to show the planet is getting warmer, but some critics say it’s the government’s books that are getting cooked — thanks to temperature readings from sweltering parking lots, airports and other locations that distort the true state of the climate.
Indeed, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has closed some 600 out of nearly 9,000 weather stations over the past two years that it has deemed problematic or unnecessary, after a long campaign by one critic highlighting the problem of using unreliable data. The agency says the closures will help improve gathering of weather data, but critics like meterologist and blogger Anthony Watts say it is too little, too late.
This is the rough equivalent of treating a broken hand by clipping the fingernails…
Of course the ones which are always going to stay are those at airports. Alsoa) airport weather stations are intended to measure things in ways useful to aviation. Not necessarily to be most useful to general meterology and probably no airport cares about climate “scientists”.b) Airports undoubtely change the weather. Plenty of heat sources including commercial kitchens and internal combustion engines. It’s also possible to observe “contrails” originating from wingtips and flap edges of planes in flight. The airflow having changed steam into water/ice.
The Left discovered they can use people’s faith in science against them. As the abuse becomes apparent, we get claims of “science denier.” While it is they who adjust the data to give results they want. Science is just another tool for the Left to use to trick people into giving up their property and liberty.
And the “adjustments” will continue.
Its a good first step! One wonders why the stations themselves aren’t calibrated and certified in place, somehow…?
AND… if that isn’t possible, then why accept the data at all?
Reminds me of a story Dad told me. He was a B-24 pilot in WWII. RAF Rackheath. Even though the U.S. had massively more B-24s in theater than B-17s, B-17s got all the press. He said it was because the reporters were based in London.
As the U.S. deployed bombers to England, they built out from London. B-17s got there first, so they were based closest to London.
Reporters were subject to gas rationing. Okay, petrol rationing. They went to the air stations closest to London, cause that’s all they had petrol for. B-24 stations were too far out for them to go to.
And the rest is history.
Howdy Allen
As Anthony Watts noted, the stations most likely to be closed were the better-situated and the stations most likely to be kept were the ones most affected by local heat sources.
They have been doing this for the last 50 years. Weather reporting stations in rural or high altitude areas were closed long ago. Stations were also closed in smaller towns and cities while retaining those in large cities.
In December 2012, with great fanfare, South Carolina announced a new state record high temperature in June 2012. The record was certified by official “scientists.”
The weather station, behind Bates House on the USC campus, is downtown. It is at best a CRN Class 3 station. My protest to the governor was unanswered.
I wonder if it will be closed. Though I can see it being useful for training students. Including where not to site a weather station.
Go get em Anthony…