Cooking the Climate Books: Temperature Data Homogenization
This post was originally published on
Global temperature records are crucial for understanding climate patterns and trends. A process called homogenization is used to maintain these records, a process designed to create a consistent and comparable dataset by adjusting for various non-climatic factors. However, the legitimacy and impact of such adjustments have been questioned, particularly regarding data from specific regions such as Venezuela.
Data Collection and Initial Observations
In Venezuela, two meteorological stations located a few miles apart have collected temperature data for over 75 years. The raw measured data from these stations, represented in blue and yellow on the graphs, indicates a slight cooling trend over the observed period. The consistency between the two stations suggests reliability and accuracy in the measurements.
NOAA Adjustments and Impact
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has applied adjustments to the temperature data from these two Venezuelan stations. Critics argue that these adjustments have altered the original cooling trend into an apparent strong warming trend, with an increase of nearly seven degrees Fahrenheit per century. This shift in data is a central point of contention for those scrutinizing the homogenization process.
Comparison with Nearby Stations
The NOAA's dataset for South America from 1953 is reportedly sparse. The nearest stations with available data are located 128 km and 101 km away from the Venezuelan sites, both situated in urban areas near airports. Data from these urban stations show a warming trend, which may be attributed to urban heat island effects. These effects occur when urban development leads to higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas due to factors such as concrete surfaces and energy consumption.
Methodology of Homogenization
In the homogenization process, NOAA is accused of incorporating the urban heat island-affected data from the distant stations into the records of the more reliable rural stations. This process, meant to account for inconsistencies in the data, is argued to corrupt the quality of the original temperature records.
Criticisms of Homogenization
Critics of homogenization assert that the method is scientifically unsound when it involves blending data from areas with distinct climates, such as those found in urban and rural environments. The practice is likened to combining weather data from Berkeley, California, and Sacramento, which have different climate behaviors, and expecting accurate results.
Implications and Conclusions
The central claim is that the homogenization process, as applied by NOAA, guarantees an artificial warming trend that aligns with certain political objectives rather than scientific accuracy. Advocates for this viewpoint emphasize the importance of preserving the integrity of the original temperature records without the influence of potentially compromised urban data.
The analysis suggests that tens of thousands of daily temperature readings from the Venezuelan stations have been subjected to adjustments without clear justification. This leads to concerns that the history of another country's climate data is being altered by external government agencies. It is argued that to ensure accurate climate records, homogenization should be applied cautiously and with full consideration of the unique characteristics of each data source.
