Global warming (was: leps-list sleeping)

[Chuck Vaughn]

Rob,

> Can we get back to talking about butterflies instead of cutting each 
> other down with attacks on the yet-to-be-determined cause of the 
> indisputable fact that the planet is warming up over the last few 
> decades?

The problem is that your statement is incorrect. Look at Figures 5 and 
6 in this link:

>> http://www.oism.org/pproject/pproject.htm

Figure 5 shows a negative slope best fit line for lower tropospheric 
temperature over the last few decades. This is the best scientific data 
we have. Figure 12 shows the increase in surface temperature. That is 
increasing. Everything I've read says that if the surface is warming 
the lower troposphere must be too. But it's not. How can that be? The 
simplest explanation is the urban heat island affect. As urban areas 
have grown, more long time temperature stations have come under the 
affect of urban areas thus distorting the surface temperature record. 
If you'd like to do your own research on U.S. temperature records you 
can start here:

http://www.co2science.org/ushcn/ushcn.htm

The best I can tell in the global warming debate is that only one thing 
is known. There's been a small increase in temperature since the end of 
the Little Ice Age around 1850, most likely a natural rebound after a 
cool period. Coincidentally, 1850 was the start of the Industrial 
Revolution. It is well known that CO2 levels have increased since that 
time. That we can blame on human activity. The affect of this increase 
on climate is at worst unclear and at best no affect at all. More CO2 
means more aerial fertilization of plants and that might be good for 
butterflies.

Chuck Vaughn <aa6g at aa6g.org>


 
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