Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Wednesday August 21 2019, @12:25AM   Printer-friendly
from the that's-science-for-you dept.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/scientists-have-been-underestimating-the-pace-of-climate-change/

Recently, the U.K. Met Office announced a revision to the Hadley Center historical analysis of sea surface temperatures (SST), suggesting that the oceans have warmed about 0.1 degree Celsius more than previously thought. The need for revision arises from the long-recognized problem that in the past sea surface temperatures were measured using a variety of error-prone methods such as using open buckets, lamb's wool–wrapped thermometers, and canvas bags. It was not until the 1990s that oceanographers developed a network of consistent and reliable measurement buoys.

[...] But that's where the good news ends. Because the oceans cover three fifths of the globe, this correction implies that previous estimates of overall global warming have been too low. Moreover it was reported recently that in the one place where it was carefully measured, the underwater melting that is driving disintegration of ice sheets and glaciers is occurring far faster than predicted by theory—as much as two orders of magnitude faster—throwing current model projections of sea level rise further in doubt.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Wednesday August 21 2019, @05:04PM

    by Thexalon (636) on Wednesday August 21 2019, @05:04PM (#883224)

    Yeah, I'm sure fear of central planning is why the party that believes that AGW either doesn't exist or isn't a problem in the face of overwhelming evidence has, in recent years:
    - Made it illegal to protest centrally planned oil pipelines.
    - Made it illegal to produce your own electricity by putting up a windmill on your property, so that you'll be more likely to rely on the centrally planned electric grid.
    - Made it more expensive to produce your own electricity by putting solar panels on your roof or property, so you'll be more likely to rely on the centrally planned electric grid.
    - Made it legal to frack for natural gas even under your land even if the company doesn't own the mineral rights, thus allowing companies to centrally plan their extraction efforts more easily.
    - Overthrown or attempted to overthrow multiple foreign governments, some of them democracies, in order to get at the oil. This is the ultimate in centralization, because now you're not even allowing foreigners to choose their own government like we do.
    - Given massive government subsidies to oil and natural gas companies, artificially lowering the price of gasoline, heating oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuels, as part of a central plan to aid those companies.

    I'm going to hazard a guess that all this has jack squat to do with principles of decentralization, and everything to do with a handful of very large corporations who own drilling rights for oil and gas worth $trillions wanting to maximize their return on investment, who are bribing politicians to pass laws favorable to that effort and running a very large public propaganda campaign to convince people like you to put up with it. All of which was centrally planned, I might add.

    --
    The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +3  
       Insightful=3, Total=3
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   5