This is an article by a professional statistician making that point that weather actually *is* climate. Everyone likes to throw around different definitions of what climate is - a few months of weather, or perhaps thousands of years of weather. We all do it, and we all suffer the definition wars to make our points. Keep in mind he is a pro-statistician, so he has an intimate understanding of the ways numbers influence each other. Pajamas Media Actually, Weather Is Climate Here's the introduction, should be enough to whet your appetite:
FYI: " Wiki: Pajamas Media is an American-based media company that uses the Internet to present and comment on the news. Founded in 2004 by a network primarily, but not exclusively, made up of conservatives and libertarians led by mystery writer, screenwriter, and blogger Roger L. Simon" The author, William Biggs is indeed a statistician at Western Mich. Univ. He is also a well know global warming denier who is also know to suggest that Climate Science is Pseudo-Science. When asked if climate science is pseudo-science replied:William M Briggs Says: "January 30, 2008 at 12:28 pm | Reply MM, Yes, and yes absolutely. There will never be a shortage of cranks in the world. Briggs" http://omnograms.wordpress.com/2008...-statistician-is-climatology-a-pseudoscience/ I need not say more me thinks!
Oh, look. Yet another climate change denial thread! By guess who?! Why don't you go write your damn book and leave us alone?
First off, I think it is merely a semantic distinction, and in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't make any difference. The whole notion (that we have argued about on this site for thousands of words) that 1 year, 5 years, 10 years is statistically significant misses the larger point. We have put a lot of CO2 into the environment since the advent of the industrial revolution. That coupled with the multifold increase in world wide population IS resulting in climate change. Whether or not the climate models going forward are correct or not in their assumptions is also academic. 2'c over a century or 10'c over the same time frame is also not terribly important. What is important is what we as a society choose to do about it. My feeling about the article linked does nothing but attempt to promote the writers agenda by using his credentials to obfuscate. The reality is, everyone knows that if it is raining, it is a weather event. It is also a climate event as the two are inextricably linked. 30 days of statistically anomalous weather is indeed weather but the trend may be climate. 30 years probably is climate, 300 most certainly. But at the end of the day it really doesn't matter what you call it. We all can argue 'till the cows come home and it won't change a thing. Any further comment is a waste of everyones time, and I suggest that we ALL let it go at that.
What cold? If weather is climate . . . I must live on another planet. When Florida and south Texas were freezing, we in Western Washington were unusually warm. Now we are having the hottest January ever recorded. The nearby 2010 Winter Olympics is at risk of not having enough snow, and is already scrambling to preserve what little it has. We smashed our alltime record high temperature this past summer during an unusually hot July. If weather is climate . . .
It just seems to be about writing a book and finding the arguments before going to press. Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it.
Some of Brigg's credibility arises from his role on the Probablilty and Statistics committee of the American Meteorological Society (AMS). So, after reading Brigg's blogs at pajamamedia, I read AMS' position on climate change: AMS Information Statement on Climate Change Take the time to do the same if you have interest in these topics, and draw your own conclusions.
