A new paper from the Global Warming Policy Foundation looks at how scientists monitor changes in ocean temperatures and finds a story of huge uncertainties and surprising findings.
For example, while warming might be expected to be fairly uniform, measurements suggest that it is regionalized, with parts of the South Pacific, in particular, warming more than elsewhere.
As the report’s author, Dr. David Whitehouse, says, it is hard to draw firm conclusions about what is happening in the seas:
“The oceans can absorb far more heat than the atmosphere, so temperatures changes are extremely small and therefore hard to measure reliably.”
“The energy that would raise the temperature of the atmosphere by 4 degrees C would only raise the ocean temperature by thousands of a degree, barely detectable.”
“Measuring changes in the ocean heat content are at the limits of our current capability and are made with significant uncertainties and unknowns.”
A recent claim that warming of the oceans was accelerating had to be withdrawn after errors were found in its uncertainty estimates by an independent scientist.
Cold Water? The Oceans and Climate Change can be downloaded here (PDF)
When certain areas are behaving in a different way, it is often caused by something other than the climate. Consider el nino which appears to be driven by under water volcanic vents, or the movement of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet which appears to be caused by volcanic activity underneath the ice. Organizations such as Global Warming Policy Foundation are at a handicap because they refuse to acknowledge influences that are not green house gasses.
Off subject.
The survey/poll above: “Do you think Ilhan Omar is bad for America?”
Please suggest to the poll takers that “HELL NO’ (All caps) be added to the possible answers…..
So I “submitted” – and a different survey question appeared. My suggestion still stands…..