Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for November 2008

Bunyips in Australian Rivers (Part 1)

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IN Aboriginal mythology the Bunyip was also known as Dongus, Kianpratty, Bunyup and Tumbata, depending on the tribal area. However regardless of name he was always evil and emerged from the water in search of prey as he sought to use his supernatural powers to punish evil doers.

While it is easy for modern man to pass this off as superstition, much of what is being claimed in relation to the rivers of the Murray Darling Basin is as unreasonable as a belief in Bunyips.

To begin to understand the ecology and the unique environment of the Murray Darling Basin, we need to revisit some of the observations made by the first explorers after the arrival of white man in Australia.

[Read more…] about Bunyips in Australian Rivers (Part 1)

Obama to tell 10,000 in Poland about Science

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LAST year they met in Bali, tomorrow they meet in Poland, again under the direction of the United Nations, again about 10,000 people will gather to progress the global warming agenda.   In particular, they will discuss policy options for averting a ‘climate crisis’.

According to Christopher Booker writing in the UK’s Telegraph: 

“They will see a video of Mr Obama, in only his second major policy commitment, pledging that America is now about to play the leading role in the fight to “save the planet” from global warming.

Mr Obama begins by saying that “the science is beyond dispute and the facts are clear”. “Sea levels,” he claims, “are rising, coastlines are shrinking, we’ve seen record drought, spreading famine and storms that are growing stronger with each passing hurricane season.”

Far from the science being “beyond dispute”, we can only deduce from this that Mr Obama has believed all he was told by Al Gore’s wondrously batty film An Inconvenient Truth without bothering to check the facts.

Each of these four statements is so wildly at odds with the truth that on this score alone we should be seriously worried.”

How did we get to this sorry state of affairs? 

I would be much happier if Mr Obama didn’t claim to know anything about “the science”.  Why doesn’t he just say: “I am a lawyer by training, but I have been lead to believe sea levels are rising.”?

Why does he, and every other politician, claim to understand the science of climate change?

Subarctic Temperatures (Part 3): A Note from Nichole Hoskin

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Churchill is a town in subarctic Canada surrounded by the most studied polar bear population in the world.  Polar bears are believed to be under threat from global warming.

On Thursday, Jennifer Marohasy, posted a note stating:

“It is warming in Churchill.   At least thermometer temperature data from both Environment Canada and NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) indicate that it has been warmer since 1998 – but the annual mean is still below zero!”

Dr Marohasy was basing this assessment on annual mean temperature values for Churchill compiled by the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) back to 1884 and Environment Canada back to 1929.

Dr Marohasy also commented:

“I’m also curious to know why the GISS data for this site shows an annual average that is consistently warmer than the Environment Canada data.   And why the data gaps?  There is no GISS data for Churchill from 1994 to 1996 and also from 1911 to 1931?  And why the step change in temperature since 1998 – I didn’t know the Arctic was influenced by El Nino events?”

I cannot help with Dr Marohasy’s last two questions, however, by excluding all the estimated values from nearby weather stations in the Environment Canada data, and by excluding years with missing months from the GISS data, the annual averages are not generally warmer for the GISS data.  

[Read more…] about Subarctic Temperatures (Part 3): A Note from Nichole Hoskin

Near-Arctic Temperatures (Part 2)

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There are no roads to Churchill – a town in northern Canada on the shores of Hudson Bay.   This remote outpost is known as the polar bear capital of the world.   Polar bears have become something of an icon for those concerned that we have a climate crisis.  Indeed Al Gore in his movie, An Inconvenient Truth, suggested polar bears are already suffering from global warming.   

It is warming in Churchill.   At least thermometer temperature data from both Environment Canada and NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) indicate that it has been warmer since 1998 – but the annual mean is still below zero!

[Read more…] about Near-Arctic Temperatures (Part 2)