Is there a clean copy of this post?  I'd like to forward it, but not
in this shape.  Thanks.


>Congressman Demands Records on Climate Research
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>Friday=2C July 1=2C 2005
>
>http=3A//chronicle=2Ecom/daily/2005/07/2005070101n=2Ehtm
>
>Congressman Demands Complete Records on Climate Research by 3 Scientists
>Who Support Theory of Global Warming
>
>=3Cmailto=3Arich=2Emonastersky=40chronicle=2Ecom=3EBy RICHARD MONASTERSKY=
>
>Washington
>
>In a sign of how climate science has grown increasingly political=2C the
>chairman of the U=2ES=2E House of Representatives Committee on Energy and=
>
>Commerce is investigating three professors whose work suggests that the
>earth=27s climate is warmer now than at any time in many centuries and
>that increasing levels of greenhouse gases from burning fossils fuels
>are largely to blame=2E
>
>In letters to the three scientists last week=2C Rep=2E Joe Barton=2C a Te=
>xas
>Republican=2C demanded detailed documentation about the hundreds of
>studies on which they were an author or co-author=2E Mr=2E Barton also se=
>nt
>a letter to the director of the National Science Foundation that
>requests information about the work of the three professors=2C as well as=
>
>a list of all grants and awards in the area of climate and paleoclimate
>science=2C which number 2=2C700 in the past 10 years=2E
>
>Several climate scientists reached by The Chronicle expressed dismay at
>the investigation and described it as harassment=2E
>
>The investigation focuses on studies by Michael E=2E Mann=2C an assistant=
>
>professor of environmental science at the University of Virginia=3B
>Raymond S=2E Bradley=2C a professor of geosciences at the University of
>Massachusetts at Amherst=3B and Malcolm K=2E Hughes=2C a professor in the=
>
>Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research of the University of Arizona=2E
>
>Several independent studies have come to conclusions similar to theirs=2E=
>
>But the work of Mr=2E Mann and his colleagues has served as a lightning
>rod for attacks by skeptics of greenhouse warming=2C in part because thei=
>r
>early studies in 1998 and 1999 figured prominently in a 2001 report by
>the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change=2C a U=2EN=2E-sponsored gro=
>up
>known as the IPCC=2E
>
>In =3Chttp=3A//energycommerce=2Ehouse=2Egov/108/Letters/06232005=5F1570=2E=
>htm=3Ethe
>letters=2C Mr=2E Barton says he started the investigation because =22this=
>
>dispute surrounding your studies bears directly on important questions
>about the federally funded work upon which climate studies rely and the
>quality and transparency of analyses used to support the IPCC assessment
>process=2E=22
>
>Mr=2E Mann said he would comply with the congressman=27s requests=2C but
>because of the legal issues involved=2C he said he could not comment in
>detail=2E =22I am pleased that the U=2ES=2E Congress has shown in interes=
>t in
>the issue of climate change=2C=22 he told The Chronicle=2E =22I am confid=
>ent
>that when members of Congress take a look at the science=2C they will joi=
>n
>with the consensus of the world=27s scientists that the earth is indeed
>warming=2C and that human activity has played a primary role in the
>warming observed in recent decades=2E=22
>
>But climate scientists in the United States and in Europe said they were
>shocked by Mr=2E Barton=27s requests=2E
>=22It=27s a technical form of harassment by people in Congress who are
>opposed to global warming and basically want to discredit the science so
>they don=27t have to worry about the policy alternatives=2C=22 said Thoma=
>s
>Crowley=2C a professor in the Nicholas School of the Environment and Eart=
>h
>Sciences at Duke University=2E
>
>Mr=2E Barton worked in the oil-and-gas industry before being elected to
>Congress=2C in 1984=2E In the past decade=2C he has consistently ranked a=
>s one
>of the top five recipients of campaign contributions from that industry=2C=
>
>according to the Center for Responsive Politics=2C a nonpartisan research=
>
>group that tracks money in politics=2E
>
>Mr=2E Barton could not be reached for comment on Thursday=2E A staff memb=
>er
>in his office said the letters spoke for themselves=2E
>
>In their first study=2C published in Nature in 1998=2C Mr=2E Mann and his=
>
>colleagues examined long-term records of glacial ice layers=2C coral
>growth layers=2C and tree rings=2C all of which store information about h=
>ow
>climate has changed=2C year by year=2C at specific spots around the globe=
>=2E
>By mathematically combining records from various sites=2C the researchers=
>
>developed a temperature history of the Northern Hemisphere dating back
>six centuries=2E They subsequently extended their analysis to cover the
>last two millennia=2E
>
>In graphical form=2C the data show temperatures going up and down over th=
>e
>centuries by small amounts and then shooting upward in the 20th century
>-- a shape that has been dubbed =22the hockey stick=2E=22
>
>In writing its 2001 report=2C the IPCC considered Mr=2E Mann=27s first tw=
>o
>studies and several other separate analyses to draw the conclusion that
>the late 20th century was likely to have been warmer than any time in
>the past millennium=2E Mr=2E Mann was one of 10 lead authors of the chapt=
>er
>in the report that dealt with such data -- a connection that Mr=2E Barton=
>
>wants to investigate=2E He wrote a letter to the chairman of the IPCC
>asking for clarification concerning Mr=2E Mann=27s role in drafting the r=
>eport=2E
>
>Mr=2E Mann=27s work drew the attention of Steven McIntyre=2C an independe=
>nt
>researcher who has worked in the mining industry=2E Over the past several=
>
>years=2C Mr=2E McIntyre has held long-running correspondences with Mr=2E =
>Mann
>and other climate researchers=2C requesting data and computer codes in
>order to check their work=2E
>
>Mr=2E McIntyre=2C working with Ross McKitrick=2C an associate professor o=
>f
>economics at Canada=27s University of Guelph=2C has published several pap=
>ers
>accusing Mr=2E Mann and his co-authors of making errors in their analyses=
>=2E
>In the meantime=2C the two groups have waged a war over those issues on
>two Web sites=2C =3Chttp=3A//www=2Erealclimate=2Eorg=3ERealClimate and
>=3Chttp=3A//www=2Eclimateaudit=2Eorg=3EClimate Audit=2E
>
>According to Mr=2E Crowley=2C the Duke professor=2C he received repeated
>e-mail messages from Mr=2E McIntyre demanding data and documentation=2C
>which grew increasingly threatening=2E =22I=27m usually happy to send peo=
>ple
>some stuff=2C=22 said Mr=2E Crowley=2E However=2C he added=2C =22McIntyre=
>  comes back
>time and again=2E He could take up a huge amount of time=2E It=27s like y=
>ou
>have nothing better to do in your life than answer questions from Steven
>McIntyre=2E=22
>
>Mr=2E McIntyre was unavailable on Thursday to talk about his dispute with=
>
>Mr=2E Mann=2E On his blog=2C he says that Mr=2E Mann has released data bu=
>t not
>the computer code from his studies=2E
>
>According to David Stonner=2C of the Congressional-affairs office at the
>National Science Foundation=2C Mr=2E McIntyre contacted the foundation la=
>st
>year to ask for Mr=2E Mann=27s computer code=2E Mr=2E Stonner said the ag=
>ency
>had told Mr=2E McIntyre that the code was the intellectual property of Mr=
>=2E
>Mann and that it was up to him whether to release it=2E
>
>Critics of the letters said they were clearly intended for political
>purposes=2C not scientific ones=2E Stefan Rahmstorf=2C a professor of phy=
>sics
>of the oceans at Potsdam University=2C in Germany=2C said that =22when yo=
>u
>read these letters=2C it becomes clear this is not a genuine interest in
>getting the best scientific information but rather this is an attempt to
>intimidate individual scientists=2E=22
>James E=2E Hansen=2C director of NASA=27s Goddard Institute for Space Stu=
>dies=2C
>in New York City=2C said =22there is something rotten in Washington=2E=22=
>
>
>=22These requests from Representative Barton=2C=22 Mr=2E Hansen said=2C =22=
>seem to
>be harassment and a threat to researchers and agencies that deliver
>scientific results that displease politicians=2E=22
>
>Hans von Storch=2C a professor of meteorology at the University of Hambur=
>g
>and director of the Institute of Coastal Research of the GKSS Research
>Center=2C in Geesthacht=2C Germany=2C has published his own report that
>criticizes the studies by Mr=2E Mann and his colleagues=2E He said Mr=2E =
>Mann
>made some mistakes in his analyses and did not explain his methods well
>enough to allow other scientists to independently check his work (=3C=3ET=
>he
>Chronicle=2C September 5=2C 2003)=2E
>
>But Mr=2E von Storch distinguished between publishing a description of
>methodology and releasing computer codes=2E =22If I did get such a letter=
>=2C I
>would become desperate=2C=22 he said=2E His colleagues often write the co=
>de
>for his studies=2C and he said=2C =22if I asked my colleagues whether the=
>y
>still had the code=2C I=27m not sure they would=2E=22
>
>
>=3C=3ECopyright =A9 2005 by =3C=3EThe Chronicle of Higher Education

--
Martha Livingston, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Health and Society
SUNY College at Old Westbury
Box 210
Old Westbury, New York 11568
(516) 876-2748


"The great only appear great because we are on our knees.  Let us rise."

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