Albert Parker

The Acorn adjustments of Australian temperatures are in the wrong direction

We previously discussed as the warming of Australia evidenced by the Australian Climate Observations Reference Network (ACORN) data set is artificially created by the arbitrary correction of the truly measured temperatures making cooler the temperatures of the past. Gillham has freshly brought to the attention of the scientific community two old data sets that further support our claim, proving once more how the ACORN corrections are wrongly set up to magnify the warming trend where actually they should rather cancel the urban heat island effect reducing the trend.

Carbon Dioxide Flux Measurements Based on Satellite Observations Differ Considerably from the Consensus Values

The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) satellite provides the first measured CO2 flux data that can be used to determine if a region is sequestering or emitting CO2. Results differ considerably from the popular accepted view. In the specific case of Australia, the observational data show this country is a top sequestering and not a top emitting country.

Renewable Energy Target for Australia – The Role of Fuel Conversion Efficiency and Waste Biomass Valorisation

The Federal Government of Australia is reviewing the Renewable Energy Target (RET) which is to achieve the generation of 20% of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. 85.61% of electricity is produced by burning coal in power stations that are generally much older and more obsolete, less efficient and more polluting, than the average of the OECD countries. (January-July 2012 IEA data) Of the remaining electricity 11.51% is derived from hydro-power and the remaining 2.86% almost entirely from wind. Australia is very rich in other energy sources, including natural gas and uranium. However, it makes practically no use of the huge annual biomass and bio waste production. This is almost completely unutilised: buried in landfills, burned or allowed to decompose, thus ignoring a near-zero emission energy option is possibly unique among the OECD countries. Better economies and energy efficiency for power generation could come from achieving a reduced production costs assessed on a whole lifecycle analysis. Alternatives for generating electricity per kWh are compared net of subsidies and penalties. This promises a better environmental outcome which requires the reduction of lifecycle emissions of pollutants and carbon dioxide. It also minimises other negative effects of conservation and society.

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is stable under global warming

Many new studies have been published supporting the hypothesis that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is experiencing a slowdown. These studies are based on proxies, climate model predictions, or a combination of both. The latest work (1) is only based on predictions. The AMOC is allegedly slowing down at an increased rate because of the Arctic ice melting as predicted by climate models. Recent satellite information for the Arctic shows a shrinking sea ice and warming temperatures since 1978. Scattered prior information dating back to the mid-1800s shows the shrinking of Arctic sea ice possibly started in the mid-1800s with superimposed strong interannual and multidecadal oscillations, consistent with the Arctic temperature pattern (2⇓– …

The coupled GRACE/GIA evaluation of the Antarctic ice mass loss is unreliable

GRACE does not measure any ice sheet thickness but only gravity. Similarly to the computation of the global mean sea level (GMSL), the computation of the ice sheet thickness, follows a large number of assumptions. As a result, the actual inaccuracy of the Antarctic ice sheet thickness computation is much larger than any trend proposed. In other words, you can manufacture almost any result you want by using the noisy raw GRACE signal and selected corrections. It is however the further Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) correction that ultimately produces the reducing Antarctic ice sheet thickness, similarly to the rising Global Mean Sea Level (GMSL). This result is contradicted by other more reliable experimental results as the expanding sea ice extension and the cooling surface air temperature.

Rebuttal to: ENGE-D-13-00994R2 “Modelling of lake level under climate change conditions: Lake Purrumbete in southeastern Australia” by Yihdego et al. (2015)

[Extract] Yihdego et al. (2015) claim that many lakes in Western Victoria, in particular Lake Purrumbete, have been dry, or at their lowest level in recorded history, because of global warming. However, measured rainfall around Lake Purrumbete has been fairly stable and actually increasing, while the temperatures have been similarly stable since the end of the 1800s. In Ballarat there is Lake Wendouree, which was a swamp that was converted into an artificial lake. The very shallow water lake hosted the rowing and canoeing events during the 1956 Olympic Games. During its history, Lake Wendouree dried up twice: in 1969 and again between 2006 and 2011, (incidentally this time longer but coinciding with diversion of water towards a nearby golf course); however, since 2011 the lake has been full of water.

Discussion of the "hottest Year on Record" in Australia

Abstract The global temperature trends provided by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology are artificially exaggerated due to subjective and unidirectional adjustments of recorded values. The present paper aims to promote the use of the raw stations’ data corrected only for urban heat island formation. The longer temperature records of Australia exhibit significant oscillations with a strong quasi-60 years’ signature of downward phases 1880 to 1910, 1940 to 1970 and 2000 to present, and upwards phases 1910 to 1940 and 1970 to 2000. A longer oscillation with downward phase until 1910 and an upwards phase afterwards is also detected. The warming since 1910 occurred at a nearly constant rate. Over the full length of the long Australian records since the end of the 1800s, there is no sign of warming or increased occurrence of extreme events. The monthly highest and mean maximum temperatures do not exhibit any positive trend. The differences between monthly highest and lowest, or monthly mean maximum and mean minimum temperatures, are all reducing because of urban heat island formation.

Coldspot of Decelerated Sea-Level Rise on the Pacific Coast of North America

Abstract We show here the presence of significant “coldspot” of sea level rise along the West Coast of the United States and Canada (including Alaska). The 30-years sea level for the area are mostly falling also at subsiding locations as San Francisco and Seattle where subsidence is responsible for a long term positive rate of rise. The 20 long term tide gauges of the area of length exceeding the 60-years length have a naïve average rate of rise −0.729 mm/year in the update 30-Apr-2015, down from −0.624 mm/year in the update 14-Feb-2014. Therefore, along the West Coast of the United States and Canada the sea levels are on average falling, and becoming more and more negative.

Selective clearing of bush close to houses is the top bushfire mitigation strategy

ABSTRACT While the wild fire issue is certainly complex and may vary significantly across Australia, the clearing of the bush around houses is found to be the most effective measure. The proposed solution of community funded clearing and collection of the waste biomass with valorisation of this biomass appears to be the most promising measure to mitigate the effects of bushfires in the years to come.

The Isle of the Dead benchmark, the Sydney, Fort Denison tide gauge and the IPCC AR5 Chapter 13 Sea levels revisited

Abstract The paper revisits the Isle of the Dead benchmark and the Sydney, Fort Denison tide gauge to confirm that long term, high quality tide gauges are acceleration free, consistently to the analysis of key sites suggesting the sea levels are not sharply raising following the carbon dioxide emissions. The paper also discusses the flaws of the IPCC AR5 Chapter13 Sea levels. The time history of the relative rate of rise computed by linear fitting of the data locally collected by tide gauges is the best parameter to assess the effect of global warming providing length and quality requirements are satisfied. There is no reason to search for less reliable alternative methods because the climate models predicted different trends. The Global Positioning System (GPS) inferred vertical tide gauge velocity suffers of significant inaccuracies. Larger inaccuracies are provided by the satellite altimetry Global Mean Sea Level (GMSL) that is a computation and not a measurement.