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  science and global warming

  Umbra - Thanks for the discussion of the scientific process. It seems a good portion of the general public does not understand the rigor of science; progress in the field relies acutely on peer review. An idea won't make it far unless it: a) has substantial quantitative support and b) is supported by independent efforts by other scientists. However, a confused understanding of science is perpetuated by the mainstream media, which thrives on generating the illusion of controversy (e.g. both sides of a scientific issue are given equal weight even if 99% of scientists accept a theory and the 1% of dissenters are not even trained in the relevant field).
  As for the NOAA scientist, depending on what he said precisely, it is more correct to attribute this season's weather patterns to El Nino. Climate change is a broader-scale trend that really cannot be invoked to explain single weather events. However, scientists have predicted that climate change is/will be characterized by more frequent, more intense ENSO (El Nino/La Nina) cycles. That said, it would be disingenuous to disallow that climate change is related to ENSO events given results of current research. For those interested, realclimate.org is a site run by climate scientists aimed at disseminating climate science, not politics, to the general public. That is more than NOAA can do under the current administration.On Umbra on trusting scientists posted 2 years, 9 months ago 9 Responses