Monday, January 19, 2009
Measuring temperature: Satellites and surface stations are diverging
According to this post, in the last five years the lower atmosphere temperature trends as measured by satellite and surface stations have diverged. The question is why.
8 Comments:
By 
, at
Mon Jan 19, 12:22:00 PM:
To help "drive" green policies?
By , at
Mon Jan 19, 12:47:00 PM:
Why, indeed? It is because the G.T.s (green terrorists) cannot so easily get their hands on, and corrupt, the satellite data as they can surface sensors, particularly with regard to their placement. I have previously posted here about the pernicious practices of the NASA, NWS, and NOAA in this regard.
By 
Gammer Gurton, at
Mon Jan 19, 02:12:00 PM:
This recent and anomalous divergence is clear evidence of global warming.
By Steve M. Galbraith, at
Mon Jan 19, 04:04:00 PM:
Shouldn't the satellite temperature measurements be higher since the lower atmosphere is supposed to warm first (and to a higher degree) and then that heat is radiated back to the earth's surface warming it?
Again, the sun's heat reaches the earth's surface, radiates back into the atmosphere, the atmosphere - with more greenhouse gases - traps the heat and radiates more of it back to the surface instead of space.
What am I missing?
By Brian, at
Mon Jan 19, 05:20:00 PM:
As I've mentioned before, satellite data is hard to interpret, which is why it was erroneously said for many years that satellites showed cooling in the 1990s.
HACRUT mostly follows GISS trends and not the satellite data, by the way.
By Steve M. Galbraith, at
Mon Jan 19, 06:16:00 PM:
which is why it was erroneously said for many years that satellites showed cooling in the 1990s.
So, the errors (discovered) in the nineties tell us what about the measurements in this century? They're no good either?
This is like a floating crap game.
I'm agnostic - learning to the pro AGW/climate change side - but the response by the proponents when questions like this arise leaves me wondering.
By , at
Tue Jan 20, 11:18:00 AM:
Many surface stations are in urban areas, which are warmer than the surrounding countryside.
By , at
Fri Jan 23, 11:07:00 PM:
Here's a guess: Satellites don't directly measure the temperature of the Earth. They measure radiation coming off the Earth and compute a temperature based on a calculation/calibration. If you increase greenhouse effect, that means more IR is reflected back to Earth. Less IR goes out into space where the satellites are (so they perceive lower temperature), but on the surface the temperature increases. Put another way, you've changed the transmission constants and need to recalibrate. Could be Gammer's right.
