CLIMATEGATE – NIWA got some 'splaining to do

NIWA is in deep trouble. They keep obfuscating. When ClimateGate first broke and they were implicated they lied. Then when their lie was exposed they explained but now photographic evidence shows just how out of control this organisation is.

NIWA claim that they adjust the temperature at Kelburn because it was above sea level and the previous station was at sea level. There is of course a slight problem with their methodology in that as you get higher the cooler it gets, but I digress. In telling us about Kelburn they unwittingly also told us that New Zealand’s entire climate change rational that we are warming is based on just seven weather stations. They didn’t tell why those seven, who chose those seven or why only seven when they have literally hundreds.

One greenie on Twitter even had the temerity to explain to me that those seven were generally representative of the proven picture of the science that is settled. Cool so we have the same thing in New Zealand as in the UK, our warming is based on just seven stations that showed warming and Wellington though needed tricking a bit because it wasn’t enough. I suppose seven stations is better than just one pine tree in Siberia.

The next problem that NIWA has is that Kelburn, the new Wellington station that needed its temperature adjusting because it was giving the wrong answer also happens to be in the second to worst category for accuracy as defined by NOAA regulations.

As Watt’s up with That says; You can see the Stevenson screen is surrounded by astronomical science, such as the historic Dominion Observatory and the Carter Observatory to the west (off screen). But from a climate science perspective, it is also surrounded by asphalt, with a car park to the east. According to the Google Earth measurement tool, vehicles are parked within 6 meters of the Stevenson Screen.

The car park asphalt at 6 meters away puts the station rating at CRN4, based on NOAA’s site quality rating system used for their Climate Reference Network.

Station quality ratings obtained from NOAA/NCDC via this source:

Climate Reference Network Rating Guide – adopted from NCDC Climate Reference Network Handbook, 2002, specifications for siting (section 2.2.1) of NOAA’s new Climate Reference Network:

Class 1 (CRN1)- Flat and horizontal ground surrounded by a clear surface with a slope below 1/3 (<19deg). Grass/low vegetation ground cover <10 centimeters high. Sensors located at least 100 meters from artificial heating or reflecting surfaces, such as buildings, concrete surfaces, and parking lots. Far from large bodies of water, except if it is representative of the area, and then located at least 100 meters away. No shading when the sun elevation >3 degrees.

Class 2 (CRN2) – Same as Class 1 with the following differences. Surrounding Vegetation <25 centimeters. No artificial heating sources within 30m. No shading for a sun elevation >5deg.

Class 3 (CRN3) (error >=1C) – Same as Class 2, except no artificial heating sources within 10 meters.

Class 4 (CRN4) (error >= 2C) – Artificial heating sources <10 meters.

Class 5 (CRN5) (error >= 5C) – Temperature sensor located next to/above an artificial heating source, such a building, roof top, parking lot, or concrete surface.”

So NIWA’s much vaunted Kelburn station is one of the worst to actually take temperatures from, yet it was included in the seven stations that makes up NIWA’s climate warming graph. NIWA certainly has some explaining to do about their whole methodology from station selection to temperature adjustment to data manipulation to show us how they arrived at their categorical assessment that New Zealand has warmed by 1 degree since 1931.