BREAKING NEWS: NIWA reveals NZ original climate data missing

From the "A goat ate my homework" excuse book:

More major embarrassment for New Zealand's 'leading' climate research unit NIWA tonight, with admissions that it "does not hold copies" of the original reports documenting adjustments to New Zealand's weather stations.

The drama hit the headlines worldwide in late November when serious questions were raised about the "adjustments" NIWA had made to weather records. The adjusted data shows a strong warming trend over the past century, whereas unadjusted records had nowhere near as much warming.

NIWA promised to make its data and corrections fully available, but responding to an Official Information Act request their legal counsel has now admitted it cannot provide copies of the original adjustment records.

Now, a news release from the Climate Science Coalition is blowing the NIWA climate scientists out of the water.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) has been urged by the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition (NZCSC) to abandon all of its in-house adjustments to temperature records. This follows an admission by NIWA that it no longer holds the records that would support its in-house manipulation of official temperature readings.

In December, NZCSC issued a formal request for the schedule of adjustments under the Official Information Act 1982, specifically seeking copies of “the original worksheets and/or computer records used for the calculations”. On 29 January, NIWA responded that they no longer held any internal records, and merely referred to the scientific literature.

“The only inference that can be drawn from this is that NIWA has casually altered its temperature series from time to time, without ever taking the trouble to maintain a continuous record. The result is that the official temperature record has been adjusted on unknown dates for unknown reasons, so that its probative value is little above that of guesswork. In such a case, the only appropriate action would be reversion to the raw data record, perhaps accompanied by a statement of any known issues,” said Terry Dunleavy, secretary of NZCSC.

“NIWA’s website carries the raw data collected from representative temperature stations, which disclose no measurable change in average temperature over a period of 150 years. But elsewhere on the same website, NIWA displays a graph of the same 150-year period showing a sharp warming trend. The difference between these two official records is a series of undisclosed NIWA-created ‘adjustments’.

“Late last year our coalition published a paper entitled ‘Are We Feeling Warmer Yet?’ and asked NIWA to disclose the schedule detailing the dates and reasons for the adjustments. The expressed purpose of NZCSC was to replicate the calculations, in the best traditions of peer-reviewed science.

“When NIWA did not respond, Hon Rodney Hide asked Oral and Written Questions in Parliament, and attended a meeting with NIWA scientists. All to no avail, and the schedule of adjustments remained a secret. We now know why NIWA was being so evasive - the requested schedule did not exist.

“Well qualified climate scientist members of our coalition believe that NIWA has forfeited confidence in the credibility of its temperature recording procedures, and that it cannot be trusted to try to cover up its own ineptitude by in-house adjustments. What is needed is open access in the public domain to all of the known reasons for post-reading adjustments to enable independent climate analysts to make their own comparative assessments of temperature variations throughout New Zealand since the middle of the 19th century,” said Mr Dunleavy.

I kid you not, you could write a book about these shenanigans. ;) If you are interested in reading about the quality of NZ's (and probably the rest of the world's) temperature stations, you could do worse than to read this study by meteorologist Jim Hessell from back in a time before the politics of global warming had encouraged scientists to hide the data.

UPDATE: BREAKING NEWS: Major error found in flagship IPCC WG1 report

UPDATE 2: http://briefingroom.typepad.com/the_briefing_room/2010/02/breaking-news-nz-govt-blasts-ipcc-hints-un-climate-process-may-be-dumped.html

Comments

[Louie D]

Yet another reason not to buy a hybrid car!!!

[Gail Combs]

Based on the goat ate my homework (NZ) and the dog ate my homework (UK), the citizens of the world were supposed to turn over tons of their hard earned wealth to the World Bank according to the "Denmark papers" leaked a Copenhagen.

All the ordinary people in the world owe a huge vote of thanks to the "UK Whistleblower" and the "Denmark Paper leaker"

As Bertrand Russell said
“Western populations would accept serfdom if it was packaged as saving the earth”

Seems the elite and their tame politicians took his message to heart and now at the eleventh hour the smelly mess has finally been revealed.

[Faversham]

Global warmism is rapidly becoming a comical farce (it was always headed in that direction) of the Keystone Cops variety. This marks the end of this absurdity.

[CM]

Much less depends on media sensationalism (in either direction) than you think. IPCC will still exist in 5 years time, and the next report will be written and, as happened in each previous incarnation, it will be better done than the last time. Scientists are mostly carrying with their jobs and the conversations with journalists, staffers, policy-makers and the public are continuing as they did. I'm sure that it's much more exciting to think about collapsing narratives and public relations disasters, but these things are not the substance of the issue and the vast majority of the people who are actually making decisions are well aware of that. Indeed, the evidence is the substance, not the media froth.

[Luke]

"next report will be written and, as happened in each previous incarnation"

CM- three year old niece could write a better report than the current incarnation. Saying that it could only improve is the understatement of the century.

[CM]

The current incarnation is still really good. You're blatantly overstating the significance of these errors because it fits your narrative.

[CM]

That's a ridiculous exaggeration. You've underlined my point nicely. Ta.

[Luke]

"The current incarnation is still really good."

Great, how many errors would need to be found before it is only OK instead of really good?

[antipodean59]

Gail Combs writes: "Seems the elite and their tame politicians took his message to heart and now at the eleventh hour the smelly mess has finally been revealed"

Yeah, and John Key and his lapdog Nick Smith have lost their sense of smell. Either that or they have put on gas masks.

[Bok]

CM you are now just sad.....

[Pete]

Unfortunately Nick Smith doesn't think all these developments are important. This am's interview on ZB showed that he still has faith in 'his scientists'.
I was interested in his comment that they might bypass the UN. This might be a clue to the future of Pachauri. If the UN is relegated to a bystander role whilst the G20 takes over, then perhaps Pachauri is a non issue.
What the NIWA debacle shows is that these records should not be protected by gatekeepers. Why not hand all the data collection and management over to the Stats Dept?
Just some thoughts...
Pete

[CM]

>>>CM you are now just sad.....<<<

No I'm pretty happy. Thanks for your concern though.

[John Boy]

"Why not hand all the data collection and management over to the Stats Dept?"

Are they more reliable at not losing inconvenient stuff than other Govt controlled disorganisations? There is a bigger picture here than climate which is just a vessel to carry the ship of fools. If climate falls over something else will come along and when the time is right it will stick irrespective of its merits.

[CM]

What experience and knowledge do the Stats Dept people have about climate? That might lead you to the answer.

[Fletch]

Looks like your Govt has just signed up to the Copenhagen Accord. WTF?! How can they be that stupid? It's Helen Clark all over again!

Link: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10623527

[CM]

Damn the government for not getting their science from blogs! What is the world coming to!?!

[Luke]

Damn the government for not getting their science from blogs! What is the world coming to!?!

It would be much more reliable to get it from some guy who heard another guy telling another guy that went to a conference in India about the Himalayas right CM?

[CM]

Luke, when you need to rely on ridiculous exaggerations in every comment you make, it's a good sign that you're not being objective or rational.

[TM]

CM - the main question is whether future IPCC reports will be more accurate, non-politicised and properly peer-reviewed.
Some warming is evident, that is accepted, whether the rate is catastrophically alarming or unprecedented is disputed.

The best thing that could happen for climate science now is that all data, studies and models are published on the web and allowed to be scrutinised by all stake holders (i.e the global populace) who feel so inclined.

[Luke]

"Luke, when you need to rely on ridiculous exaggerations in every comment you make, it's a good sign that you're not being objective or rational."

oh, you mean like the IPCC report? thanks for clearing up for us that you think the IPCC report has no credibility.