Category Archives: Science

Lindzen’s Holy Grail — a negative feedback — and Hansen’s translation

The first difficulty with climate science for the public — and this is true whether or not you believe that the climate is in trouble — is that it's so monstrously huge and long and difficult to understand. The second difficulty is that most scientists themselves aren't very good at explaining the difficulties. The thirdContinue reading “Lindzen’s Holy Grail — a negative feedback — and Hansen’s translation”

Does daydreaming make you smarter?

This is the provocative suggestion from a couple of studies cited by Jonah Lehrer, author of Proust was a Neuroscientist, and a man who has written at least one good article in praise of daydreaming. On The Frontal Cortex, he writes:  …in the latest edition of Mind Matters, Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli and John Gabrieli of MITContinue reading “Does daydreaming make you smarter?”

Stars (not seen before)

NASA is very excited about its newly-launched satellite called WISE, which will detect stars, "failed stars," asteroids, and other interstellar bodies with infra-red technology. In the words of the press release: To sense the infrared glow of stars and galaxies, the WISE spacecraft cannot give off any detectable infrared light of its own. This isContinue reading “Stars (not seen before)”

Arctic Oscillation 2010: discussion by NOAA forecaster

While working on an El Nino story to be published soon, I happen to talk Monday morning to Ed Olenic, who forecasts seasonal climate for NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. I know nothing about the Arctic Oscillation, but Mr. Olenic walked me through the basics of the  extraordinary extent of the phenomenon, which I may asContinue reading “Arctic Oscillation 2010: discussion by NOAA forecaster”

Mann’s latest temperature reconstruction record: Could a warming globe mean more La Ninas?

From a November paper by Michael Mann and cohorts in Science, meticulously reconstructing the temperature record over the last fifteen hundred years, from proxies including tree rings, pollen, coral, oxygen isotopes, sediments, and so on.  The end point — in black — is from the instrumental record.  This gives us a familiar conclusion — sinceContinue reading “Mann’s latest temperature reconstruction record: Could a warming globe mean more La Ninas?”

Rehabilitating — not Restoring — California’s Rivers

From a thoughtful interview posted on the wonderful Earth and Sky site, a look at California rivers yesterday and today with Prof. Jeff Mount of UC Davis. At one point he mentions that when Congress gave the "wild and scenic river" designation to a dozen or so California rivers, "they got half of it rightContinue reading “Rehabilitating — not Restoring — California’s Rivers”

A Scientist Who Can Write, Thank God

A lot of scientists — not all, but a good number, I must say — see to regard the English language as a mortal enemy which must be evaded with jargon, neutered with utterly emotionless prose, and crushed under heavy statistical arguments. Often I find that the graphics are the only legible part of aContinue reading “A Scientist Who Can Write, Thank God”