Dumb Meteorologists – Part II

Yesterday I wrote here about an expedition that included a Canadian meteorologist/journalist Jocelyne Blouin whose documentary tried to convince us that a single receding glacier at a single location in Greenland over the last 10 years was “direct proof “of climate change and so was justification to “act now”. The target of the documentary of course was to spread panic and heighten the level of urgency.

Wondering just what might be going on up there in that part of Greenland, I decided to check the weather out records of stations located around Kangerlussuaq (3)67.0°N, 50°40’W.  The following is a map of Greenland with the locations I looked at. Kangerlussuaq where Blouin’s film was made, is no. 3.

Given the fact that Kangerlussuaq has a sizable airport, one would think it would have a weather station and weather records. But GISS appears not use it as a station. Therefore I checked the GISS temperature records of locations near Kangerlussuaq.

First I checked Jakobshavn (1), which is further north. We see that the GISS series stopped in 1980. Note how the temperature follows the AMO, and that temperature rose  from 1900 to 1940, but then cooled!

Next is Angmagssalik (2) in Southeastern Greenland. Here we have a complete temperature record and see rapid warming from 1900 to 1940 as well, and then followed by cooling, and then warming over the last 30 years. The temperature trend is in sync with the AMO. Hardly looks like a continuous steady rise to me. Smoothing would show that it was a tad warmer in the 1930s and 40s.

Next is Egedesminde (4) The temperature chart starts only at 1950, where a cooling trend continues until about 1990. Suddenly the temperature spikes upwards. Looking at Google maps, this station seems to have a lot of new buildings and asphalt in the vicinity. I haven’t been able to locate the station or Stevenson screen, which is likely near the airport.

The next station near Kangerlussuaq is Godthab Nuuk (5), which is a little south and bit more west. Except for a warm 2010, the overall trend is cooling. Rapid warming has occurred since 1995. Again, looking at the airport, where perhaps the station is placed, one sees a lot of asphalt, buildings and other potential heat sources. Overall, though, the chart shows no man made global warming.

The next temperature record is Ivigut Greenland (6), which is a ways down south. Unfortunately this series ends back around 1968. But again we see the warming from 1900 to 1940, and then the start of cooling – all in sync with the AMO.

Summary

All surrounding stations show a warm time back around 1940, and a warming trend beginning around 1980 or 90, which may be due to station siting issues. All stations seem to be heavily impacted by the AMO. The claim that there is a CO2 cause, as Blouin asserts, and that the warming is unusual has no merit. Also ice cores show that Greenland was very warm 900 years ago, during the MWP.  In short: Madame Blouin est plein merde.