The Catlin Arctic Survey estimates that based on the dwindling expanse and thickness of ice coverage, the Arctic Ocean will become ice free in summer within two decades.
(Editorial, "Hot times: As a crucial climate change conference nears, more evidence of a warming globe," Houston Chronicle, November 23, 2009 (emphasis added))
Climatologists initially projected an ice-free summer Arctic by the end of the century. The increasing pace of warming has caused some scientists to revise that estimate to 2020 or sooner.
(Editorial, "The big thaw: As the threat of global warming mounts, a few find silver linings," Houston Chronicle, September 16, 2009 (emphasis added))
While its projections would have the Arctic free of summer ice by 2030, scientists are now predicting that could happen within four or five years.
(Editorial, "Meltdown: With Arctic sea ice disappearing at a record rate, scientists are sounding the alarm," Houston Chronicle, September 3, 2008 (emphasis added))
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I don't have time to do the righteous takedown the Chronicle's latest editorial on Arctic sea ice so richly deserves. Still, let me draw your attention to these quick points.
First, the Chronicle has apparently abandoned the absurd and easily falsifiable claim of "four or five years" and reverted to a melt date farther over the horizon, well beyond the expiration date on all current editorial writers. The target went from four or five years to eleven years to twenty years.
If they're still sentient and if there are still such a thing as a Houston Chronicle and if their nursing home subscribes to it, our retired editorialists will also see "2020 or sooner" and "within two decades" falsified in due course.
It won't matter, of course, because alarmists will then have moved the finish line another two or three decades.
Second, while the global-warming crowd at the University of East Anglia is today an international laughingstock, thanks to Climategate, the Chronicle -- perhaps out of ignorance, perhaps out of solidarity with the corrupt scientists -- approvingly quotes Corrine Le Quere, professor at that discredited institution.
Third, as the case for anthropogenic global warming weakens, the Chronicle finds itself farther and father out on the limb with the likes of James Hansen (who still insists that recent years, clearly cooler, were some of the hottest on record).
Also on that shaky limb is the Catlin Arctic Survey, a merry and eccentric band of climate pranksters who wave their mittened hands as wildly as possible. Their purpose is to distract attention from the pesky satellites that clearly show Arctic ice recovering quite nicely, thank you very much, from a low in 2007. Some months are better than others, but the short-term trend is up.
Fourth, the Chronicle has a real thing about Arctic ice, but largely ignores Antarctic ice, which is just as healthy as healthy can be.
Finally, never forget the real purpose of the AGW hypothesis is to justify the left's universal policy response to all problems, real and imagined: Give us your money and do as we say.
I don't have time to work up all the necessary links, but my readers know how to Google. Perhaps one of you could drop by the luxurious editorial suites at the Chronicle and teach our locals.
UPDATE: Thanks for the link from blogHouston.
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