ACT (Canberra) Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment chides BoM re urbanization near Canberra Airport observations site
May 9th, 2009 by Warwick HughesDr Maxine Cooper the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment has a page discussing ACT weather and if you scroll down about half way you see this headline. “Has development around Canberra International Airport adversely affected its use as a climate reference station?”
BoM Climate Ref Stations map
and list
Dr Cooper sees the encroaching of carparks and hangars only from 2005 but I would suggest to her that the increasing size of Canberra and associated increased urban warming over the last half century has been warping the Canberra AP data warmer for decades. Last February, air masses warmed by the SE Australian heatwaves travelled ~2500 km across the Tasman Sea to give Auckland its hottest day (32.4 on 12 Feb) since 1872. I think it is obvious that Canberra air warmed a few degrees by urban effects could at times limp its way the 10 km to the airport and affect readings there.
Anyway, the good Doctor asks the question, “How much do these developments affect the Bureau’s ability to keep using this site as a long-term reference station?”
Heavens above, if Dr Cooper is getting concerned about the Canberra AP site then the list of global sites that that Dr P. D. Jones and the Hadley Centre use to generate “global warming” trends for the IPCC should really give her cause to be alarmed.
And note, Canberra is on the Hadley Centre / Jones list.
949260 -353 -1492 578 CANBERRA AIRPORT AUSTRALIA
I have heard a term, “strain at a gnat while swallowing a camel”
Anthony Watts should be pleased that some well heeled Govt. group down-under is on the job, helping him.
Posted in BoM Australia, IPCC, Jones et al, Surface Record, Urban Heat Islands | 4 Comments »
May 11th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
The late great John Daly was onto Canberra Airport some years back. See this graph where he compares its record with Wagga airport: www.john-daly.com/stations/canberra.gif
Canberra has trend warming of a degree or so since the 1940s; Wagga has practically nothing. Wagga has grown too of course but nothing like Canberra, which has increased its population at least tenfold over the period, with corresponding development at and around Canberra airport.
You don’t often see a senior bureaucrat publically resorting to common sense – good on Dr Cooper! Why don’t you send a few filthy photos of Stevenson screens, Warwick – sorry, I mean photos of filthy Stevenson screens. The one in Tewantin carpark was my favourite, and that was a climate reference station too, wasn’t it?
May 11th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
PS: It seems they have cleaned up Tewantin – a bit. At least the screen is on grass now and the nearest Jeep is at least three yards away: www.bom.gov.au/climate/change/map/stations/040908.shtml
A few years ago it was on the tarmac of a car park where it was lucky not be banged into by a reversing four-by-four: www.john-daly.com/ges/surftmp/surftemp.htm, second photo.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Great website, with good information.
A definite addition to a list of essential urls on my blog.
Just another chapter in the way we are being manipulated.
Cheers.
August 15th, 2011 at 10:52 am
Of course one should also take a look at the weather station on top of Mount Stromlo.
It is located on the hot tin roof of one of the lab buildings; directly exposed to both the direct sunlight and the radiant heat from the tin roof.
Since this station is apparently only a few years old, and apparently replaced the old one which was located on open ground, I would assume that the Mount Stromlo data has shown a marked increase in temperatures in recent years?
Global warming in action!