“Study: Melting sea ice major cause of warming in Arctic“. Anthony Watts tries to distract from a Nature climate paper [update: PDF here.] by muttering about transient temperature recording errors that never actually enter the climate data.
Dr. James Screen of the University of Melbourne reports that Arctic climate change is driven more by declining sea ice than by warmer air circulating up from lower latitudes.
Sea ice 2007 minimum. NASA
“Another Arctic Sea Ice Milestone“. Anthony Watts is trying to milk the Arctic Sea Ice Extent blip (aka “weather”) for as long as possible. Of course this is only possible with the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center’s NORSEX estimate, which uses a slightly broader definition of sea ice. Anthony tells us about a sensational “milestone”:
Today it is encouraging to see the NANSEN is reporting that both Arctic Sea Ice area and extent are above the normal line.
Nansen Arctic Sea Ice Extent, 2010/04/29.
What’s actually happening is that the 2010 sea ice extent has tracked previous “low” years until an early March cold snap in the Bering Sea delayed the onset of retreat. After that delay, it’s right back on the same trajectory.
But keep sayin’ it, Anthony.
2010/04/30 Update: Good sea ice info from Dr. Ron Lindsay at the University of Washington has been pointed out in the comments:
Mar. 2010 sea ice extent prediction for Sept. 2010. After Ron Lindsay.
“WUWT Sea Ice News #2“. Steven Goddard Photoshops some sea ice extent maps and enthusiastically declares “Arctic ice extent is normal.” Well, nearly. Naturally he only wants to talk about the one data series that briefly popped above “normal” and not about the others, which… don’t.
Steven’s also excited that Arctic weather patterns may produce an anomalous high sea ice extent next winter. I can see that he’s going to wear himself out thrashing wildly back and forth about weather. It’s irrelevant. Why was the record 2007 sea ice extent minimum a cause for concern? Because it was part of a climate trend.
Some other rhetorical master-strokes: mocking a 40 year-old old newspaper report, and embedding a juvenile YouTube clip from the film Airplane!
“Earth gives us an Earth Day present: Arctic sea ice is highest for this date in 9 years“. An “Earth Day” post from Anthony Watts. Apparently the planet loves us polluting it, so it’s laid on some extra Arctic sea ice as a token of its affection (on one interpretation anyway). Well actually the Arctic sea ice is still less than “normal”, but it’s something right?
Weather is not climate Anthony, this sea ice is residual from the unusual Arctic cold snap in March. Also half-wit humor is not science, although it is entertaining to watch the attempt.
Earth Day must be quite galling for Anthony and his buddies, they have a deep resentment of environmental activism. Don’t tell them what to do!
By the way, did you know that Earth Day is also Lenin’s birthday? Anthony’s readers all do…
“Visualizing Changes In Arctic Ice Since the 2007 Record Low“. Steven Goddard says that the Arctic sea ice extent is about one million square km larger now than it was at the 2007 low point, but has no choice but to mutter “weather” as the explanation for it.
Curiously, his graphic is hosted on a blog called Climate Insiders, which appears to be a private denialist coordination point. The Denialist “Team” conspiracy is revealed! Or is it just Steven trying to start his own clubhouse?
“Arctic Sea Ice Reports: who to believe?” Anthony Watts implies deception about Arctic sea ice extent because different organizations (the EU’s “Arctic ROOS” and The National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado), using different comparison periods and different methodologies, have slightly different ice extent graphs.
Anthony actually discusses the differences between two methods of calculation, which you’d think would be a starting point for realising that they’re different. But he prefers to lazily imply ulterior motives with statements such as this: “Of course we know that NSIDC director Mark Serreze is very active with the press.”
You know that when Steven Goddard comes in to offer expert commentary the argument is profoundly flawed but he pops up here to declare that the chart below, to which I have added a 27-year trend line, is good news for denialists! Go to the NSIDC link and compare the maps of the >2 yr. sea ice extent, shown as green pixels, for Sept. 2009 and Mar. 2010 and tell me what you think of Steven’s claim…
Ignore the 27-year trend, look at that blip in 2009!
Anthony finishes by trying to turn around criticism of his own earlier statements:
Don’t be fooled though. “Decreasing ice is climate. Increasing ice is weather.”
Anthony’s the one who tried to use a short-term increase in sea ice as a global warming disproof. Nothing that happens over a day, a month, a year, even a few years is “climate”, the denialists are the only ones who try to claim otherwise.
“NSIDC: Arctic Sea Ice Melt Season – latest start on record“. Anthony Watts feints amnesia to infer that an NSIDC Sea Ice News report called “Cold snap causes late-season growth spurt” means that a cold Arctic winter has disproved Global Warming.
Remember why this is the latest start on record, Anthony? We both posted about it two days ago.
Sugar, you're goin' down. Source: NSIDC.
Wott's Up With That? 
