The Little Ice Age Enigma

Written by Dr. Matthew Wielicki

The Earth’s climate is a coupled, nonlinear, and chaotic system, influenced by a multitude of factors beyond any single variable. While the current rise in global temperatures is a concern, it’s crucial to understand that climate history is full of changes in surface temperature with little change in GHG concentration. For example, the Little Ice Age (LIA), a period of regional cooling between the 16th and 19th centuries, offers a valuable case study for understanding the limitations of solely attributing global temperature variations to CO2 levels.

Continue Reading 16 Comments

Rethinking Climate Change Metrics

Written by Dr. Matthew Wielicki

The discussion surrounding global temperature anomalies and their role in climate science has sparked considerable controversy. Critics of the use of global temperature anomalies, which I am one of, as a primary metric for representing climate change argue that this approach can be reductionist and misleading, presenting relatively mild warming in a way that appears more alarming than it actually is. This article will investigate the reasons behind these claims, examining the scientific, statistical, and communication aspects of global temperature anomalies.

Continue Reading 1 Comment