Antarctic Land Surface Temperature (part 7)
In this episode I compare land surface temperatures held within the GHCN database with UAH NSST 6.0 satellite anomalies
I am hoping by now that subscribers have come to the realisation that seeking robust and accurate temperature data for the coldest place on Earth is rather like seeking the Holy Grail. There are tantalising glimpses here and there but the quest proves far too elusive. We think Orcadas has championed the cause, with a data series stretching back to 1903, but a bit of digging has revealed dark secrets: even this noble base is not worthy! Then we went and compared annual estimates based on daily and monthly data to discover a tale of woe and unworthy contenders. Will any base save us from ambiguity and data tainted by BADWARM?
I feared not, so I looked to the skies for assistance and salvation came from The National Space Science & Technology Center at the University of Alabama In Huntsville…
... a place where pursuit of new knowledge leads to breakthroughs that range from insights on the structure and evolution of the universe to better understanding Earth's weather. That place is the National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) - a unique, collaborative research and education organization. NSSTC is a place that brings together creative new people, new ideas and important facilities to enable advances in Earth science, space science, material science, biotechnology, propulsion, advanced optics and information technology. The NSSTC research environment encourages excellence and innovation and promotes interdisciplinary research by capitalizing on the synergy among these disciplines. Activities conducted by NSSTC scientists and engineers range from fundamental science investigations to early technology development to mission operations and data analysis.
Wowie! Well there you go, we’re talking the dog’s biscuits!
The Jewel Of The Heavens
If you wade through the NSSTC pages you will eventually stumble across a shining jewel that is the best darn satellite-based temperature series in the whole wide world, a series that handily features on the personal website of the boss man, Dr Roy Spencer. The series kicks off in December 1978 and is currently up at May 2023, and offers calibrated monthly temperature anomalies at four atmospheric layers (Lower Troposphere, Mid-Troposphere, Tropopause and Stratosphere) over land or ocean for 11 regions (globe, northern hemisphere, southern hemisphere, tropics, northern extent, southern extent, north pole, south pole, USA (48 states), USA (49 states) and Australia.
What we are interested in for this article series are mean annual land and ocean anomalies for the Lower Troposphere over the South Pole, the Lower Troposphere being where all the anthropogenic action takes place. Let’s crayon a chart without further ado…