I already posted on George Will's morning dip into anti-global warming sophistry. But one fact from his op-ed seemed genuinely puzzling to me:As global levels of sea ice declined last year, many experts said this was evidence of man-made global warming. Since September, however, the increase in sea ice has been the fastest change, either up or down, since 1979, when satellite record-keeping began. According to the University of Illinois' Arctic Climate Research Center, global sea ice levels now equal those of 1979.That flew in the face of my impression of the data. The University of Illinois' Arctic Climate Research Center -- Will's source -- just posted a reply:
We do not know where George Will is getting his information, but our data shows that on February 15, 1979, global sea ice area was 16.79 million sq. km and on February 15, 2009, global sea ice area was 15.45 million sq. km. Therefore, global sea ice levels are 1.34 million sq. km less in February 2009 than in February 1979. This decrease in sea ice area is roughly equal to the area of Texas, California, and Oklahoma combined.It is disturbing that the Washington Post would publish such information without first checking the facts.
I look forward to the correction. "This column was wrong about the scientific consensus of the 1970s and wrong about the only climate fact in the article. The Washington Post regrets the errors."
