By Brian Carnell

Wednesday, July 10, 2002

The New York Times ran an editorial today praising the California legislature for passing a bill that sets strict CO2 emissions standards for automakers. Typically, while it slams the Bush administration for ignoring global warming science, it repeats an outright falsehood about temperature increases in Alaska. According to The Times,

Then came a more narrowly focused but equally disturbing report by The Times's Timothy Egan about Alaska, where an astonishing seven-degree increase in average temperatures over 30 years has led to melting permafrost, sagging roads, dying forests, unexpected forest fires and disruption of marine life. Even Ted Stevens, the influential Republican senator from Alaska who usually has little patience with environmentalists, is openly alarmed about global warming's potential cost to his home state, which could run into the billions of dollars, and is privately even more alarmed by Washington's indifference.

But according to the Alaska Climate Research Center, Timothy Egan's June 16, 2002 report is pure bunk.

The article "Alaska, No Longer So Frigid, Starts to Crack, Burn, and Sag" written by Timothy Egan, stated that the average temperature has risen seven degrees in the last 30 years. This statement was repeated in an editorial by Bob Herbert of 24 June 2002. This statement is incorrect. The correct warming for Alaska is about 1/3 of the quoted amount for the last climatological mean 1971 to 2000 (see table below). It should be pointed out that the table presents data from first class weather stations, which are professionally maintained and generate high quality data. The three stations, Barrow, Fairbanks, and Anchorage, represent a cross section of Alaska from north to south. Further, Barrow, situated in Northern Alaska, which gave the largest temperature increase, is the only long-term first class meteorological weather station in Northern Alaska. All changes are based upon the time period 1971 to 2000 and are compiled from a linear trend.

The table mentioned show a 30-year increase of +4.16 degrees Fahrenheit for Barrow, +1.07 for Fairbanks, +2.26 for Anchorage and +2.28 for Nome.

The Alaska Climate Research Center site also features a nice graph tracking average temperatures in Fairbanks over the last century, which shows a +2.2 degree Fahrenheit increase over the last 100 years.

But why should The Times let the facts get in the way?

Sources:

California Leads on Warming. The New York Times, July 8, 2002.

In response to the New York Times Article of 16 June 2002. Alaska Climate Research Center, June 2002.

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