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‘Climategate’ undermined belief in global warming among many TV meteorologists, study shows

FAIRFAX, Va., February 22, 2011 — A new paper by George Mason University researchers shows that ‘Climategate’ — the unauthorized release in late 2009 of stolen e-mails between climate scientists in the U.S. and United Kingdom — undermined belief in global warming and possibly also trust in climate scientists among TV meteorologists in the United States, at least temporarily.

In the largest and most representative survey of television weathercasters to date, George Mason University’s Center for Climate Change Communication and Center for Social Science Research asked these meteorologists early in 2010, when news stories about the climate e-mails were breaking, several questions about their awareness of the issue, attention to the story and impact of the story on their beliefs about climate change. A large majority (82 percent) of the respondents indicated they had heard of Climategate, and nearly all followed the story at least “a little.”

Among the respondents who indicated that they had followed the story, 42 percent indicated the story made them somewhat or much more skeptical that global warming is occurring. These results stand in stark contrast to the findings of several independent investigations of the emails, conducted later, that concluded no scientific misconduct had occurred and nothing in the emails should cause doubts about the fact which show that global warming is occurring.

The results, which were published in the journal Bulletin of the American Meteorology Society, also showed that the doubts were most pronounced among politically conservative weathercasters and those who either do not believe in global warming or do not yet know. The study showed that age was not a factor nor was professional credentials, but men — independent of political ideology and belief in global warming — were more likely than their female counterparts to say that Climategate made them doubt that global warming was happening.

“Our study shows that TV weathercasters — like most people — are motivated consumers of information in that their beliefs influence what information they choose to see, how they evaluate information, and the conclusions they draw from it,” says Ed Maibach, one of the researchers. “Although subsequent investigations showed that the climate scientists had done nothing wrong, the allegation of wrongdoing undermined many weathercasters’ confidence in the conclusions of climate science, at least temporarily.”

The poll of weathercasters was conducted as part of a larger study funded by the National Science Foundation on American television meteorologists. Maibach and others are now working with a team of TV meteorologists to test what audience members learn when weathercasters make efforts to educate their viewers about the relationship between the changing global climate and local weather conditions.

Ultimately, the team hopes to answer key research questions about how to help television meteorologists nationwide become an effective source of informal science education about climate change.

“Most members of the public consider television weather reporters to be a trusted source of information about global warming — only scientists are viewed as more trustworthy,” says Maibach. “Our research here is based on the premise that weathercasters, if given the opportunity and resources, can become an important source of climate change education for a broad cross section of Americans.”

About George Mason University

Named the #1 national university to watch in the 2009 rankings of U.S. News & World Report, George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with global distinction in a range of academic fields. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., Mason provides students access to diverse cultural experiences and the most sought-after internships and employers in the country. Mason offers strong undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering and information technology, organizational psychology, health care and visual and performing arts. With Mason professors conducting groundbreaking research in areas such as climate change, public policy and the biosciences, George Mason University is a leading example of the modern, public university. George Mason University — Where Innovation Is Tradition.




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1 thought on “‘Climategate’ undermined belief in global warming among many TV meteorologists, study shows”

  1. The Global Warming Conspiracy
    July 3, 1983

    The real reason for global warming is the earth’s orbit around the sun is slowly decaying, and the earth elliptical orbit around the sun is shrinking. People take the earth’s magnetic field for granted, because it’s invisible, and silent, but the earth’s magnetic field keeps the earth at a safe distance from the sun, and the moon. The high temperature in the earth’s core (the earth’s engine) generates earth’s magnetic, and gravitational fields. The earth’s fuel system is referred to as crude oil, and natural gas wells. They are actually self pressurizing fuel cells, and crude oil, and natural gas are the earth’s fuel. The oil company’s crude oil extraction process compromises the earth’s fuel system, and shut off fuel to the earth’s outer core, by releasing pressure out of these oil, and gas wells. Under normal conditions the outer core stays at a constant temperature between 5000 to 7000 degrees celsius, and the pressure in the outer core, lower mantle, and in oil wells stays at tens of thousands of pounds per square inch. The pressure in an oil well forces the oil, and natural gas into the outer core, and is ignited long before it reaches the outer core, and enters the lower mantle, and outer core as flames, heat, and pressure.

    The earth’s core is being fuel starved, and the core is slowly cooling. As the core cools the earth’s magnetic field will weakens, and the earth will be pulled closer to the sun. The high temperature in the earth’s core is not sustained by decaying nuclear material, or by a dynamo process. The radiation would escape during volcanic eruptions. No radiation has ever been detected during, or after a volcanic episode. Only crude oil, and natural gas by-products, such as the great pressures, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide gases, etc. The materials, and gases ejected from volcanoes originate from the lower mantle, and outer core region of the planet. Reference: Kenneth A. McGee, and Terrence M. Gerlach 1995/ Volcanic Gas: USGS Open files report -95-85, 2p.

    The only way to reverse global warming is for the oil companies to re-pressurize the earth’s fuel systems. One way this can be accomplished is by igniting the methane gas in the fuel system. The ignited gas will expand, and create the pressure need to force the remaining crude oil, and natural gas into the outer core, and it will take many decades to reheat the core to normal temperatures. Crude oil, and methane gas was not created to fuel our industries, or automobiles. It was created to fuel this planet. Crude oil is the life blood of this planet.

    Global warming has nothing to do with a hole in the ozone, Co2 gases, methane gases, black carbon, the green house effect, sun flares, or the sun going nova. Tens of thousands of scientist believe the green house gas theory is false, this should be a cause for an alarm. Something is going wrong with the earth’s orbit. The events below are not separate events they are all part of earth’s orbital decay. The events below were reported by NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center, NOAA, USGS, and the American Astronomical Society, etc.

    1. The earth is moving away from the moon.

    2. The rotation of the earth is slowing down.

    3. The earth is shifting on its axis.

    4. Twelve o’clock noon use to be the hot part of the day, now three o’clock is the hottest part of the day.

    5. The earth is wobbling on it axis.

    6. The earth is developing a breach in its magnetic field.

    7. Both polar ice caps are being melted, one at a time, during each polar ice cap’s summer season, and the oceans are rising.

    The sun is millions of times larger, than the earth. As the earth moves closer to the sun, its radiance will continue to spread, and began to warm areas of the planet that are in their winter season. Areas near the equator will be affected first. Areas near latitudes 29 degrees north, and south will experience higher, than normal temperatures during the winter, and it will began to get cold later in the season in these regions. These regions are where global warming should be monitored, first. The progression of the earth decaying orbit should be measured by the temperature in winter. The warmer, and/ or sunnier it gets the worse earth’s orbit is decaying, and the closer the earth is moving towards the sun. As the earth moves closer to the sun its irradiance will spread toward both hemisphere’s polar ice caps, starting from the equator, during the winter season. In the future there will be no more winters, because the sun’s irradiance will eventually spread, and covered both hemispheres simultaneously, while the hemisphere that’s in its summer season will experience extreme high temperatures. It’s December 16, 2010 the sun is over the southern hemisphere. Houston, Texas is in the northern hemisphere, and the winters days are getting sunnier, and warmer, and the cold weather is setting in later into the season. What is occurring in Houston, Texas will manifest in the rest of the world, in the future. Areas above latitude 29 degrees north, and south are now experiencing winter tornadoes, this is highly unusual. It should be too cold for the development of tornadoes, during the winter months. I have a few questions to ask of you green house gas theorists

    1. What does sunny, and/ or warm winter days have to do with green house gases? There shouldn’t be enough irradiance from the sun for any green house gases to trap, during the winter months.

    2. Why on a hot day is the sun irradiance higher, than the ambient temperature? The green house gas effect is suppose to causes the ambient temperature (the air around us) to be higher, than the sun irradiance, but if you stand under a shade tree the ambient temperature drops, move from under the shade tree into the sun’s irradiance the temperature rises. In an actual green house, or an automobile with the windows up the ambient temperature is higher, than the sun’s irradiance shining into the green house, or automobile.

    3. Why in the early 20th century, during the industrial revolution in America, and Europe, wasn’t there a recorded dramatic spike in temperature? The north east region of America was referred to as the rust belt. This region was heavily industrialized, and heavily saturated with Co2, and methane gases. There were high numbers of respiratory cases, and stick smog, but there was no dramatic increase in temperature in America, or Europe. In the early 20th century scientists believed the earth was headed toward another ice age due to the harsh winter weather. Global warming wasn’t an issue, until the latter part of the 20th century, in spite of all the air pollution in the early 20th century. Global warming should have been an issue in the early 20th century in the rust belt region. The regions with the highest green house gases levels should have the highest temperatures, but this is not the case. The areas of the country that produce the most green house gas emissions should have the highest temperature, but this is not the case. Only global green house gas levels, and global temperatures increases are presented. People that believe in the green house gas theory think the pollution has to be global in order for the temperature to rise. The industrial activity in the rust belt has ended, and green house gases has been dramatically reduced, but the temperature in this area have not increase, or decrease, why?.

    4. Television, radio, or news paper weather reports never mention the temperature of the sun’s irradiance. Generally the temperature of the sun’s irradiance is higher, than the ambient temperature, and the temperature of the ocean. Meteorologists, and green house gas theorist blame high pressure, low pressure, el-nino, the air flowing from the Gulf of Mexico for hot weather. They blame hot weather on everything, but the main cause, and that’s the increasing temperature of sun’s irradiance. Notice they don’t even try to differentiate between temperature of the sun’s irradiance, and the ambient temperature. They are also lying about the average/ normal temperature for winter. The average/ normal temperature for this region in winter is 40 to 50 degrees fahrenheit. They are saying 60 degrees fahrenheit is the average temperature, not 37 years ago. It’s the sun’s irradiance that heats the oceans, heat the surface of this planet, raises the ambient temperature, and it’s the sun’s irradiance that will be responsible for ending all life on this planet. They still treat the sun, and its irradiance as if it doesn’t exist, and the sun irradiance plays a major roll in our weather.

    5. The E.P.A was established in December 2, 1970 to address the worsening air pollution (green house emissions), and the high number of respiratory cases, due to the illegal dumping of harmful chemicals in the air, underground, and in water ways. These harmful chemical were released by chemical companies, refineries, smelting plants, and steel mills. The E.P.A wasn’t established to address global warming. Global warming wasn’t an issue, until the 1990’s, in spite of all the air pollution, before the 1970’s, why?

    6. Why is global warming predicted to worsen? Since the establishment of the EPA, the clean air act, and all the laws, and regulation pass by congress global warming in America should never be an issue. In spite of all the international clean air initiatives, and measures being taken global warming is still predicted to worsen, why?

    7. Why are the most polluted cities, and countries of the world don’t have the highest temperature in summer. Places such as China, and Los Angeles, California, and Houston, Texas, and several countries in Europe generates the most green house gases in the world. The areas of the planet with the highest temperatures are the lease industrialized, such as the deserts of northern Africa, and the Southwest region of United States. Arizona, New Mexico, the northeastern part of Texas, and the state of Nevada have the highest temperatures in summer, why?

    Mr. Willie McDonald
    [email protected]
    orbital-decay1.blogspot.com

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