Is this a "Er, does the weatherman evah look out his windows before saying that the weather actually is" moment? - Granite Grok

Is this a “Er, does the weatherman evah look out his windows before saying that the weather actually is” moment?

Oh dear, what are the gloom and doomers gonna do now?  Empirical data is just such a pain….it’s just not melting!

According to a statement from the American Geophysical Union, announcing the new research:

It turns out that past studies, which were based on computer models without any direct data for comparison or guidance, overestimate the water temperatures and extent of melting beneath the Fimbul Ice Shelf. This has led to the misconception, Hattermann said, that the ice shelf is losing mass at a faster rate than it is gaining mass, leading to an overall loss of mass.

The team’s results show that water temperatures are far lower than computer models predicted

Got that (if you read the article)?  TWENTY YEARS and nobody thought of actually measuring what was really there; tThis was some pinhead’s idea of great science – pull some data together, mix in some code, and forget to “stick your head out the window” order magnitude gut check.  Look, computers are great, putting data together is great, and doing simulations are fun in changing a variable and see what the effects are.  Problem is, the real world is not a SimCity where a reset button can be done for a redo.

Simulations are of no use if they don’t meet actual empirical data.  It’s a shame that the climate scientists that have been proclaiming “hot oven!” for years didn’t decide to, you know, actually measure it earlier before deciding that the only remedy is for all of us to progress backwards.

BTW, what does this do to the hallowed “the consensus is that this is settled science”?

(H/T: The Register)

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