The “DMIGate” Dodo is Pushing up the Daisies

Our title this morning is but a brief extract from a conversation I started on Judith Curry’s “Climate Etc.” blog about (believe it or not!) the effects of large wind driven swells on the “Marginal Ice Zone” of sea ice in the Arctic:

2016-02-25_1159-Judy

Whilst “skeptics” like Pethewin keep on flogging that particular “dead parrot” the DMI have just published an explanation of the erroneously high readings on their now deceased 30% concentration threshold Arctic sea ice extent metric. Here’s an extract, together with a pretty picture for the benefit of those amongst we Cryospheric commenters who are hard of understanding:

The apparent elevated sea ice extent in the data from the old extent algorithm was an artifact, caused by a new and higher resolution coast mask.

Surely that’s easy enough for even the dumbest of all the armchair Arctic analysts scattered across the internet to comprehend?

Going into more detail, the DMI article explains that:

Most of our sea ice extent followers know that the old plot includes a coastal mask, inside which sea ice was is accounted for. In summer 2015 this mask was refined and the masked region was subsequently smaller, thus leaving more area for classified sea ice and open water. The difference in masked area, before and after summer 2015, is approximately 1.4 million km2. This corresponds to difference of the blue coast lines in figure 2, showing the old and new coastal masks in the left and right panels, respectively. The difference may be difficult to detect on the figure, but the area is quite significant. The increasing sea ice extent that is caused by the new coast mask is not great during summer, because sea ice has a relative short line of contact with land during summer. But the new and finer coast mask will result in increasingly more sea ice, compared to previous years during winter, as the coast line with sea ice contact is increasing. This is the reason for an increasing sea ice extent during current freeze-up period, relative to previous winters. A comparison of the 2015/2016 sea ice extent with previous years does therefore not make sense.

Note how the dark blue “coastal mask” in the left hand image from February 22nd 2015 is thicker than the one in the right hand image from the same date this year. DMI conclude with this apology:

Because of the deprecated status of the old plot in the past year, DMI has not been monitoring these irregularities. The old plot should, of cause, have been removed when the mask was replaced. DMI apologizes for the confusion and inconvenience this has caused.

Somehow I doubt that the assorted “skeptics” that have recently been making massive mountains out of this minor molehill will apologise for all “the confusion and inconvenience this has caused”. Causing confusion and inconvenience was probably the general idea.

14 thoughts on “The “DMIGate” Dodo is Pushing up the Daisies

  1. I was going to inform willard/ tony about this but it appears that this unfortunate chap is no longer allowed to post at Willard Watt’s weird pseudo-science blog. That’s what I get for having friennds like Neven A. and Jim H..

  2. The link I posted has recieved 7 clicks so far but a grand total of zero replies. I read that thread at JC’s and was reminded why I haven’t been there in almost 4 years.

    As bad as the level of discourse was four years ago, this thread makes the old days seem civil and enlightened. Doesn’t J.C. realize maroons [ http://bit.ly/1Qgflr8 ] like angech, pethefin and the putz called clutz arguing their nonsensical gibberish on her blog dimishes her already tarnished stature in the science community?

  3. Watt’s flushed all my comments and all comments that referred to them down the memory hole, so much for that pseudo-science echo chamber being anything more than the North Korea of the blogosphere.

    1. Now that really is below the belt Lawrence,

      Even the part where my old sparring partner “Bit Chilly” explained to Anthony that “Jim Hunt is a nice man” has been flushed down the memory hole too!

      Some extensive searching through the archives is now called for!

  4. http://bit.ly/1oEtSSS

    Witless willard watts had a sleepless night and posted at Dr Curry’s at 330 am pst.
    He has a wee little problem, he is lying through his teeth and he knows I can prove all my accusations towards him and his pseudo-science blog and that he has zero chance to document the lies he told at Judith’s this morning.
    I used to call Watt’s a science fiction writer but Peter Gleick pointed out me that calling willard’s wacky website science fiction was slanderous to science fiction writers.
    I am glad that I have only lurked at ASIB and the Ice forum, because watts most likely used my participation as an excuse to ban Neven. Willard never ever misses the oportunity to play the victim card, the witless wonder is quite the drama queen.

    1. Watt’s more my friendly exchange with Chilly reproduced above has recently “disappeared” from Dr. Curry’s blog after I foolishly asked her to:

      Explain to me in what way it is “abusive”, or “off topic”, or “disruptive” or “in violation of WUWT site comment policy”?

  5. More bad news, both my comments directed towards Willard Watts were removed at Curry’s blog, I imagine The weather reader must have read her the riot act. It is incredible the lengths watts will go to protect his man-crush, the discount viscount, chris monckton.

    Would you mind my posting the comment here that was the link posted this morning at ASIB?

    It has been a day and Willard A Watts is conspicuous by his absence, the ex radio weather reader completely lacks the intellectual skills and testicular fortitude to return and attempt to defend the indefensible. He got caught telling lies here, so the college drop out dropped out of this conversation. As per his modus operandi, the intellectual lightweight bans his adversary, tells more lies and then plays the victim card, Wait a week and Willard will have another gish gallop post from the discount viscount and the circle is squared, nothing ever changes at the web’s largest pseudi-science blog.

    Have you seen the Hadfield videos demolishing Monckton? Viewing them makes it painfully obvious the reason the cowardly Monckton turned tail and ran away like a scalded cat. They were well researched, completely factual and delivered with wit and style, which left Chris with absolutely no defensive stategy other than to run away and claim victory.
    It is pathetic that in this day and age that three stooges like heller, monckton and watts can get away with their Orwellian disinformation campaigns.

    Can you imagine a debate against Watts, Heller and Monckton? Comedy Central would be the prefect host. Of course there is no way one could ever get those cowards to agree to a debate, but I bet there is some great comedy material there just by making the challenge. Maybe if we asked nicely, we could get Reggie to return and have some fun at the science deniers’ expense. Rumour has it that his death was greatly exagerated and it must be true because I read it at tony heller’s blog

    Reggie Lives! | Real Science
    http://bit.ly/1QmwtIq

    It is her blog and I am sure she was pressured to remove those comments by willards, so I am not going to complain about it. That said, I am not sure Reggie will be quite so magnamous regarding the protection of Monckton, it is a good thing he isnt scheduled to return until late March.

    [Reformatted – Mod]

    1. You’ve evidently been using rather fruitier language than me Lawrence! Perhaps you are deemed to have violated the Climate Etc.”Blog Rules” #1 and/or #2?

      That still doesn’t explain why, by way of just one example, my thank you note to Chilly (see above) has been disappeared. It also doesn’t explain how Mr. Watts’ baseless attack on the two of us is still visible. An obvious violation of rule 2 if you ask me! Hence Anthony has today been inducted into the 2016 “New Einstein” Hall of Fame:

      None of that explains why this comment of mine is no longer visible either, does it?

      2016-02-27_0839-Judy

  6. I agree that my comment my have crossed that threshold and have already sent an apology to the proprietor of the blog. My motive was to rattle the bars on Willards cage and to create the necessary envoirment for Reggies eventual return.
    I spent an interesting day visiting my family home on the shores of the almost great Lake Saint Clair which is between Lake Erie and Lake Huron. There is almost no ice on that shallow body of water despite it being the middle of winter here in the Great White North.
    On a brighter note, the farms now contain windmills as far as the eyes can see and the local farmers are reaping an incredible economic “windfall” which will enable them to stay on the farms, which until recently have been disappearing at an alarming rate. Tomorrow forecast calls for temps above 10C and this winter has been limited to a couple brief periods of seasonal weather sandwiched between anomolously warm temps
    I am going to predict it is going to prove difficult finding Watts to give him the einstein award if he is the eventual winner. “Where’s Willard” may be a fun twitter meme if that is the eventual outcome.

  7. It appears that Reggie was busy this morning and posted down-under at Sou”s the sorrid details of DMIgate. Meanwhile reality has brought more bad news for Willard and his minions? I wonder how Willard is going to spin the “bad news from UAH and Spenser?

    HotWhopper: Record lower troposphere temperatures are feeling El Niño

    http://bit.ly/21CAymt

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