This short and very readable paper from science writer and researcher Jonathan Drake got an airing on ‘The Air Vent’ recently. I’m reposting it here for further discussion. Satellites are tricky things to manage, and changes in their orbit affect the data they return. Calibration is a thorny issue for all spaceborne instrumentation, be it sensing ice, TSI or sea level.
Could Instrumentation Drift Account for Arctic Sea Ice Decline?
Jonathan Drake
One of the key datasets used as evidence of anthropogenic global warming is the apparent
decline in Arctic sea ice. Such weight is given to it that most scientists accept it
unquestioningly and as such it has been used in numerous climate analyses and models. But
might there be a problem with it? There was no significant trend in Arctic sea ice extent until
the satellite era. Comparison of historic records and satellite measurements, and between
satellite platforms with decaying orbits (Nimbus-7 SMMR and DMSP SSM/I ) and a constant
orbit system (AQUA AMSR-E), suggests there could be evidence of a long term drift in
Arctic sea ice data obtained from SMMR & SSM/I. An estimate of the drift referenced to the
AMSR-E system suggests the drift is enough to account for the apparent decline in Arctic sea
ice over the satellite period. The possibility has been raised that inadequate correction has
been applied to the temperature brightness data to account for orbital decay.
1/11 Could Instrumentation Drift Account for Arctic Sea Ice Decline?
Could Instrumentation Drift Account for Arctic Sea Ice Decline?
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