Doesn't ANYONE Check Their Facts??

The Trib Editorial Board comes up short. Again.

From today's Trib:

New studies suggest that "global warming" -- no matter if its origins are proffered as man-made or part of a natural cycle -- might soon require a new name. Can you say "global stasis" or "global cooling"?

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee applied a math formula to climate data for the past 100 years. They found Earth's air and ocean systems now are showing signs of synchronizing with each other.

That might explain why the researchers found the warming trend of the past 30 years has stopped and that the planet's temperatures have leveled off since 2001.

That's the first half (or so) of one of today's editorials. Doncha think they should have checked around to see if what they're saying about this study actually says what they say it says?

The study by three mathematicians at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee applies some heavy duty chaos theory to the weather data. As far as I can tell, it's more or less completely beyond me.

But here's where the Trib dropped the ball. Take a look at this article from the ultra-left leaning CNSNews. Scroll down a bit and you can read this:

Tsonis, the co-author of the study -- which received national attention on Tuesday due to two large global warming rallies at the U.S. Capitol building -- told CNSNews.com that his work indicated that temperatures had flattened and slightly decreased since 2001 and that, due to natural cycles, temperature would continue to decrease for several decades.

“The temperature has flattened and is actually going down,” Tsonis told CNSNews.com. “We are seeing a new shift towards cooler temperatures that will last for probably about three decades.”

But Tsonis also said that neither he nor Swanson think their study undermines arguments for global warming caused by human activity.

“We are not saying there is not warming due to human activity,” Tsonis told CNSNews.com. ‘We are saying that there are natural shifts on top of that. But, for now, it looks like it is going to cool.” [emphasis added]

Ponder that for a moment before chewing on the next two paragraphs:

Tsonis said that currently the natural cycles, which occur in part because of the way oceans interact, are stronger than the influence human activity has on the environment. But when the earth begins to warm again in several decades, he said, the globe could be in trouble because natural warming and man-made warming will occur simultaneously

“At this point it [natural variation] at least balances, or may be stronger, than the human influence,” said Tsonis. “But if temperatures shift again as we believe they will, then warming will be dramatic. It will be natural warming on top of human warming.” [emphasis added]

Looks to me that what they're saying is that the planet has temperature cycles of ups and downs and that we're in one of those natural "downs". This "down" is strong enough to level off the "up" of man-made warming and that once the natural cycle shifts again to "up" things will get much much worse.

This was one of the studies used by The Trib to debunk Global Climate Change.

QUICK UPDATE: I think I found the source of the above editorial. The Tizona Group. Take a look at what they posted 4 days ago on March 17:

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has just released a new study into global warming/climate change noting that temperatures have cooled off since 2001 and that the last 100 years of climate change has been natural.

This is on top of PhD student, Ryan N. Maue, of the Department of Meteorology at Florida State University, confirming that hurricane activity is at its lowest in 30 years.

I guess it could be a coincidence - the same info found in the same order a few days prior to publication - so let's just give the folks at DickieCougarMellonScaife's editorial board the benefit of the doubt. It would be nice to know, though, whether they actually research the topics they write about (beyond checking in on sympathetic blogs, of course)