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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: maceng2 who wrote (701041)	9/9/2005 5:26:27 PM
From: Thomas A Watson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

If you feel you have a basic understanding of science, could you explain why you stated measuring temperature was difficult. All number of data has been posted on sea levels. If you have questions on anything, I'd suggest you post specifics and then explain what confuses you. Do you understand why Microwave radiation is very good for accurate sensing or quantitative measurement of temperature. 1 over lambda cubed. The global average temperature exists as a theoretical concept. If we were able to place a large number of sensors around the world at regular spacings, we would be able to establish a meaningful estimate of the instantaneous average, which could then in turn be averaged over a year to produce a number that is a reasonable representation of the thermal state of the surface of the planet. Unfortunately, such a ground station network does not exist. Not only are the existing sensors poorly distributed, many are placed in thermally atypical sites such as cities and airports, others are in primitive rural areas where they are poorly maintained. Ironically though, it is over the oceans that the most discrepant surface measurements occur. Thus surface weather stations provide a very poor basis for determining average global temperature. Fortunately there is an alternative, which is satellite surveillance. Microwave radiation from oxygen in the atmosphere is temperature dependent and therefore provides a convenient remote thermometer. Because the satellite orbit is continuously scanning the Earth’s surface like a television raster, it is equivalent to a very large number of well-distributed thermometers. As a result it produces a credible estimate of a global average temperature. The results cross calibrate well with data collected by balloons. numberwatch.co.uk