science
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What’s a zettajoule?
The joule is the unit of energy. One zettajoule (ZJ) is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Joules. One times ten to the power of twenty one Joules. One followed by twenty one zeroes Joules. I will tell you now; it represents a lot of energy. You might wonder under what circumstances a zettajoule might be a useful unit of… Continue reading
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From noise, all this
A new paper has appeared on arXiv: Generative deep learning improves reconstruction of global historical climate records. It uses, as you might guess from the title, generative deep learning to reconstruct global historical climate records. It does temperature and precipitation, but I’m largely interested in temperature. This is a good thing to try because This… Continue reading
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It looks like you’re writing an IPCC assessment report?
The climate science literature is big and getting bigger. Data volumes are increasing. Assessment reports like the IPCC assessment reports, which synthesise that literature, are also big and getting bigger. The scope of it all is sprawling. Honestly, what is one to do? These days in such a situation, one’s thoughts turn inevitably to AI… Continue reading
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Peering into the future
In films, the hero/genius issues commands to a disembodied computer voice which then effortlessly manufactures a pair of rocket boots. Donning the boots, the hero – without practice – ascends to the heavens on twin pillars of fire, defeats the baddies and saves the day. In reality, we’re not quite there yet. The rocket boots… Continue reading
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Look at it this way
I saw an interesting discussion about this graph from the BBC on bluesky. I don’t like the graph for a few reasons. The first is that it uses two different elements to show the same thing: the bar height and the colour of the bar both indicate the temperature. The variation in colour doesn’t add… Continue reading
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Quelle annee
Another year of blogging without any particular aim or purpose, amounting to 72 posts that amassed 20,000 views from over 10,000 visitors… and 147 likes. How many of those views were people and how many were from indifferent token counting machines, I will never know. Once again, the traffic was attracted primarily by a few… Continue reading
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A tower of babble
Ahead of COP – the annual UNFCCC climate conference rather than any of the other COPs – multiple reports vie for our attention. I’ve lost count, but in the past few days I’ve seen: There are others no doubt that I have missed or forgotten and there will be more. One can’t move this time… Continue reading
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D and A and I and H
Detection and attribution is back in the news for all the wrong reasons. Pielke Junior is once again pushing the line that anyone wanting to say anything about extreme weather has to prove all over again that climate change is happening. There are tedious arguments about emergence and detection and attribution and what exactly they… Continue reading
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Open Ocean #11
Playing whack-amole with some interesting artefacts in the data and interpolation. Continue reading
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Open Ocean #10
In which I attempt maths and experience regret. Continue reading
Diagram Monkey 