So, it's come this far

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/12/13/scientists-are-frantically-copying-u-s-climate-data-fearing-it-might-vanish-under-trump/?tid=pm_business_pop&utm_term=.db7b92f168b1

That scientists feel the need to backup vital data offsite, out of the reach of the public administration is in itself a pretty damned scary thing. That honest, publicly employed scientists don’t trust their employer (us, the state, the government) to safeguard vital data, should be freaking everybody out.

I’m afraid this isn’t even going to register in the public mind.

Maybe this should not have been publicized?

Why in hell not? It’s important!

I still cannot understand why the Press are sitting around like lapdogs when there’s a bounteous scandal harvest to be brought in!

LOL, at not publicizing the public data that they’re publicly copying for the expressed intent of keeping it publicly published.

Sound advice in any case. If your business is to examine possible catastrophic changes in the weather, having another copy of the data off-site (preferably halfway across the country) is a really good idea.

As the USA continues its transformation into a Third World country - businesses are not regulated by law, they’re making deals with the President (elect).
Our President (elect) and Vladimir Putin have a mutual admiration society, and the President (elect) is suggesting that our NATO allies can fend for themselves.
Japan and S. Korea?
If China wants 'em, how much are they willing to pay for Us protection?

Charming: the USA is now running a “Protection Racket” with geopolitical stability in play.
The Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) can fend for themselves. Ukraine is toast to the New! Improved! Russian Empire!

I’ll be dead soon; I sympathize with those young and healthy - you will inherit the disasters in the making.

I was thinking it might be better to get the job finished before saying anything. Maybe buy some time if it’s not done before Trump is inaugurated.

It might not have occurred to Trump’s Cast of Idiots that anyone would have done this.

What freaks me out is that scientists are so consumed by paranoia as to think that what they fear actually might happen!

I mean, WTF???

It’s obvious! THEY’RE IN ON IT! :smiley:

:rolleyes: The left obviously has its own Cast of Idiots.

Uust for the record, I will observe that this news was on CBC this morning. Doubtless because of the Toronto connection, but it is not being kept secret. I think it might be best if the archives were kept outside the US. Color me paranoid. Trump might accuse the downloaders of theft and insist they destroy these archives.

Why should it? Can you say Chicken Little?

I can see it now; the climate change deniers will claim the data was mucked with, either before or after it was copied.

They already claim that.

Well, climate scientist pretty openly admit that they adjust the raw data. So I would hope those engaging in this off site backup are copying raw data as well as adjusted data.

I am a scientist, albeit not a climatologist, and I also regularly “adjust” my raw data. I always explain what I did when I present or publish. I also always keep the raw data as well as the code that does the adjustment and the notes that justifies it. There is nothing unusual or shady here.

Maybe they were feeling nervous after Trump’s transition team requested a list of all the people that worked on climate science.

I understand the need to adjust data. But do hope raw data is saved.

There were some spotty issues of climate scientists refusing to release raw data that was subject to Freedom of Information requests. And that caused something of a stir. If raw data is not preserved I can only imagine what critics would say.

IMHO better science communication, including an explanation of how data adjustments are carried out, is vital. Saying “I’m a scientist. Trust me.” is not enough.

You just saw how that is ignored by a lazy populous. Trump will just tweet: “Altered data! Fraud! Don’t believe!” and the dogs start salivating.

I’d not heard about that. Could you point me to it? Thanks.

Unfortunately some random grad student jackass will use a version of PKzip to store the data that nobody can unzip 50 years from now…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/powerpost/wp/2016/12/13/energy-dept-rejects-trumps-request-to-name-climate-change-workers-who-remain-worried/