[cogitator]

Two decades is not three decades, i.e. thirty years, the time period described by Bethell. Prior to the 1998 El Nino, the trend was low (but Spencer and Christy had to make some fixes to the data due to errors discovered by others). Combined, warming trends emerged in their analysis and analyses performed by other research groups, and these trends are continuing. They are congruent with surface warming.

Bethell made a typical error of someone writing to make rhetorical points and not really interested in the accuracy of his scientific interpretations.

[astyanax]

If the first two decades show no warming, how does El Nino justify 3 decades of +.13degC/decade?
Fixes in data and analysis?
Isn’t that how they got into trouble in the first place?
I’ll stick with the raw data.

[astyanax]

And to be perfectly clear, I’m not concerned with our planet warming (or cooling.)
It has done both for billions of years.
My issue is with people claiming that the cause can be attributed to man (of which there is ZERO evidence) and using that claim to push their agenda.