Posted on 07/28/2011 11:00:44 AM PDT by dennisw
The federal wildlife biologist whose research on drowning polar bears became a rallying cry for global warming advocates is under investigation for “integrity issues” relating to his scientific studies.
Charles Monnett, a scientist with the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) was placed on administrative leave by the agency on July 18, pending an investigation by the Department of the Interior’s Inspector General office.
In 2006, After observing a number of drowned polar bears while doing field work, Monnett and a colleague published a peer-reviewed article suggesting that “drowning-related deaths of polar bears may increase in the future if the observed trend of regression of pack ice and/or longer open water periods continues.”
The article never explicitly tied polar bear deaths to global warming, but it was nevertheless picked up by environmentalists — and even made its way into Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth.”
Although no details have been released regarding the investigation, Monnett was interviewed in February by agents from the office of the Inspector General regarding “potential scientific misconduct.” The interview focused specifically on Monnett’s 2004 work that led to the famous article.
BOEMRE declined to comment specifically on the investigation.
“All of the scientific contracts previously managed by Mr. Monnett are being managed by the highly qualified scientists at BOEMRE,” said BOEMRE spokesperson Melissa Schwartz. “Any allegations regarding scientific integrity would be addressed through the Department’s new scientific integrity policy. The investigation is being handled by the department’s Office of the Inspector General.”
The Office of the Inspector General also declined to comment, as it is an ongoing investigation. (RELATED: EPA stimulating environmental regulations abroad)
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, an environmental advocacy group, called the investigation a “witch hunt” and filed a complaint with the Department of the Interior today.
The complaint demands Monnett receive an official apology and be reinstated. According to PEER, investigators have seized Monnett’s computers, papers and equipment. While on leave, he is not allowed to continue his scientific work or enter his office.
“Ever since this paper was published, Dr. Monnett has been subjected to escalating official harassment, culminating in his recent virtual house arrest,” said PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. “This is a cautionary tale with a deeply chilling message for any federal scientist who dares to publish groundbreaking research on conditions in the Arctic.”
James Taylor, a senior fellow for environment policy at the Heartland Institute, had a different take.
“Without knowing the specifics of the evidence for or against Monnett, I will say that government-funded scientists should be able to and indeed required to provide supporting evidence for their claims,” Taylor said. “If Monnett did nothing wrong, an inquiry into his work will enhance his reputation and his claims. If he did poor research or engaged in misconduct, then the public certainly has a right to know that, too.”
“Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, an environmental advocacy group......”
We pay taxes to pay these parasites to destroy our economy via the EPA and other out_of_control Federale agencies
A climate change pusher being dishonest?
So...unexpected.
Have these climate change pushers never heard of “survivial of the fittest’? Don’t they know that animals learn to adapt to their environments? What a bunch of jackaloons!
I am driving my car. I have the air conditioner on to cool the inside of my car. Bugs are crashing into my car’s windshield. They must be seeking the cool air inside my car. Global warming is causing bugs to crash into car windshields! Where’s my grant?
Oh, Mr. Monnett was not touted as a highly qualified scientist before this. "I promise, promise, promise, promise, double promise, I won't take the football away when you try to kick it Charlie Brown"
Oh sorry...I lied.
Believe it was a wsj article quoted old timers along Hudson Bay being annoyed at “scientists” who show up for the first time and declare polar bears are thinner, etc due to GW. The polar bears are same as always, they don’t eat for long periods in the Summer and are naturally thin then, etc.
b
HELLO???? There was a HUGE, STINKING, WHALE carcass. That is why the bears were there. They have like the best sense of smell of all animals. Bears tolerate other bears when there is plenty of food to go around.
Sniff, sniff, UMMMM STEAK! Let's GO!
The OBVIOUS can't be the answer. NOOOO, It MUST be glo-bull warming.
I’m surprised too that a “environmentalist” would be soooo dishonest about global warm...er, I mean...climate change...whatever.
the whale died because of Globull Warming..................
Pinch me.
What on Earth could be going on, that a gummint scientist is actually facing discipline for (apparently) manipulating data in service to the sacred cause of Global Warming under our current hard-left administration? Even while NASA’s egregious Dr. Charles Hansen continues to prance and caper on the world stage at our expense seemingly without a care in the world?
Did some Congresscritter threaten this “BOEMRE”s budget? And just how long has this “Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement” been in existence anyway?
I flipped through the current National Geographic just yesterday and there was a prominent article on the drowning polar bears, asserting that the summer Arctic icepack has been shrinking year-to-year.
Interesting, as from what I have seen, the articles on a polar bear holocaust always set their dire predictions at least several years in the future. Always in the future. The white bruins never seem to show any signs of dying off in the here-and-now.
To Williams: Yeah, I’ve read a couple of books about polar bears and it always seems that most trendy researchers are content to do all their work out of the comparatively comfortable, well-appointed environs of Churchill, Manitoba. The bears of Hudson’s Bay face a unique set of circumstances, what with them being stranded on shore with little to eat during the summer months. Elsewhere in the circumpolar Arctic, summertime conditions are completely different. For instance, the bears of Siberia’s Wrangel Island spend a grand old time during summer, grabbing walrus calves and feasting on the odd dead whale. The bears of Spitsbergen, East Greenland, King William Island or Novaya Zemlya all have differing circumstances and lifestyles. Further out in the Arctic Ocean, there may be bears that never set foot on dry land in their entire lives.
There are books waiting to be written on how hideously the natural sciences have been corrupted over the past quarter-century by the climate change inquisition. Based on my own observances, even the Grand Old Man of polar bear studies—Dr. Ian Sterling—felt compelled for a few years to genuflect before that altar, before finally getting fed up with it. Since he formally retired, and no longer has to kow-tow, brown-nose, and grub for grant money, he’s changed his tune with a vengeance.
Here’s what the watermelons tried to do to Americans:
http://vidcall.com/index.php/videos/show/2090/#chooseVidcallMailWin-coming-soon
His report couldn’t bear further scrutiny.
You are a real fan of those arctic monsters. I have nothing against them except they are used for dishonest global warming propaganda
I am in awe of all of God’s Creation except noxious insects like mosquito
So that’s what this Monnett guy’s conclusions are drawn from. The sumbitch is a whale researcher who saw four drowned polar bears who got caught swimming when a storm blew up.
My scientific conclusion? Being a polar bear is tough. Even polar bears can drown.
Where’s my Nobel?
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