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===Scientific work===
===Scientific work===
Connolley has worked on confronting the notion that "all scientists were predicting an ice age in the 1970s" (known as [[global cooling]]).<ref>[http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=94 The global cooling myth]</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Was an imminent Ice Age predicted in the '70's? No|author=William M. Connolley|url=http://www.wmconnolley.org.uk/sci/iceage/|accessdate=2007-12-16|year=2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Peterson|first=Thomas C.|coauthors=William M. Connolley, and John Fleck|title=The Myth of the 1970s Global Cooling Scientific Consensus|journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society|volume=89|issue=9|pages=1325–1337|url=http://ams.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1175%2F2008BAMS2370.1|doi=10.1175/2008BAMS2370.1|year=2008}}</ref> He authored extensive literature reviews, concluding that a majority of scientific papers in the 1970s actually predicted warming, not cooling.
Connolley authored articles and literature reviews concluding that a majority of scientific papers in the 1970s actually predicted warming, not [[global cooling]].<ref>[http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=94 The global cooling myth]</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Was an imminent Ice Age predicted in the '70's? No|author=William M. Connolley|url=http://www.wmconnolley.org.uk/sci/iceage/|accessdate=2007-12-16|year=2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Peterson|first=Thomas C.|coauthors=William M. Connolley, and John Fleck|title=The Myth of the 1970s Global Cooling Scientific Consensus|journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society|volume=89|issue=9|pages=1325–1337|url=http://ams.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1175%2F2008BAMS2370.1|doi=10.1175/2008BAMS2370.1|year=2008}}</ref> His main research work focused on [[sea ice]] measurement and modelling, and [[global climate model]]s (GCM) such as [[HadCM3]]. Since direct observations of Antarctic sea ice are sparse, satellite [[SSMI|Special Sensor Microwave/Imager]] (SSMI) based observations are used instead. Inconsistency in sea ice predictions from the various GCM [[algorithm]]s in use makes verification of GCM output difficult. Connolley has worked on the validation of SSMI data against more direct [[upward looking sonar]] observations in the [[Weddell Sea]] area. His results indicated that Bootstrap data produced a better fit than data produced by [[NASA]], prompting the conclusion that GCM predictions are more realistic than previously thought.<ref>[http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/wmc/papers/ULS-grl-2005.pdf Connolley, William M. "Sea ice concentrations in the Weddell Sea: A comparison of SSM/I, ULS, and GCM data", ''Geophysical Research Letters'', VOL. 32, 2 April, 2005]</ref>

Connolley's main research work focused on [[sea ice]] measurement and modelling, and [[global climate model]]s (GCM) such as [[HadCM3]]. Since direct observations of Antarctic sea ice are sparse, satellite [[SSMI|Special Sensor Microwave/Imager]] (SSMI) based observations are used instead. Inconsistency in sea ice predictions from the various GCM [[algorithm]]s in use makes verification of GCM output difficult. Connolley has worked on the validation of SSMI data against more direct [[upward looking sonar]] observations in the [[Weddell Sea]] area. His results indicated that Bootstrap data produced a better fit than data produced by [[NASA]], prompting the conclusion that GCM predictions are more realistic than previously thought.<ref>[http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/wmc/papers/ULS-grl-2005.pdf Connolley, William M. "Sea ice concentrations in the Weddell Sea: A comparison of SSM/I, ULS, and GCM data", ''Geophysical Research Letters'', VOL. 32, 2 April, 2005]</ref>


===Wikipedia activity===
===Wikipedia activity===

Revision as of 16:23, 29 December 2009

2000/06 near Lescun

William Michael Connolley (born April 12, 1964) is a software engineer in Cambridge, England. Connolley was, until December 2007, Senior Scientific Officer in the Physical Sciences Division in the Antarctic Climate and the Earth System project at the British Antarctic Survey, where he worked as a climate modeller.

Biography

Connolley holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Oxford for his work on numerical analysis.[1] Connolley has authored and co-authored many articles in the field of climatological research.

Connolley served as a parish councillor in the village of Coton (near Cambridge, England) until May 2007.[2] He stood as a Green Party candidate for either South Cambridgeshire District Council or Cambridgeshire County Council every year from 2001 to 2005.[3]

Scientific work

Connolley authored articles and literature reviews concluding that a majority of scientific papers in the 1970s actually predicted warming, not global cooling.[4][5][6] His main research work focused on sea ice measurement and modelling, and global climate models (GCM) such as HadCM3. Since direct observations of Antarctic sea ice are sparse, satellite Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSMI) based observations are used instead. Inconsistency in sea ice predictions from the various GCM algorithms in use makes verification of GCM output difficult. Connolley has worked on the validation of SSMI data against more direct upward looking sonar observations in the Weddell Sea area. His results indicated that Bootstrap data produced a better fit than data produced by NASA, prompting the conclusion that GCM predictions are more realistic than previously thought.[7]

Wikipedia activity

In 2005, an article in the scientific journal Nature compared the reliability of Wikipedia and the Encyclopedia Britannica. It discussed Connolley as an example of an expert who regularly contributes to Wikipedia.[8]

A July 2006 article in The New Yorker reported that Connolley briefly became "a victim of an edit war over the entry on global warming", in which a skeptic repeatedly "watered down" the article's explanation of the greenhouse effect.[9] The skeptic later brought the case before Wikipedia's arbitration committee, claiming that Connolley was pushing his own point of view in the article by removing material with opposing viewpoints. The arbitration committee imposed a "humiliating one-revert-a-day" editing restriction on Connolley. Wikipedia "gives no privilege to those who know what they’re talking about", Connolley told The New Yorker.[9] The restriction was later revoked, and Connolley went on to serve as a Wikipedia administrator from January 2006[9] until the Wikipedia Arbitration Committee revoked his administrator status on 13 September 2009.[10]

An October 2006 article in Nature contrasted the Citizendium online encyclopedia project, which makes a point of recruiting experts from academia, with Wikipedia. It quoted Connolley as saying that "some scientists have become frustrated with Wikipedia", but that "conflict can sometimes result in better articles".[11]

Publications

  • W. M. Connolley and S. A. Harangozo, A comparison of five numerical weather prediction analysis climatologies in southern high latitudes, J. Climate, v14, 1 January 2001, pp 30–44.
  • Turner, J, W Connolley, D Cresswell and S A Harangozo (2001). The simulation of Antarctic sea ice in the Hadley Centre climate model (HadCM3). Ann. Glaciol., 33, 585-591.
  • Vaughan, D.G., G.J. Marshall, W.M. Connolley, J.C. King and R. Mulvaney. 2001. Climate change - devil in the detail. Science, 293, 1777-1779. Abstract: 7 September 2001
  • Tom A. Lachlan-Cope, William M. Connolley, and John Turner, The Role of the Non-Axisymmetric Antarctic Orography in Forcing the Observed Pattern of Variability of the Antarctic Climate, Geophysical Research Letters, 2001, v28 no 21, pp 4111–4114.
  • Connolley, W. M., 2002, Long-term variation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave, Connolley, W. M., doi:10.1029/2000JC000380, JGR 108(C4)
  • J. Turner, S. A. Harangozo, J. C. King, W. Connolley, T. Lachlan-Cope, and G. J. Marshall. 2003. An exceptional winter sea ice retreat/advance in the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica. Atmos. Ocean 41 (2) 2003, 171-185.
  • D. G. Vaughan, G. J. Marshall, W. M. Connolley, C. L. Parkinson, R. Mulvaney, D. A. Hodgson, J. C. King, C. J. Pudsey, and J. Turner. Recent rapid regional climate warming on the Antarctic Peninsula. Climatic Change, 60 (3): 243-274 October 2003
  • Translation of Fourier 1827: MEMOIRE sur les temperatures du globe terrestre et des espaces planetaires [1]
  • Connolley, W.M., J.M. Gregory, E. Hunke and A.J. Mclaren (2004), On The Consistent Scaling Of Terms In The Sea - Ice Dynamics Equation, J . Phys . Oceangr. 34 (7): 1776-1780 July 2004
  • Marshall, G.J., P.A. Stott, J. Turner, W.M. Connolley, J.C. King and T.A. Lachlancope (2004), Causes Of Exceptional Atmospheric Circulation Changes In The Southern Hemisphere, Geophys. Res. Lett. 31(14): Art . No. L14205 July 30, 2004
  • J. C. King, J. Turner, G. J. Marshall, W. M. Connolley, and T. A. Lachlan-Cope. Antarctic Peninsula climate variability and its causes as revealed by instrumental records. Antarctic Research Series v79, pp17–30.
  • Connolley, W. M. Sea ice concentrations in the Weddell Sea: A comparison of SSM/I, ULS, and GCM data. GRL 32 (7): art. no. L07501 2 April 2005; see also Sea ice: What I do in my spare time for a popular exposition

Notes

  1. ^ W.M. Connolley, Preconditioning of iterative methods for linearised or linear systems (diss. Oxford, 1989).
  2. ^ Internet Archive copy of Coton Parish Website
  3. ^ The Green Party South Cambs
  4. ^ The global cooling myth
  5. ^ William M. Connolley (2005). "Was an imminent Ice Age predicted in the '70's? No". Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  6. ^ Peterson, Thomas C. (2008). "The Myth of the 1970s Global Cooling Scientific Consensus". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 89 (9): 1325–1337. doi:10.1175/2008BAMS2370.1. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Connolley, William M. "Sea ice concentrations in the Weddell Sea: A comparison of SSM/I, ULS, and GCM data", Geophysical Research Letters, VOL. 32, 2 April, 2005
  8. ^ Giles, Jim (December 15, 2005). "Internet Encyclopaedias Go Head to Head". Nature. 438 (7070): 900–01. doi:10.1038/438900a. PMID 16355180.
  9. ^ a b c Schiff, Stacy (July 31, 2006). "Know It All: Can Wikipedia Conquer Expertise?". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  10. ^ "Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Case/Abd-William M. Connolley". Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  11. ^ Giles, Jim (October 5, 2006). "Wikipedia Rival Calls in the Experts". Nature. 443 (7111): 493. doi:10.1038/443493a. PMID 17024058.