Austin TX grid cell

Austin TX Grid Cell
30 - 35 degrees north, 95 - 100 degrees west

The first graph shows the Jones 1994 station data, note that the 1991 CRU version used only Abilene and Mangum.
Yep, in the data rich USA the combined brains of CRU could only find Abilene TX and Mangum OK. Look at the USA West image on the linked Earthlights page below to see the many stations ignored by CRU and Jones.

When time came for the 1994 update by Professor Jones, all he can find to improve the representation of regional climate for this grid cell is to add in three rapidly growing UHI affected airport records, Austin, Waco and Dallas.
The Mangum OK record that is so riddled with data gaps as to be not worth the proverbial "..bucket of warm spit", is left there contributing a one degree per 90 years non-climatic warming trend. CRU say of Mangum OK, that it is "Reliable back to first reliable year.", a statement of sublime scientific gobbledygook. Mangum minus Abilene gives some idea of the standard of quality control in the CRU 1991 / Jones 1994 data selection, data processing. We just hope that the Mangum observer enjoyed the many long vacations away from the weather instruments. It is also obvious that time may have been spent at Mangum in moving the instruments from place to place. If any reader has historical insights into the Mangum OK weather recording, please get in touch.

Although Prof. Jones can only find Austin, Waco and Dallas, a quick search on the NASA / GISS website reveals many Texas and Oklahoma rural records (see USA West image on page linked below) that look reasonably homogeneous ? Only trouble is they do not show warming.

The new NASA satellite image of night time earth lighting intensity ( follow the USA West link) shows clearly the huge Dallas - Fort Worth urban complex and connected linear urban areas running to Austin and further where the 1994 additions by Jones are located. This image shows clearly the large number of alternative stations, many rurals in darker areas of the image, from the large GHCN data base.

President Elect George W. Bush is correct about there being a lot of "fuzzy math" out there.

You read it first here.

Posted 13, November, 2000; updated 12, January, 2001