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David Russell Legates is the Delaware State Climatologist, an Associate Professor of Geography and Ocean Science and Engineering at the University of Delaware, and former director of the Center for Climatic Research at the same university.

He is best known for his skepticism toward the anthropogenic cause of the observed global warming patterns and the severity of its consequences at the local geographical scale. Legates has published research papers, opinion editorials, and spoken openly in opposition to what is generally viewed as consensus scientific opinion on climate change.

Scientific work

Legates started his career working on precipitation probability modeling. He extended his research to the study of global precipitation and temperature measurement correlation and performed critical analyses of the quality of traditional water budgeting methods applied to recent, better quality measurement data. He also became concerned with the study of the applicability of global circulation prognostication models at the regional and local level. Legates and his team argued for the necessity of technological progress in precipitation measurement used for validating climate change scenarios, and for validation of existing data used for that purpose. They demonstrated disagreement between satellite-based and in-situ precipitation measurements, and pointed out inconsistencies among satellite data processing algorithms. Legates argued for a better adequacy of observation-based climatologies compared to those compiled subjectively. His team concluded that uncorrected centered-pattern correlation statistics applied to the validation of general circulation prognostication models used to predict large-scale climate change may be inappropriate and may yield erroneous results. They critically analyzed the adequacy of correlation-based measures, which are inherently oversensitive to outliers in measured data, and proposed modified methods more suitable for use in hydrologic and hydroclimate model validation. Legates and his coworkers became concerned with the quality of surface instrumental temperature data analysis, treatment and presentation of trends used in the communication of global warming research results.

He co-developed methods to correct biases in gauge-measured precipitation data for wind and temperature effects, with direct applicability in climate change, hydrology and environmental impact studies. His group observed that gauge undercatch was mostly caused by wind turbulence--especially for snow --and has a significant effect on the calculated Arctic water budget. They also studied the correlation between the observed variability in Western US snowpack accumulation and atmospheric circulation in historical measurement data and developed temperature-snowfall correlations based on first principles and observation in order to improve the global radiation balance estimation used in climate change predictions. Legates also developed a calibration method which validates NEXRAD radar precipitation data with gauge measurements to improve the accuracy of precipitation estimates.

Legates and his coworkers extended their research to the development of correlations between satellite crop imaging data and landscape change, crop type and its evolution, and their effects of global climate change. They have also tackled rainfed crop management, modeling and optimization. The group developed a hydrologic model based on meteorological, soil and vegetation measurement data. His groups has shown that only a weak correlation exists between hydrological cycle data, global runoff and global warming. Legates demonstrated that data does not completely support the hypothesis of recently increased catastrophic weather severity nor any correlation between catastrophic weather and global warming. Legates and coauthors (among which were Willie Soon, Sallie Baliunas, Timothy F. Ball and others) authored a controversial paper attempting to disprove an increase in Hudson Bay temperatures in the past 70 years, and cautioning about polar bear-human interaction as a likely cause for any observed decline in bear populations. In this paper the authors expressed doubts regarding the predictive quality of global warming models at the entire Arctic scale and any extrapolation of polar bear population trends.

Publications

Position on global climate change

Legates is a signer of the Oregon petition, which stated: "There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth".

In his testimony to the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works regarding the Mann, Bradley and Hughes hockey stick controversy, Legates summed up his position as: "Where we differ with Dr. Mann and his colleagues is in their construction of the hemispheric averaged time-series, their assertion that the 1990s are the warmest decade of the last millennium, and that human influences appear to be the only significant factor on globally averaged air temperature."

In his lectures, Professor Legates has acknowledged that humans have a direct impact on the environment, however he has disputed large scale climatological studies where researchers fail to incorporate sufficient data involving; increased solar activity, water vapor as a greenhouse gas, data contamination through expansion of the urban heat island effect surrounding data collection points, and many other key variables in addition to the human chemical emissions that are the sole focus of many climatological studies.

Consequences

In February 2007, Delaware governor Ruth Ann Minner wote a letter to Legates stating "Your views on climate change, as I understand them, are not aligned with those of my administration,". The letter directed Legates to stop using his title as state climatologist of Delaware in his public statements related to climate change.

Other affiliations

According to the News Journal, "the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) published a study listing Legates among several scientists it described as 'familiar spokespeople from ExxonMobil-funded organizations' that have regularly taken stands or sponsored reports questioning the science behind climate change warnings.", an allegation labelled by ExxonMobil as "deeply offensive and wrong". Legates has apparently confirmed his unpaid involvement with several organizations taking a skeptical position of global warming science.

Legates is listed as a roundtable speaker at Marshall Institute, and a research fellow with the Independent Institute. According to Greenpeace, both organizations received funding from ExxonMobile (since 1985, $840,000 and $85,000, respectively). No independently verifiable source exists proving that Legates' position on anthropogenic climate change is the consequence of conservative or oil industry funding rather than the product of scientific inquiry.

References

1. Faculty page at UDel Geography Department (accessed 6/27/2009)
2. David R. Legates page at UDel College of Marine and Earth Studies (accessed 6/27/2009)
3. David R. Legates is an adjunct scholar with the National Center for Policy Analysis and an associate professor and director of the Center for Climatic Research at the University of Delaware. Global Warming Smear Targets, by David R. Legates, Washington Times, 2003-08-25
4. Legates is the Delaware State Climatologist, Coordinator of the Delaware Geographic Alliance (sponsored by National Geographic), and Associate Director of the Delaware Space Grant Consortium (sponsored by NASA)." Climate Science: Climate Change and Its Impact - About the Author
5. Text of the petition. March 13, 2002
6. Statement of David R. Legates to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. March 13, 2002
7. MONTGOMERY, Jeff (2007-02-22). "State distances itself from climatologist". The News Journal. Retrieved 2007-07-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
8. Montgomery, Jeff. Del. scientist's view on climate criticized. The News Journal, February 6, 2007
9. ibid.
10. ibid.
11. Marshall Institute Roundtable Speakers
12. Independent Institute Research Fellows
13. ExxonSecrets.org Fact Sheet: George C. Marshall Institute
14. ExxonSecrets.org Fact Sheet: Independent Institute

External links

• U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works Hearing Statement - 07/29/2003
• ExxonSecrets fact sheet

• Living people
• Climatologists
• University of Delaware faculty