What is the Goaloop Climate Report (“GCR”)?
The Goaloop Climate Report (GCR) shows the changes in three critical climate metrics (global temperature, carbon dioxide, and sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean), using data collected by the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
What is the GCR’s purpose, how and why did it evolve?
The Goaloop Climate Report evolved from a goal that was set on Goaloop.com on January 22, 2017, which is still active today: goaloop.com/goaloop/climate. Noting the stock market report is a staple of daily newscasts, with its up and down arrows directing many, and knowing that climate change will increasingly impact the economy, the GCR posits climate metrics within the same visual context to bring attention to the status of our climate, and to likewise motivate us to take action to turn those red arrows upside down so they are green. The numeric values of the GCR are meant to cut through perceptual uncertainties of climate change, perpetual reports of ‘bad weather,’ complex climate statistics, and each month focus our attention on i) how fast our climate is changing, ii) what we can do to reverse it, and iii) spotlight signs of progress.
What is the relationship between Goaloop.org and Goaloop.com?
What does each metric mean in the GCR?
“TEMP” refers to temperature anomalies, which indicate how much warmer or colder it is than normal for a particular place and time. The narrow triangle (Δ) you’ll see here is the delta symbol, which indicates change or difference. The NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (“GISS”) measurement used in the GCR reflects overall global temperature across land and oceans. Anomalies are used instead of ‘absolute’ temperature measurements because temperature anomalies remain consistent over much larger distances, whereas absolute temperatures tend to vary by a large amount even over short distances.
“CO2” refers to the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in dry air measured near the summit of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. This location was chosen by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) because the altitude of the observatory is ideal for taking atmospheric measurements that are accurate over large areas. To read further: www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/about/co2_measurements.html
“ICE” refers to the extent of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean. A simplified way to think of sea ice extent versus sea ice area is to imagine a slice of Swiss cheese. Extent would be a measure of the edges of the slice of cheese and all of the space inside it. Area would be the measure of where there is cheese only, not including the holes.
Where can I see the data featured in the GCR, how it is calculated, and more information on its sources?
GCR data, calculations, and sources are visible to the public in a Google Drive spreadsheet at: bit.ly/GoaloopClimateReportData
Why does the GCR feature the three metrics of Global Average Temperature Anomaly, Atmospheric CO2, and Arctic Sea Ice Extent among all of the other choices for climate metrics?
We chose these three metrics because they give a well-rounded overview of how the climate is changing each month. Additionally, their interpretation is not overly technical, making them comprehensible for non-scientists and the general public.
Why does the GCR use the five-year interval comparison?
Our data is provided in both 5-year and 10-year intervals, which is visible to the public in the GCR data sheet. While climate change manifests over periods of several decades, we decided to feature 5-year intervals in the GCR because most people can easily recall 5 years ago and compare that with the present.
Why is the GCR monthly, and not daily or weekly?
Daily measurements of these climate metrics may include various measurement errors. The monthly metric is more accurate than simply taking the average of the daily measurements from the previous month because various quality checks are applied to account for these errors.
When is the Goaloop Climate Report released each month?
Data becomes available for our three climate metrics from the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) within two weeks after the end of a month. Therefore, the GCR is released mid-month for the month prior.
Please let us know what other questions you have here.
Thank you for your interest in the Goaloop Climate Report!
— The Goaloop Climate Report Team