Cambridge University Botanic Gardens DCNN 3253 – Double Standards?

52.19398 0.12944 Met Office Assessed CIMO Class 5 Installed 1/1/1891

Another of the many Botanic Garden sites the Met Office has. By definition these sites are deliberately modified micro-climates designed to artificially elevate temperatures. Cambridge University Botanic Gardens (CUBG) are a record breaking site (2019 record high) with a highly dubious history, one which I feel, clearly demonstrates Met Office standards significantly changing over time and distorting the long term temperature record. A tale of two records……

Fellow of the Royal society, a medical doctor and highly respected Meteorological Observer, Dr George Hunsley Fielding had a weather station in the garden of his home near Tonbridge, Kent. A measure of his diligence in recording data can be seen in his non medical published work –

“Observations of the Heights of the Thermometer and Barometer at Lenham Lodge near Maidstone……” was a typical example.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspl.1843.0091

On the 22nd of July 1868, during one of the hottest British summers in modern history, he “noted a shade temperature of 100.5°F, or 38.06°C” ….”The sky was cloudless with scarcely a breath of air, and what there was felt more as if it had passed through an oven.”

This record stood for over 100 years until it was “re-examined” in the latter 1970s. The Met Office concluded/alleged that the Glaisher stand was liable to over record the more modern Stevenson Screen equivalent particularly if not adjusted by turning during the day. Fielding was present all that record day and knew full well how to accurately operate his device with all due scientific rigour.

The impeccable Fielding’s reading was expunged from the temperature record over a century after his death when he was obviously unable to defend his position. Reading University Meteorology Department even composed lyrics to celebrate the demise.

It should noted that deletion of historic records long after the original event is actually quite common in the recent “Climate Science” arena c.f. El Aziziya, Libya and others.

What does this diligence in ensuring historic temperature data “purity” for Tonbridge have to do with Cambridge University Botanic gardens?

Well fast forwarding 63 years from 1868 brings us to 1931 and changes to the station listing in the World’s longest running temperature record – the Central England Temperature Series. CUBG was removed from the CET and replaced by the excellent Rothamsted site.

“” We replaced the Cambridge station by Rothamsted Observatory in 1931 because of evidence of urban warming at the former by that time”

Click to access Parker_etalIJOC1992_dailyCET.pdf

93 years ago with a Cambridge population of 69,000, CUBG was removed from the CET due to displaying Urban Heat Island Effect by meteorologists keen to ensure the integrity of their temperature record series. A lesson for today’s keepers of the CET perhaps?

Fast forwarding again to 25th July 2019 (141 years and 7 days years on since Fielding’s expunged “record” in Tonbridge ) and with the Cambridge population and urban area having doubled to over 146,000…… the Met Office ratified a record reading of 38.7 °C

• In a botanical Garden deliberately designed to increase temperatures.
• With huge new development now surrounding the site (Sainsbury Laboratory and others).
• Within a massively increased Urban area.
• Subsequent to the advent of mass motorised transport of both people and goods.
• Surrounded by novel extraneous heat sources i.e. air conditioning outlets on all surrounding buildings.
• With readings taken by “trainees”.
• At a site the Met Office themselves assessed as having an error margin of up to 5°C.
• In an acknowledged (by themselves) Urban Heat Island identified 91 years prior.

Meanwhile over at the CIMO Grade 1 CET replacement for CUBG , Rothamsted simultaneously recorded just 36.2 °C.

Double standards?

Source: https://tallbloke.wordpress.com/2024/09/19/cambridge-university-botanic-gardens-dcnn-3253-double-standards/