date: Mon, 19 Mar 2007 08:38:53 -0000 from: "Alan Kendall" subject: Re: FOI - CRU requests to: "Phil Jones" Phil, I can assure you that Dave Palmer did not know about the particular threadline that I drew his attention to because, during my telephone conversation with him, his voice expressed surprise (and perhaps resignation?) as he opened up the website and because he thanked me for drawing the information to his attention. I repeat, I am not primarily interested in the dispute between yourself and ClimateAudit and will keep my opinions to myself. However when I read that people are suggested methods of legal redress against the University for not supplying research data, I felt that I needed to act. I could not contact you by telephone, so resorted to informing Dave Palmer. I would do exactly the same if similar circumstances arose again. AlanK ----- Original Message ----- From: [1]Phil Jones To: [2]Alan Kendall Cc: [3]C Vincent Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 3:02 PM Subject: Re: FOI - CRU requests Alan, I have told these people on several occasions that some of the data are restricted. They refuse to believe this. We make all the gridded data available on the CRU web site. 99.9% of climate scientists are happy with this, and out data are widely used. I have met Dave Palmer and told him of the web site and that his first response letter appeared there, so he did know about it. These same people are also sending similar requests to US people using their FOI. The work they are referring to is from 1990 by the way - a paper in Nature that has been regularly cited. There has never been an attempt in Nature to send in a comment on it. Also, these people are self-appointed auditors. They have no interest in doing their own work. I suggested once that they produce their own gridded temperature database, but they said they weren't interested in that. This to me tells me where they are coming from - and it isn't the science. I have tried engaging with them in 2003/4 but realised after a few months it was pointless. Anyway, we can differ on this. Glad to hear you look at Real Climate. Cheers Phil At 13:43 16/03/2007, Alan Kendall wrote: Phil, I'm sorry you take exception to my contacting David Palmer about this matter. I felt that, since the University was being "slagged off" on a much read website and people were advancing possible legal ways in which the information they request could be obtained from the university, it was important to warn David Palmer about this development. I assumed that you would be aware of what might be being said on that website, whereas David Palmer would not be expected to be so informed. In fact he was not, and thanked me for the information I'm not exactly sure what you are complaining about and if the same situation arose again I think I would act in exactly the same way again. What you do with your data is not my concern, nor was it ever. I would not presume to interfere in this area, nor have I done so. I am, however, concerned that UEA will be beset by possible legal challanges and I consider it only prudent to warn those involved. Here ends any further envolvement. Also please don't you presume to lecture me about what particular website I should or should not be consulting. I'll make my own mind up. In actual fact , I read both ClimateAudit and RealClimate. AlanK ----- Original Message ----- From: [4]Phil Jones To: [5]a.kendall@uea.ac.uk Cc: [6]Mcgarvie Michael Mr (ACAD) Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 11:02 AM Subject: FW: FOI - CRU requests Alan, I appreciate your concern about UEA and ENV's image, but I don't appreciate you calling our press office about what is happening on the Climate Audit website. The website is run by a self appointed group, who ignore most climate facts. They are not interested in getting at the truth.If you want to learn more about the subject I would suggest the Real Climate website. [7]http://www.realclimate.org/ I do occasionally look at Climate Audit. The group are clearly very right of centre, and just make things up to suit their arguments. I can tell you that we are not altering any of the data in the last 15 years. All that work was done years ago. If changes are occurring then they are because we have more station data going in now than we used to, or the gridding algorithm has changed. We put all the gridded data on the CRU web site. We have signed agreements with some national Met Services not to pass on the raw station data. Cheers Phil Subject: FW: FOI - CRU requests Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:12:30 -0000 X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: Thread-Topic: FOI - CRU requests Thread-Index: AcdnG9I1fXPEzDveTPuufgoyc3swfQAAJ4bw Priority: Urgent From: "Palmer Dave Mr \(LIB\)" To: "Mcgarvie Michael Mr \(ACAD\)" , "Phil Jones" X-UEA-Spam-Score: -102.6 X-UEA-Spam-Level: --------------------------------------------------- X-UEA-Spam-Flag: NO Gents, I won't be in tomorrow but I think you should take a look at what's going on . Phil, you are quoted in a comment to the 9 March 2007 posting & might have a view on it. I don't want to make this a big deal but if others in ENV are noticing this.. Cheers, Dave ______________________________________________ From: Palmer Dave Mr (LIB) Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 4:06 PM To: Inglis Kitty Ms (LIB) Subject: FOI - CRU requests Importance: High Kitty, Got a call from Alan Kendall, ENV, expressing concern regarding UEA's 'visibility' on a Climate Audit website. He was quite concerned regarding the comments surrounding the publication on this website of our letters of response to requests. I have subsequently spoken to Annie Ogden because of potential media aspect to this story Website is: [8]http://www.climateaudit.org/ You will soon see the relevant articles and comments. I'm not sure if this website has a limited readership or is something we need to be concerned with but the extent and nature of comments is multiplying rapidly. Not sure I wanted my '15 minutes of fame' this way lol Cheers, Dave ____________________________ David Palmer Information Policy Officer University of East Anglia Norwich, England NR4 7TJ Prof. Phil Jones Climatic Research Unit Telephone +44 (0) 1603 592090 School of Environmental Sciences Fax +44 (0) 1603 507784 University of East Anglia Norwich Email p.jones@uea.ac.uk NR4 7TJ UK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prof. Phil Jones Climatic Research Unit Telephone +44 (0) 1603 592090 School of Environmental Sciences Fax +44 (0) 1603 507784 University of East Anglia Norwich Email p.jones@uea.ac.uk NR4 7TJ UK ----------------------------------------------------------------------------