RSSeNEWS to be determined...

It has been announced that RSS president, Professor David Hand, is to be a member of an independent Scientific Assessment Panel established by the University of East Anglia to examine elements of the published science of its Climatic Research Unit (CRU).

In making the announcement, Professor Trevor Davies, the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, said: "CRU’s scientific papers have been examined by scientists from other institutions through the peer review process before being accepted for publication by international journals. We have no reason to question the effectiveness of this process. Nevertheless, given the concerns about climate research expressed by some in the media, we decided to augment the Muir Russell review with an independent assessment of CRU’s key publications in the areas which have been most subject to comment.”

He added that: “Our concern has been to bring together a distinguished group of independent scientists who understand the difference between assertion and evidence, and are familiar with using the latter to judge the validity of conclusions arising from science research. The panel members have the right mix of skills to understand the complex nature of climate research and the discipline-based expertise to scrutinise CRU’s research. How they do this will be entirely down to the panel.”

The panel will meet in Norwich in April and will have the opportunity to see original data and speak to those who did the work.

The panel is to be chaired by Lord Oxburgh, a former chair of the Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology. In addition to Professor Hand the other members of the panel are to be:

• Professor Huw Davies, Professor of Physics at the Institute for Atmospheric & Climate Science at ETH Zürich
• Professor Kerry Emanuel, Professor of Meteorology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Professor Lisa Graumlich, Director of the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona
• Professor Herbert Huppert, Professor of Theoretical Geophysics at the University of Cambridge
• Professor Michael Kelly, Prince Philip Professor of Technology at the University of Cambridge