Tiempo Climate Cyberlibrary
Interview with Jim Salinger
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The Tiempo Climate Cyberlibrary was developed by Mick Kelly and Sarah Granich on behalf of the Stockholm Environment Institute and the International Institute for Environment and Development, with sponsorship from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
While every effort is made to ensure that information on this site, and on other sites that are referenced here, is accurate, no liability for loss or damage resulting from use of this information can be accepted.
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Jim Salinger discusses the development of the global temperature record, a key stage in the acceptance of climate change as a serious threat. |
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Find out about Jim Salinger's global warming priority (low or high bandwidth streaming video) |
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Background |
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During the 1950s and 1960s, cooling over the landmasses of the Northern Hemisphere led a number of eminent climate scientists to doubt the greenhouse theory. Considering the warmth of the 1940s extremely unusual, they reckoned the cooling trend was likely to continue. |
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We now know that the mid-20th century cooling was restricted in geographical extent and short-lived. |
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But it was only the work of scientists such as Jim Salinger, painstakingly collecting and correcting local temperature records, that enabled the development of a truly global record of the state of our climate. |
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This, in turn, led to the realization that the world was again warming rapidly and thence to political action to curb the climate problem. |
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Newswatch asked Jim to discuss the early stages of this work. We return to the 1970s with predictions of global cooling regularly appearing in the media... |
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To listen to the streaming audio or video files, you will need RealPlayer or Real Alternative, both free downloads |
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What prompted you to start collecting climate data for New Zealand? |
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But just how much could you say about wider trends over the Southern Hemisphere from the New Zealand record? |
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Why should there have been a difference between the trends in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere? |
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How did the international cooperation that led to the development of the global temperature record come about? |
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Are you still involved in climate monitoring? |
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Biography |
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Jim Salinger is a senior climate scientist with the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand. He is responsible for the preparation of climate updates, as well as leading various research projects on New Zealand climate change. |
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A leading climate change expert, he has been involved in researching and monitoring past and current climate trends, as a university climate researcher, and later in the former New Zealand Meteorological Service. |
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Contact information |
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Jim Salinger, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd, PO Box 109695, Auckland, New Zealand. Fax: +64-9-3752051. Email: j.salinger@niwa.co.nz. Web: www.niwa.co.nz. |
Bright Ideas
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SolSource turns its own waste heat into electricity or stores it in thermal fabrics, harnessing the sun's energy for cooking and electricity for low-income families
The Wave House uses vegetation for its architectural and environmental qualities, and especially in terms of thermal insulation
The Mbale compost-processing plant in Uganda produces cheaper fertilizer and reduces greenhouse gas emissions
At Casa Grande, Frito-Lay has reduced energy consumption by nearly a fifth since 2006 by, amongst other things, installing a heat recovery system to preheat cooking oil
Updated: May 15th 2015