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Tombstone – No Evidence of CO2 Warming

[last update: 2010/06/28]

The greenhouse gas theory is based on the supposition that greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere will result in “back radiation” reflecting heat radiated by the Earth back towards the Earth, resulting in warming. Humid areas have relatively warmer nights than desert areas. The effect of increased GHG on radiation is logarithmic. Thus areas that have high water vapor will exhibit less effect with the addition of anthropogenic CO2 than those with low water vapor.

Tombstone is in the desert of southern Arizona, southeast of Tucson.

The following figure shows the temperature station at Tombstone (from http://gallery.surfacestations.org/main.php)

The following figure shows the annual average temperature from the NOAA GHCN database (plotted at http://www.appinsys.com/GlobalWarming/climate.aspx)

There has been no significant warming at this desert location.

NOAA provides station information at https://mi3.ncdc.noaa.gov/mi3qry and the location information for Tombstone is shown below.

The tombstone station was moved to the current location in 1969 (highlighted in the red box below). In 2002 the equipment was changed from max-min thermometers to MMTS electronic sensors at the same location.

The effect of increasing CO2 as a greenhouse gas in the desert should be most noticeable at night when the Earth is radiating heat.

The following figure shows the annual average minimum temperature for Tombstone (which ends in 2004 in the GHCN database). This graph starts at 1970 since the Tombstone station was moved in 1969. In addition, the IPCC climate models only require the addition of anthropogenic CO2 after 1970 – prior to that the warming is explained with natural forcings.

There has been no warming in the Tombstone minimum temperature during the “CO2 era”.