Printed from https://fyi.org.nz/request/11322-niwa-records-mentioning-scientists-dr-ned-nikolov-and-or-dr-kari-zeller-and-or-dr-roy-spencer on April 19, 2024 07:41

NIWA: Records mentioning scientists Dr Ned Nikolov and/or Dr Kari Zeller and/or Dr Roy Spencer

Chris Johnston made this Official Information request to National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited

The request was successful.

From: Chris Johnston

Dear National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited,

Please provide any records (including but not limited to internal/external: documents, emails, notes, minutes, text messages, or social media messages) mentioning scientists Dr Ned Nikolov and/or Dr Kari Zeller and/or Dr Roy Spencer as mentioned in the links below.

For context - so that you can correctly identify the individuals - some links relevant to their work are mentioned in the links below.
1) 2017 Peer Reviewed and Published Paper Describing How Earth's Long Term Average Temperature can be estimated from NASA data on other planets without referencing the composition of Earth's atmosphere. That is, the finding is that CO2 does not have an impact on the long term average temperature of Earth.
https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/...

2) Blog reply by Ned Nikolov in response to a critique by Dr Roy Spencer
https://tallbloke.wordpress.com/2019/01/...

Yours faithfully,

Chris Johnston

Link to this

From: Caroline Beamish
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited

Dear Chris,

 

We acknowledge receipt of your OIA request received on 30 September 2019.
We will reply as soon as possible.

 

Kind regards,

Caroline Beamish

 

Caroline Beamish
Communications Advisor
+64-4-386-0897 |
[1][IMG] National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA)
301 Evans Bay Parade, Greta Point, Wellington Wellington New
Zealand
Connect with NIWA: [2]niwa.co.nz [3]Facebook [4]LinkedIn
[5]Twitter [6]Instagram

To ensure compliance with legal requirements and to maintain cyber
security standards, NIWA's IT systems are subject to ongoing monitoring,
activity logging and auditing. This monitoring and auditing service may be
provided by third parties. Such third parties can access information
transmitted to, processed by and stored on NIWA's IT systems

References

Visible links
1. https://www.niwa.co.nz/
2. https://www.niwa.co.nz/
3. https://www.facebook.com/nzniwa
4. https://www.linkedin.com/company/niwa
5. https://twitter.com/niwa_nz
6. https://www.instagram.com/niwa_science

Link to this

From: Chris Johnston

Dear Caroline Beamish,

Please note that there is a spelling error in the original request.

Dr Zeller's name is Dr Karl Zeller not Dr Kari Zeller

Yours sincerely,

Chris Johnston

Link to this

From: Caroline Anderson
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited

Dear Chris,

Official Information Act request regarding “NIWA: Records mentioning scientists Dr Ned Nikolov and/or Dr Karl Zeller and/or Dr Roy Spencer”.

Thank you for your request dated 30 September asking NIWA to:
Please provide any records (including but not limited to internal/external: documents, emails, notes, minutes, text messages, or social media messages) mentioning scientists Dr Ned Nikolov and/or Dr Karl Zeller and/or Dr Roy Spencer as mentioned in the links below.

This is to advise you that we require an extension of 5 working days and will send you the information by 5 October (or before this date if possible). This is because your request is for a large quantity of information and meeting the original time limit would unreasonably interfere with the agency’s operations.

You have the right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman about this extension. Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.

Kind regards,
Caroline Beamish

Link to this

From: Chris Johnston

Dear Caroline Anderson,

Thank you so much for the reply.

Could I please clarify whether you mean 5 Novermber 2019 not 5 October 2019?

Yours sincerely,

Chris Johnston

Link to this

From: Caroline Beamish
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited

Dear Chris,

Yes sorry, that is a typo and should be 5 November 2019.

Kind regards,
Caroline Beamish

Link to this

From: Caroline Beamish
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited

Attachment Chris Johnston OIA 4 Final Response.pdf
3.8M Download View as HTML

Dear Chris,

Official Information Act request regarding “NIWA: Records mentioning
scientists Dr Ned Nikolov and/or Dr Karl Zeller and/or Dr Roy Spencer”.

Thank you for your request dated 30 September asking NIWA to:

Please provide any records (including but not limited to
internal/external: documents, emails, notes, minutes, text messages, or
social media messages) mentioning scientists Dr Ned Nikolov and/or Dr Karl
Zeller and/or Dr Roy Spencer as mentioned in the links below.

We have searched our records and provided all correspondence NIWA has
contributed to that mentions Dr Roy Spencer. The redactions have been made
under section 9(2)(a) of the Act.

We have been unable to locate any records mentioning either Dr Ned Nikolov
or Dr Karl Zeller.

You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of
this decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.

Kind regards,
Caroline Beamish

 

Caroline Beamish
Communications Advisor
+64-4-386-0897 |
[1][IMG] National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA)
301 Evans Bay Parade, Greta Point, Wellington Wellington New
Zealand
Connect with NIWA: [2]niwa.co.nz [3]Facebook [4]LinkedIn
[5]Twitter [6]Instagram

To ensure compliance with legal requirements and to maintain cyber
security standards, NIWA's IT systems are subject to ongoing monitoring,
activity logging and auditing. This monitoring and auditing service may be
provided by third parties. Such third parties can access information
transmitted to, processed by and stored on NIWA's IT systems

References

Visible links
1. https://www.niwa.co.nz/
2. https://www.niwa.co.nz/
3. https://www.facebook.com/nzniwa
4. https://www.linkedin.com/company/niwa
5. https://twitter.com/niwa_nz
6. https://www.instagram.com/niwa_science

Link to this

From: Chris Johnston

Dear Caroline Beamish,

Thank you for the reply to this OIA.

In closing off this request there are a couple of observations:
1) I realise that there is a history of acrimony around the climate topic but the email trails that mentioned Dr Roy Spencer do seem to highlight quite a defensive stance by some staff within NIWA. It might help the debate if the points being raised by people corresponding with NIWA were addressed directly.

2) The lack of awareness or discussion of Nikolov/Zeller's papers is interesting. Could I recommend that NIWA review the 2017 paper and establish the extent to which it obligates NIWA to:
(a) Establish a position on the degree to which it accepts or rejects the paper,
(b) Provide a caveat to its future climate forecasts - i.e. that there is a strong cyclic argument if the long term average temperature of a planet is stable
(c) Identify that there is work within NIWA that may be relevant to proving/disproving its conclusions
(d) Assess if it influences any future work that NIWA has planned in the climate area and
(e) Whether there is a need to highlight any conclusions to stakeholders within the New Zealand economy who have been provided with analysis by NIWA (when it did not have the benefit of knowing about this research), and where significant economic decisions have subsequently been made.

In relation to (e), depending upon NIWA's contractual arrangements with paying clients of consulting services, there may be professional indemnity insurers that may need to be notified, or advice taken on how to deal with this conflicting scientific evidence going forward.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Johnston

Link to this

Things to do with this request

Anyone:
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited only: