There's no scandal. No difference than when the subject was smoking and tobacco funded lobbyists where talking about their 85 year old grandfather who smokes 3 packs of lucky strikes a day. It's no secret that the very same folks (See "Merchants of Doubt) who perpetuated the smoking is harmless agenda for the tobacco companies are now employed by the oil companies. I'm not sure what is the true scanda a) The perpetrators of the myth that data adjustment is a scam or b) the people who swallow it up w/o a thought.
a) I taught Land Surveying and back in the day, we measured distances with a steel tape. When we got back to the office, we adjusted the measurements ... oh what a scandal ! Those with a inkling of scientific knowledge reading this have recognized by now that the dimensions of any object vary by temperature. Which is why our field logs recorded the temps at the time of each measurement. So yes, we 'fiddled" with the data to make it accurate cause otherwise it would be meaningless.
b) Are we done fiddling ? Nope .... if we took 3 thermometers out in the field, we'd could get 3 different answers; so each unit is periodically tested against a standardized piece of equipment and a certificate is provided telling u how much we have to "fiddle" with the data to get the correct temperature reading
When measuring for climate change, obviously b) above needs to be done. But what else ?
Example 1 ... from 1908 to 2014 a monitoring station has been used. The location is in an open space. In 2015 a building is constructed which casts a shadow over the monitoring station. Not only is there the obvious expected change in numbers because of the shade, but wind patterns also change. The impact of buildings, parking lots which create large "heat sinks" also changes temerature in the area. So how can there by any comparison of pre and post temp data unless one set of numbers is "fiddled with" to adjust for the fact that conditions which affect measurements have changed ? This is no different than comparing the cost of GFX cards over 20 years ... have they gone up in proce ? When you look at the cost adjusted for "2017 dollars", we find that costs were remarkably stable.
So who's right... the guy who says "Its a scandal in 2000 the top tier GFX card was only $500 , now it's $700 ... or the guy who "fiddles' with the data, makes adjustment for inflation and shows that the top tier $500 GFX card would cost $700 in 2107 dollars ?
https://images.hardocp.com/images/news/1489189662xrJkzvohX8_1_1.png
Example 2 - Over the years, the timing of the temperatures being taken has changed .. so would you say that if the 1990 - 2000 data showed an average of 80 degrees on a particular month over 10 years, then getting 80 (27C) degrees from 2000 - 2010 proves that there is no global warming ? really ? Even if the 1990 - 2000 numbers were at taken at 11:00 and the 2000 - 2010 were at 18:00 ? Isn't it substantially cooler oin the late afternoon ?
Example 3 - What about technology changes. Back in the day we made calls on land lines, no the cell dominates. Back in the day, liquid in glass thermometers were used. Now electronic resistance thermometers are used which automate much of the data collection. When used 'side by side", it's immediately obvious that they don't record temperatures in the same way. With elect9onic resistance measurement, the min and max extremes are nerfed a bit. So how do you compare the years of liquid type versus resistance type if you don't adjust for the discrepancy ? Science demands that you test the units side by side, record the deviations and then "fiddle" with the data so that any such comparisons actually have meaning.
Example 4 - Another means of determining necessary adjustments comes from comparing neighboring stations. So you have station A which was used in example 1 and station B which has experienced no change. From from 1908 to 2014, Station A's monthly averages were 2 degrees below Station B. from 2015 to present, they are2 degrees above Station B ... is it not prudent to make the corresponding adjustment when comparing data ?
The most ironic thing about his "scandal" is that the adjustments, overall, show less global warming than would otherwise be indicated. Historically, 3,297 of the 7,279 stations(45%) in use any point in time starting point since 1801 have had adjustments performed, most occuring in the 30 year period between the 50s and 80s. Over that time the number and magnitude of the adjustments have been offsetting. If a teacher grades on a curve and adds +1, +2. +3. +4 on 4 tests and them adjusts -1, -2, -3, -4 on 4 tests the overall class grade doesn't change.
Ocean data received the biggest adjustment ... the original method used was to throw a bucket over the side, drag up apail of water and stick a thermometer in it, out in the sun. The current method is to use a calibrated thermal sensor in the engine cooling water intake. Obviously we are using different instruments, taking water from different depths (surface water will be warmer) so again, unless you make an adjustment for that, comparing the data is impossible. That stopped at the end of the 1940s so had no effect on the last 78 years. But since then it has been observed that ship collected data is noticeably warmer than buoy data
https://www.factcheck.org/2009/12/climategate/
https://www.factcheck.org/2010/04/some-climategate-conclusions/
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-references/faq/temperature-monitoring.php
The Cimategate scandal belongs in with other legends like pizzagate, Qanon, the moon landing was fake, the earth is flat and the twin towers was a US deep state plot.
As for the man made part..... we have 800,000 years of ice cores showing conclusively that temps rise in accordance with CO2 levels. The last time CO2 was this high, humans did not exist. We can see 8 peaks in CO2 levels, one occurring about every100,000 years always topping out between 260 and 280 ppm. Eight times CO2 went up, 8 times temps went up ... 8 times CO2 declined, and temps declinedso the link between CO2 and temperature is irrefutable. Now we topped 400 ppm. No mystery here. Again no surprise the folks driving this agenda are the same folks claiming cigarettes were safe.