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chart omits the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. |
summarize dispute + add political import |
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| url=http://www.caenvirothon.com/Resources/Mann,%20et%20al.%20Global%20scale%20temp%20patterns.pdf
| format=PDF
}}</ref> frequently referred to as the MBH98 reconstruction. The term "'''hockey stick'''" was coined by the head of [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]'s (NOAA) [[Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory]], [[Jerry Mahlman]], to describe the pattern.
The two sides in the dispute are:
#the side which says the graph is correct, i.e. it accuratly illustrates that temperatures declined slowly and steadily until the [[Modern Warming Period]] (Mann, IPCC, et al.)
#the side which says the graph inaccurate, i.e., it conceals the existence of the [[Medieval Climate Optimum]] and the [[Little Ice Age]].
The political significance of the scientific controversy over the graph centers on its use in support of actions to mitigate [[anthropogenic global warming]] (notably the [[Kyoto Protocol]]).
The MBH98 reconstruction was prominently featured in the 2001 [[United Nations]] [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] (IPCC) [[Third Assessment Report]] (TAR) and as a result has been widely published and picked up by the media.
This dispute centered on technical aspects of the methodology and data sets used in creating the MBH98. The issue was originally highlighted by [[Stephen McIntyre]] and [[Ross McKitrick]]. The major criticism was that Mann ''et al.'''s choice of data sets and their processing largely suppressed two notable climatic variations: the [[Medieval Warm Period]] (MWP) around the beginning of the second millennium and the [[Little Ice Age]] centered around 1600-1700 AD.
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