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Wizard and Orc Debate Climate Science and Middle Earth Warming

January 16, 2014

Wizard and Orc Debate Climate Science and Middle Earth Warming
Tolkien wizard Radagast the Brown, a.k.a. climate scientist Dr. Dan Lunt, faces an angry Uruk-hai climate change denialist in a "debate" about the validity of climate science and Middle Earth warming.

University of Bristol climate scientist Dr. Dan Lunt studies paleoclimatoglogy. The analysis and interpretation of ancient climates involves modeling an Earth that looked very different than it does today. This fact inspired Dr. Lunt to write a brilliantly nerdy/nerdily brilliant mock paper, published under the name of Radagast the Brown, comparing the simulated climate of Tolkien's Middle Earth to the climates of modern and Cretaceous actual Earth.

In that vein, Dr. Lunt (a.k.a. Radagast the Brown) clarifies the modeling techniques employed by climate scientists and some the findings from the last IPCC report to one of Saruman's angry, misinformed minions.

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