25 September 2015

MATH professor in controversy about sea level rise

correlation

The science-site Videnskab.dk brought 9.22 an article about the discussions between state geologist Jens Morten Hansen and a number of other researchers whether the moon - not global warming - is causing the sea levels rise.

Niels Richard HansenStatistics Professor Niels Richard Hansen says that he finds several errors in state geologist’s use of statistics.

Niels Richard Hansen’s criticism includes Jens Morten Hansen’s use of the correlation coefficient, which is used by Jens Morten Hansen as evidence of the relationship between the movements of the moon and the sea level. The usage of the correlation coefficient is inappropriate because there is a time trend in the data.

"Generally speaking, there is not a proper use of correlation in the article. In the present context, it is misleading to use correlations.
The conditions that must be met in order to be able to interpret a correlation are not fulfilled for their data," says Niels Richard Hansen to Videnskab.dk.

Read the article in Videnskab.dk (in Danish)