Scientists in the Climate Research Divison of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have linked the reported "widespread retreat of alpine glaciers" to an increase in tropical sea surface temperature.
They then go on to state that
Whether this recent increase [in sea surface temperature] is natural, anthropogenic, or both remains an open question.
It's nice (and exceedingly rare) to see an acknowledgment that a rise in some measurement of global temperature has not been automatically attributed to human activity. It is particularly odd given that it comes from U.S. government employees.
The Republican-controlled 104th Congress tried (unsuccessfully) to abolish the Department of Commerce. A few more similar statements and the Democrats will concur.
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