From: Tom Wigley <wigley@ucar.edu>
To: Keith Briffa <k.briffa@uea.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Nature: Review of manuscript 2005-12-14395
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 13:45:26 -0700

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Keith,

Thanx for this. Interesting. However, I do not think your
response is very good. Further, there are grammatical and
text errors, and (shocking!!) you have spelled McKitrick
wrong. This is a sure way to piss them off.

They claim that three cores do not cross-date for TRW.
They also say (without results) that the same applies to MXD
(these results may be in their Supp. Mat. -- I presume you
checked this).

So, all you need say is ...

(1) TRW was not the only data used for cross-dating.
(2) When MXD is used there are clear t-value peaks,
contrary to their claim. You can show your Fig. 4 to prove
this.
(3) The 3-core-composite cross-dates with other (well-dated)
chronologies (Yamal and Polurula), confirming the MXD-based
dating. You can show your Fig. 5 to prove this.

You could say all this in very few words -- not many more than
I have used above. As it is, your verbosity will leave any reader
lost.

There are some problems still. I note that 1032 is not cold in Yamal.
Seems odd. Is it cold in *all* of the three chronologies at issue?
Or did a reindeer crap next to one of the trees?

Also, there seems to be a one-year offset in the 1020s in your
Fig. 6.

I hope this is useful. I really think you have to do (and can do) a
better job in combatting the two Ms. If this stuff gets into Nature,
you still have a chance to improve it. Personally, I think it would
be good for it to appear since, with an improved response, you can
make MM look like ignorant idiots.

Tom.

=========================

Keith Briffa wrote:

> Dear Emma
> I am very sorry for the delay in returning this response to the 
> submitted Brief Communication By McIntyre and McKitric . I have been 
> extremely busy and to substantiate my written remarks it was necessary 
> to dig out the original data and produce a number of Figures 
> illustrating the true nature of the cross-dating of the data . I have 
> (or at least my Research Associate Tom) has now done this and I am 
> finally in a position to write the response. This is contained in the 
> WORD file attached to this message . The Figures are attached in a 
> separate file. I am happy for you to send the attached written 
> response to McIntyre and McKitric , but I would prefer if you would 
> NOT send the Figures , at least until these are posted on the Climatic 
> (hopefully sometime tomorrow). I am accepting your offer of sending 
> this response directly to you rather than sending it through the 
> Nature system . Sorry that it is a little long.
> If you decide to publish their communication ( which I consider very 
> unlikely , given its entirely fallacious content) I would expect 
> Nature to publish this response and find room to publish my Figures 
> (even if only as Supplementary material). Thank you again for your 
> patience.
> yours sincerely
> Keith
>
>
>
>
>
>> At 10:30 06/01/2006, you wrote:
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>> >Dear Professor Briffa
>> >
>> >I am writing to you on behalf of Rosalind Cotter, with regard to
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>
> -- 
> Professor Keith Briffa,
> Climatic Research Unit
> University of East Anglia
> Norwich, NR4 7TJ, U.K.
>
> Phone: +44-1603-593909
> Fax: +44-1603-507784
>

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