Researchers say claims may be due to small sample size in studies

The articles did not share any agreed upon

Researchers in the UK have teamed up to uncover the mystery of the global warming 'hiatus.'

The study analysed scientific articles spanning the last 15 years which addressed this widely discussed 'pause' in global warming.

Though the term has been used in scientific circles for years, it has no agreed upon definition.

The study analysed scientific articles spanning the last 15 years which addressed this widely discussed 'pause' in global warming. Though the term has been used in scientific circles for years, it has no agreed upon definition

WILL WARMING TAKE A BREAK? A new study from the University of Bristol, UK analyzed 40 peer-reviewed scientific articles between 2009 and 2014. The study found that there was no conclusive definition to address a 'pause' in global warming, and there was no agreement on when it began or ends. While scientists may refer to this pause in global warming, the researchers say that this comes with the greater understanding that climate change will not stop, and does not imply otherwise. Professor Lewandowsky warns that continued use of this term is hazardous to public knowledge. Advertisement

Now, the researchers are saying this is because it doesn't exist.

With no substantial evidence to support the idea of a pause in global warming, the study concluded that continued use of the term could be hazardous to public understanding of climate change issues.

The team from the University of Bristol was led by Professor Stephan Lewandowsky of Bristol's School of Experimental Psychology and the Cabot Institute, and analysed 40 peer-reviewed articles published between 2009 and 2014.

In the 40 articles, there was no agreement on when it began, and how long it lasted, showing no conclusive definition of the global warming 'hiatus.'

'Our study raises the question: why has so much research been framed around the concept of a 'hiatus' when it does not exist?' says Professor Lewandowsky.

'The notion of a 'pause' or 'hiatus' demonstrably originated outside the scientific community, and it likely found entry into the scientific discourse because of the constant challenge by contrarian voices that are known to affect scientific communication and conduct,' he says.

The problem, he says, may in part stem from conclusions drawn from a small sample size.

One third of the articles studied made the case for a global warming 'hiatus' of 12 years, which Lewandowsky says is the result of a small sample size, and holds insufficient statistical power.

The team from the University of Bristol was led by Professor Stephan Lewandowsky of Bristol's School of Experimental Psychology and the Cabot Institute, and analysed 40 peer-reviewed articles published between 2009 and 2014

'Scientists may argue that when they use the terms 'pause' or 'hiatus' they know—and their colleagues understand—that they do not mean to imply global warming has stopped,' says Lewandowsky.

'But while scientists might tacitly understand that global warming continues notwithstanding the alleged 'hiatus,' or they may intend the 'pause' to refer to differences between observed temperatures and expectations from theory or models, the public is not privy to that tacit understanding.'

In the 40 articles, there was no agreement on when it began, and how long it lasted, showing no conclusive definition of the global warming 'hiatus'

Lewandowsky warns that this phrase can ultimately lead to confusion and miscommunication with the public, who may not have the greater understanding that climate change will persist regardless of a brief pause in surface warming.

'Therefore, scientists should avoid the use of 'pause' or 'hiatus' when referring to fluctuations of global mean surface temperature around the longer-term warming trend,' he says.