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ABC Science website (received) , 17th December 2010
Summary published: 25th February 2010
An online reader complained that the ABC Science website ‘A Journey through Climate History’ contained a number of inaccuracies.
Complaint Finding Status: Upheld
Audience and Consumer Affairs response:
The ABC acknowledged the following errors on the site:
- The placement of the Huronian Ice Age at 2.7 billion years ago in the timeline, and the statement that it was “from 2.7 to 2.3 Billion Years ago”, were inaccurate.
- The placement of the event ‘First life on Earth’ at 2 billion years ago in the timeline, and the reference in the entry to primitive, one-celled creatures having appeared “about 3 billion years ago” were inaccurate.
- The reference to a Cryogenian Ice Age having occurred from 850 to 630 million years ago was inaccurate.
- The placement of the Medieval Warm Period at 700 AD in the timeline was inaccurate and inconsistent with the event description, which referred to the period “between AD 800 [and] 1300”. Further, the statement in the entry “the idea that it was a global phenomenon is now discredited and it is suspected that the average global temperature could have been slightly cooler than in the early 20th century” overstated the certainty of the current understanding of the Medieval Warm Period.
- A disputed claim that the Northeast and Northwest Passages were open in 2008 for the first time in 125,000 years was inaccurately stated as fact.
- A statement that “since , the record of ‘warmest year’ and ‘worst bleaching’ has likely been broken” was unsubstantiated and did not adhere to the editorial standard for accuracy.
The errors were corrected on the website.