Olson estimated 1.4 million fewer taxpayers claimed those breaks in 2006 than 2005, and says there was no explanation for the falloff except for confusion caused by the delay.

FORBES: Taxpayers' Biggest Problem? Congress, Says Report

That should allow for the inclusion of outlandish readings without distorting the result. (Except where there seems to be straightforward confusion between Celsius and Fahrenheit, which is corrected.) By avoiding traditional procedures that require long, continuous data segments, the Berkeley Earth methodology can also accommodate unusually short sequences: for example, those provided by temporary weather stations.

ECONOMIST: Climate change