Penn State University clears climate change scientist Michael Mann of manipulating his research findings
Australian Broadcast Corporation
July 4, 2010
American climate change scientist Michael Mann has been cleared of manipulating his research findings.
The allegations arose in the 'climategate' scandal which erupted when emails between Dr Mann and other scientists were taken from a computer at the University of East Anglia in Britain and posted on the internet.
The Pennsylvania State University findings follow two other investigations in Britain effectively exonerating climate scientists accused of misconduct.
Dr Mann's data adjustment procedures in particular were called into question when private email messages between him other scientists were posted on the internet.
The Pennsylvania university received a number of complaints about its professor's conduct and it launched two separate investigations in response.
They looked broadly at whether Dr Mann had falsified, suppressed or destroyed data, or deviated from accepted research practices.
Both reports have now cleared the scientist and Professor Roger Jones, from the University of Victoria in Melbourne, has welcomed the findings.
He was advisor to the Garnaut Climate Change Review and a lead author for the last two reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.