What does a Climate Scientist look like?

The National Oceaniac and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is chartered by the Fed.Gov to forecast hurricanes. Their 2010 hurricane season prediction is due out next week.

Unfortunately, they're not very accurate, having missed three of the last four seasons. Others think that a .250 batting average is pretty low for climate scientists, and think that they can do better. This is “Dr. James Hansimian”, who also predicts hurricane frequency.

Via press release: Washington, DC: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s track record in predicting the number of Atlantic hurricanes is so abysmal that a trained chimp could do better, says The National Center for Public Policy Research, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

The group is putting this claim to the test, issuing a 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Forecast today determined by a chimpanzee, “Dr. James Hansimian.”

I think that the reply from NOAA was something along the lines of "If you want Rocket Scientists, you should go try NASA", or something.

And unlike the labcoats at NOAA, the chimp works for peanuts (well, bananas).