We all know the Earth has cycles of periods of weather & climate. In the distant future are we going to be crying out against global cooling? I can see it now, "Pollution causing global cooling!!!!". Sure we may speed the process up a bit, but it's going to happen either way, literally. Right?
2006-12-14 06:44:27 · 8 answers · asked by Reme 2 in Environment
I believe the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" touched on this point. As it gets hotter, the closer we'll get to another ice age.
2006-12-14 07:09:37 · update #1
When the oceans fill with fresh water from melting ice at the poles, it will stop the natural ocean current from flowing. The ocean current is what helps regulate the earth's temperature. When the current stops, the temperature will go unchecked and there will literally be another ice age. Befrore that can happen though, there has to be a high enough temperature increase to melt the polar ice. There are natural heating and cooling stages recorded throughout history, and scientists can literally look back at hundreds of thousands of years of data. One thing is certain; The levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are the highest they have been in hundreds of thousands of years. Another thing is also certain. When CO2 levels rise, global temperature rises. If CO2 levels are the highest they have ever been, you can randomly call it a natural phenomenon, or you can be practical and point to the factories and plants with billowing clouds of CO2 coming out of their pipes. You can point to the millions of cars with CO2 coming out of their exhaust, and you can point to the millions of acres of trees that when burned release all the CO2 that was stored in their cells.
2006-12-14 06:58:32 · answer #1 · answered by drail 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, the Earth has periodic changes in climate. They may last a short or more prolonged period of time and this has been going on long before Man threw the first candy wrapper on the ground or fired up the first car. Are we contributing to it? Almost certainly yes. However, is our contribution significant enough to justify the recent panic that seems to be being spread by Al Gore and others - probably not (in my opinion). On the other hand, common sense tells us that we should be searching for alternate sources of energy since fossil fuels are a finite resource. Solar seems the logical choice to me, but since we live in a corporate society and companies haven't found a way to charge us for sunlight yet (think bubble that blocks out the sun under the disguise of a defense system), it isn't "economically feasible" (meaning the rich can't stay rich as easily that way).
2006-12-14 15:13:02 · answer #2 · answered by Lee W. 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"An Inconvenient Truth" is not a scientific reference.
And the other reference which I have listed below. I quote: "Error sources include incomplete station coverage, quantified by sampling a model-generated data set with realistic variability at actual station locations, and partly subjective estimates of data quality problems (4)." Translation: We made up a big chunk of the data.
And the authors may want to look at any introductory textbook on statistics about producing their error estimates. Confidence intervals are not determined in this way they seem to be indicating they used. The authors should have referenced the methods they are using, and I suspect standard methods would have produced confidence intervals which did not support the conclusions they are advocating.
2006-12-14 16:37:39 · answer #3 · answered by Michael M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
During the 1970's folks were up in arms because of Global Cooling. Do a search on it and you will see.
I figure somewhere between 10K and 100K in the future we will see Global Cooling...
2006-12-14 14:54:26 · answer #4 · answered by chefantwon 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's already happened. From 1940-1980 the Earth experienced a cooling trend. "Global Cooling" was the focus topic of the first Earth Day.
I ain't kidding.
We're already seeing another one. Started in 1998.
Also not kidding.
2006-12-14 14:50:19 · answer #5 · answered by fucose_man 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Let me ask Michael Crichton. He knows more than most of those half-wit scientists. PLUS, he's a good storyteller.
P.S.- You should copyright "Global Cooling" (if it hasn't been already). You'd make AT LEAST six bucks.
2006-12-14 14:48:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why is Venus hotter than Mercury even though it is further away from the sun? Do you know?
2006-12-14 14:52:46 · answer #7 · answered by Nick F 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Such cycles are typically longer than 10k years.
2006-12-14 14:58:30 · answer #8 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋