Is it true that global warming will lead to ice age?

Question

Scientists are of the view that our earth will be covered with
ice if the trend of global warming caused by man's actions
like burning of fossil fuels and release of freon gas from refrigerators. I want details of the phenomenon

Answer 1

It's one possibility.

The basic mechanism is that global warming will cause the Greenland Ice Sheet to melt. This will cause massive amounts of cold relatively salt-free water to enter the North Atlantic. The theory goes that this cold water will interact with the warm water currents travelling up the Atlantic from the area of the Gulf of Mexico to the North West European coasts (this is what was called the Gulf Stream and is now more often referred to as the "Atlantic Conveyor System"). It is basically these warm water currents that keep northern Europe more-or-less ice free and much warmer than they otherwise would be.

The effect of the interaction between the cold ice meltwater from Greenland on the Atlantic Conveyor would be to "switch off" the Atlantic Conveyor and cause the northern hemisphere, especially around Europe to become much colder, meaning that snow would fall further south and last longer into the Spring before melting. As snow reflects heat the effect would be that each sucessive year would become colder and the snow would last longer until the snow would not melt at all during the summer. This would be the start of an Ice Age. The localised cooling effect over Europe would spread throughout the northern hemisphere, disrupting weather patterns and causing a "negative feedback" effect - it would get colder because it was already cold.

Disrupted weather patterns and altered currents in the northern hemisphere and lowered sea levels are predicted to cause a similar ice age effect in the southern hemisphere.

The other main theory regarding global warming is that the ice caps will just melt and everywhere will get a lot hotter - equatorial regions will become more or less uninhabitable and the temperate zones will come to ressemble the tropics. Sea levels are predicted to rise a considerable height under this theory with almost all major coastal towns and cities being flooded.

At present there is considerable scientific argument going on about whether the Earth will "boil" or "freeze". Both have happened several times in Earth's history - we have had a number of Ice Ages and there have also been times when the polar regions were totally ice-free. The Earth has a natural cycle of warming and cooling even without Man's influence. Whether the pollution caused by Man will make whatever happens less or more severe and which main theory will prove to be correct remains to be seen.

Answer 2

No one really knows if global warming due to man is even happenning!!! Scientists even argue the point. Some say it is because the earth's orbit shifts closer then further away from the sun every so many thousand years. Some scientists say the pollution will ultimately cool the planet, reflecting sunlight away. Some give the freezing or the boiling effect credence. None can give absolute scientific fact about any of these theories, and thats all they are is theories.

Answer 3

I've heard a theory that global warming will lead to the melting of the ice sheet covering the arctic ocean. Once the arctic is ice-free, it will begin generating storms, which will drop increased amounts of snow on the land in the area (Alaska, Canada, Siberia)--more snow will fall in the winter than will melt in the summer, causing glaciers to form and start advancing south. The increased cloud cover (white) and increased snow on the ground (white) will reflect sunlight causing global cooling. Eventually, the arctic will freeze over again restarting the cycle.

Answer 4

Yes global warming will lead to an Ice Age if we live that long. I personally don't beleive we will be on the Earth long enough for another Ice Age(Jesus's Return). But if we do stay here long enough then the Earth will begin to have the atmosphere clouded with all kind's of gasses and polutions and create an Ice Age.

Answer 5

Possible, not probable. The "rumours" probably stem from the movie Day After Tomorrow. Even the producer and director admit that the movie is a dramatization of theoretical potential effects of Global Warming.

Answer 6

Global warming causing an ice age is a contradiction.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4888

Answer 7

colder winters more rain, that's what AL ignorantass Gore says. global warming is a gigantic farce.

Answer 8

We are at the tail end of an ice age now.

Answer 9

Hi there! If you wanna know more about it, just click on the link below. For me, this helps a lot, hope this can help you too.

Answer 10

Anything is possible.