can global warming start an ice age?

Answer 1

Yes, although not as quickly as the distorted science used in the movie day after tomorrow.

The book, "The Little Ice Age" by Brian Fagan walks you through it very nicely as well as all the related weather changes that lead up to and from it, such as droughts, famine and plagues.

The way it works is that eventually enough of the polar ice melts and dilutes the sea water so much that no longer has the correct salinity to generate as much of a current that carries warm tropical water to the north and brings cool water south.

If you look at the ocean currents of the world you will see that there are huge loops that act as a global heating and cooling system.

When these break down from too much fresh water from melted ice then you get an ice age when the glaciers in the polar regions grow really fast and cover more and more of the land mass towards the equator.

It is part of the regulatory mechanism of the biosphere and will eventually, after tens of thousands of years, return conditions to roughly what we assume to be normal at this point.

Answer 2

No.

Have a look at this FAQ on global warming.. http://www.heartland.org/pdf/19381.pdf

Scroll down to page 3, to the section on “Scare Stories” and you’ll find the following…

Is the world in danger of plunging into a new ice age, as in the 2004 movie The Day After Tomorrow?

No. The scenario presented in The Day After Tomorrow is physically impossible. While research does suggest that the Gulf Stream has switched on and off in the past, causing temperature drops in Europe, oceanographers are convinced that global warming does not present any such danger. (The source is provided in the above document.)

So, it’s simply more scare-mongering from the global warming alarmists.

As ever with global warming… don’t believe the hype.

Answer 3

We know much about global warming but one of the things we don't really know is whether it will contribute towards another ice age.

It seems improbable and if I was to put a percentage on it I'd say less than 5%, others would disagree. Some would say definitely not, others would say quite possibly.

The current climate models indicate the most dramatic temperature changes will be in the coldest places - Antarctic, Siberia etc and this is what we're seeing happening (which at least confirms the models are working).

There is a theory that thermohaline circulation may be affected (ocean currents). Cold meltwater from the Arctic regions could mix with the North Atlantic and interupt the Atlantic Conveyor (Gulf Stream) which brings warm waters from the tropics to the shores of Iceland, Greenland, the UK, Ireland etc. Here there's a problem - meltwater is freshwater so it floats on top of the denser salt water but at the same time cold water is denser than the warmer sea water so it sinks. One way or another it could 'turn off' the Atlantic Conveyor which woud cool temperatures in the North Atlantic by 10 to 12 degrees C.

However, truned on or off the Atlantic Conveyor doesn't create heat it just disperses it. In other words, the heat will still be there in the oceans just somewhere else on the planet - the cooling in one area could be offset by the warming in another so maintaining a global equilibrium.

We're in uncharted territory here and no one knows for sure what will happen. We don't have enough reliable data to make accurate forecasts and there's many variables which interact and counteract with each other in ways that can't accurately be predicted.

Ask me again in 100,000 years.

Answer 4

it really is no longer a threat for global warming to commence an ice age. in simple terms a lengthy-time period global cooling would. global warming won't be able to reason global cooling. both are opposites, although both are one hundred% natual activities.

Answer 5

Yes, it cold here tonight and we had to cover flowers outside. Now that Global Warming is over we can concentrate on what really important. The Asteroid that will hit Earth in October 2028.

Answer 6

the short answer...probably...

heat melts polar caps, which stops the warm ocean current that help to warm the northern hemisphere. result = colder.

its much more complex than this though, no one knows the full picture

What is known is that there is a regular cycle of ice ages... and we are due one fairly soon (not in our life times)

Answer 7

sure it could. a loss of atmosphere can either create a land with high temperatures or a land with low temperatures.

Answer 8

I think Al Gore should put his brain on ice!:)

Answer 9

Yes.

Answer 10

i don't think so