isnt global warming a cycle??

Question

hello, can someone explain to me. isnt global warming a cycle? i mean everyone says humans are doing it, but i heard that its gonna be extrememly hot and then an ice age. i dont see the connection.

thanks so much everybody!!

Answer 1

It is a cycle. The world warms and cools. It's very egotistical to think that we can cause something like global warming.

Answer 2

God: David Evans seems pretty incompetent. "2.Better data shows that from 1940 to 1975 the earth cooled while atmospheric carbon increased. That 35 year non-correlation might eventually be explained by global dimming, only discovered in about 2003"
The reasons for this is well known. If someone had devoted six years of research they would surely know about this.
The cooling between 1940 to 1975 is due to pollution. A large quantity of aerosols were released in to the atmosphere. They reflect back sunlight to space. Throw the clean air act, these emissions were cleaned up. When the negatice forcing (cooling effect), which counter acted the warming effect of GHG's, of them was removed the temperature started climbing again showing the full impact of the GHG's.

Asker: Historically CO2 has lagged 200 - 1000 years behind the rise in temperature. It has, in the past, acted as a very strong amplifying effect to global warming. The initial cause has been various natural cycles. Now we see a direct correlation between the rise in CO2 and in temperature. As humans release CO2 in to the atmosphere it traps more heat on Earth. This leads to more CO2 being released (as in the past), thus CO2 is presently BOTH a cause and a strong amplifier.
I don't know the time window for the ice age that you are talking about. The next predicted ice age will occur in 30.000 years. If it is sooner then that, it is proberly meant as a result of climate changes. The theory goes:
There is a chance that the melting of the poles will cause disruptions in the Thermohaline circulation, of which the Gulf stream is a part. This circulation is what transports heat from the equator to the poles in a 'conveyer belt' equalizing the climate. The driving force is when the warm water from the equator cools as it reaches the poles. It sinks because of increased density as it cools. This sinking is the driving force. If the melting water from the poles is released quickley enough it could lead to a disruption in the sinking by acting as a lid (the melt water has lower density then the salt water of the oceans), blocking this vital part. A a result the poles would cool rapidly and glaciers would build. The increased ice surface would reflect back more sunlight to space, amplifying the effect. Most scientists does not think this is likely to happen but this is a scenario where it is possible that global warming leads to an ice age.

Answer 3

SHORT ANSWER

Historically yes but since the onset of industrialisation human activity has greatly accelerated both global warming and climate change.


LONGER ANSWER

Historically the only factors driving climate change have been natural ones but in the last 200 years human activities have had an increasingly dominant role to play.

Both the Earth and the Sun go through a series of complicated cycles, these last anything from a few years to hundreds of thousands of years. Depending whereabouts we are within these cycles there can be a net warming or a net cooling effect. It's these cycles and the interaction between them that have caused short term warming and cooling and have been the trigger for long term warming and cooling.

Currently there's a short term warming trend which has been warming the planet for 18,000 years, this is an anomoly in an otherwise general cooling trend which has been with us for a little over 50 million years. Odd as it may seem, the long term trend is indeed a cooling one and as the history of the planet goes, it's actually quite cold at the moment.

These natural cycles have been responsible for the coming and going of ice ages and historical warming and cooling. But, and this is the salient point, these changes occur very slowly - over thousands and millions of years; the year on year change in average temperatures is miniscule.

In the last 200 years, and particularly in recent decades, the rate of warming has been infinitely more than anything that could possibly be attributed to natural cycles alone. And it's no great mystery as to what's happening.

So what is happening? The science behind global warming is remarkably simple and has been known about for over 100 years. The planet is naturally insulated by a layer of greenhouse gases without which Earth would be 33°C (59°F) colder than it is. Industrialisation has led to a dramatic increase in the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmopshere which is increasing the Earth's insulative properties. Put simply, the more of these gases there are the warmer it gets. The combined levels of all greenhouse gases are higher now and are rising faster than at any time in known history (we have accurate records stretching back nearly 750,000 years).

Answer 4

Do some research. Don't rely on what "I heard." There are plenty of reputable science sites on the Internet where you can get valid information.

Here's a summary of what you'll find (but DON'T take my word for it--go see for yourself): Are there natural climate change cycles? Certainly. However, that is NOT the same as saying this current global warming is natural. The causes of natural global warming--to the extent they are in play at this time (mostly they aren't) don't account for the current changes. What scientists found--after years of research--is that there is a specifical mechanism responsible: excess CO2 released into the atmosphere by the use of fossil fuels by human beings on a massive scale.

A variety of possible causes were examined (changes in solar radiation, in the rate of volcanic eruptions, etc). None account for the changes and so are therefor e not the cause.

The hyppothesis that the current global warming could lead to a "Ice Age" is just that--a hypothesis, based on some sophisiticated computer models. The idea is that global warming might have an effect on the course of the Gulf stream--causing it to move away from its current path that takes it up the US Atlantic seaboard, across the Atlantic and down the coast of western Europe. Since the Gulf Stream keeps the climate in those areas warm, this would result in a colling trend in those regions, even though the overall global temperature would be warmer. But--this is only one hypothesis of what might happen in the long-term--and is only one of several possible long-term scenarios (several of which are wrse in terms of the impact they would have on humanity).

You'll aslo find tha there has been a deliberate campaign on the part of special interests to spread false information that "global warming isn't real" or "that its a natural cycle." That has been well documented. Last year, when challenged by the Royal Scoiety (UK) Exxon/Mobile admitted spending $40 million/year to on such false propaganda. The Bush administration has been shown to have censored scientific documents. And so on.

Finally--don't take the word o fpeople like Rush Limbaugh--or Al Gore, for that matter. They are not scientists--they are spokesmen. What is important is who they are speaking for and how accurately they report. I've found Gore to be careful and thorough--but you need to verify that for yourself before you rely on him--or any other advocate for any particular viewpoint.

Answer 5

First off, Sunny, Global warming is NOT just a theory. You are giving it far too much credit. It does not rise up to the scientific definition of theory. Ask anyone you like. No one can tell you exactly what the "theory" is - probably because if they defined it, it would be too easy to invalidate.

Right now, it is just a loose set of hypotheses.

And Fading, yes, global climate IS cyclical. There are many factors which affect climate, most of which are not fully understood. The Greenhouse effect is the means by which alarmists believe that climate is changing, and despite what alarmists might tell you, we do not fully understand or can even measure the amount of global heat is attributable to the Greenhouse effect. (Go ahead and ask. They claim consensus, but there is no one that can give an answer within 5 degrees or demonstrate the calculations to derive this value). We do know that man contributes less than a percent to the total amount of Greenhouse gases, but alarmists are operating that this is the mysterious "straw that broke the camel's back". But that doesn't answer your question.

What you are probably looking for is the link between rising temperatures bringing on an ice age. This would be through the interruption of the thermohaline conveyor belt. This natural phenomenon has a huge effect on climate, transporting huge masses of both warm and cold waters to different parts of the globe. It is believe that if the Arctic cap melts due to increased warmth, the impact of cold fresh water will interrupt the normal circulation, decreasing the warm waters that keep European temperatures mild, but also possibly triggering glaciation in the Northern hemisphere (without the conveyor to take the colder water away, it will be "stalled" at the North pole, causing an "ice age".)

Answer 6

i'm on no account an expert yet I do attempt to maintain up with new techniques in this situation. So this is my laymans term answer as I are conscious of it: in accordance to this software I observed on the history channel, they had some information that area of world warming is with the help of a organic cycle. inspite of the undeniable fact that, they suggested in this software that human beings can participate of the blame and positively are contributing, yet a number of it has to do with the solar. As you likely be attentive to, the solar rotates because it spins. particular factors of the solar have extra photograph voltaic flares. The solar is rotating to the element the place it fairly is drawing near the section the place photograph voltaic flares are fairly undesirable and this area of the solar is rapidly dealing with the earth. This component of the solar has not been uncovered to the earth for over one hundred years. The final time this occured returned interior the overdue 1800s, you will learn the troublesome winters, floods and droughts that made history. those photograph voltaic flares can certainly attain into our atmosphere and reason warming of gases, or worldwide warming which effects our climate. returned, human beings are actually not off the hook, yet they don't seem to be completely in charge. Can they help by utilizing lowering on emissions? probably. super question!

Answer 7

There are natural cycles in the Earth as well as in the sun's output that people are quoting as excuses for not believing in Global Warming. The contribution to Global Warming due to those effects is VERY small and no one is even sure they make any real difference at all.

The contribution to Global Warming due to green house gas production is "in addition to" those forces and is magnitudes greater. That is widely accepted as fact.

The link is a very good visual representation of contributing forces to GW.

The heating vs. ice age nonsense is short term vs. long term (I hope!) effects. If Global Warming triggers a change in ocean currents, that in turn could trigger an Ice Age.

Basically, Global Warming isn't a very good term to describe what's happening. It would better be described as "Excess Energy in the Earth's Biosphere".

Answer 8

Yes, climate change is happening - I think everyone agrees on that. Whether it is part of a normal cyclical change, or if this extends beyond a normal fluctuation and is being caused by humans - that's the part that's under debate. I'm not really sure what the debate is though, because science is OVERWHELMINGLY on the side of it being caused by humans.
Anyways, the ice age thing is pretty complicated (it is science, after all!), and has to do with changing ocean currents as the ocean warms up.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0130-11.htm - that page actually explains the logic behind it pretty well, if you're interested.

Answer 9

I'm not sure if it is a cycle or not but im pretty sure the Earth will fix itself.

The greenhouse gases reflect the heat back down to the earth. This melts the ice caps.
As the ice caps melt, the freezing water from this will travel south cooling the northern hemisphere. We'll have an ice age and then the ice will reflect back alot of suns radiation whilst the remaining trees in the south absorb alot of the carbon. Then when the earth heats up again, the ice will melt and everyone will be happy again!

Answer 10

Yes, the earth naturally heats and cools, but we're starting to experience a much higher heating cycle than we ever have before. There is scientific evidence linking human growth and activity with the increase. Check http://www.climatecrisis.net/thescience/ for more info, or just Google "Global Warming". At any rate, whether you believe in it or not, with a constantly increasing population we are eventually going to run out of resources, so we might as well start changing our ways.

Answer 11

The Earth has warmed and cooled in the past without human interference. That does not mean that humans can't cause global warming.

The Earth was warming very slowly a few centuries ago because we were coming out of an ice age. Since the Industrial Revolution, and particularly since 1960, global warming has suddenly started to accelerate:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:2000_Year_Temperature_Comparison.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Instrumental_Temperature_Record.png
http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/info/warming/

So how do we account for this sudden acceleration, which just happens to coincide with a time period where humans are emitting a lot of previously trapped carbon by burning fossil fuels?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Mauna_Loa_Carbon_Dioxide.png
http://www.john-daly.com/bull120.htm

Well, scientists have created climate models to account for the various contributors to global climate change. Natural causes simply cannot account for the recent acceleration in global warming. When they factor in greenhouse gases, they find that they account for 70-95% of the recent global warming:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Climate_Change_Attribution.png

That's how climate scientists have concluded that humans are responsible for the recent global warming.