Is this enough to convice you climate change is here ?

Question

EDMONTON (CP) - A series of ponds on the Arctic tundra that have formed a crucial component of Ellesmere Island's ecosystem for 6,000 years have largely dried up and blown away in a single generation, says new research that suggests climate change may be affecting the North faster than anyone thought.
"It's very strong evidence that the Arctic is warming and that it's warming faster than we thought it was going to happen," said Marianne Douglas, a University of Alberta biologist who's been studying the ponds on the east coast of Ellesmere Island since 1983.
In a paper published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Douglas summarizes research she and her fellow researchers have conducted on a series of ponds on Cape Herschel.
The ponds varied in size from a few hundred to several thousand square metres and ranged from boggy marshland to one metre deep. Sediment samples suggest some of the larger ponds were up to 6,000 years old.

Many are now completely gone. The largest, once nearly as big as a CFL football field, has shrunk to a room-sized puddle.
Areas that once needed to be trod in high rubber boots are now walkable in runners. Former wetlands are now dry enough to burn.

The far north is likely one of the most sensitive area'son the planet -

It has a multitude of life in it -but for how much longer -

It will affect the planet the ice is melting and there will be a North west passage soon - how will this affect the rest of us - I don't think anyone really knows

Answer 1

Anyone who denies global warming is not facing the facts, its not being debated by the top scientists any longer they all agree it is real, what is being debated is how to correct it.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, the phenomenon many have taken to calling global warming happens to coincide with a sharp increase in CO2 levels and temperature in a pattern tracked over thousands of years. The world has been heating up steadily since the last ice age, and over the next few thousand years we will reach the peak of this oscillating pattern.

That's not to say that global warming isn't actually happening; rather to explain why it still hasn't been proven true. It's rather like telling someone that their house will be caught in an earthquake right before it's scheduled for demolition. Sure, it might be more damaged than before, but it was going to be destroyed anyway.

Answer 3

Climate change is ALWAYS happening, the planet is not static, it is a living thing, and like all living things it changes.

Please explain the "little ice age". After a few centuries of good climate the temperatures around the planet suddenly drop. from about 1300-1800 the weather became increasingly cold, severe storms and major famines spread across the planet. all BEFORE industrialization.

please explain how that fits in to your proposed "man made global warming".

Answer 4

You know for thousands of years they just called it a plain old drought. Or a heat wave. Over 45 years ago our farm pond dried up & we just used another & built a man made lake for irrigation. I visited a great aunt a couple of weeks ago & the original pond is back. My cousin is an biologist & he said the spring that fed it reopened to it. Okay his explanation was a lot more complicated than that but that is what he meant.
Complicated - climate change = greenhouse effect
Plain truth - climate change = drought, heat wave & normal

Answer 5

One of the responders suggested that Al Gore presented 'theory' as 'fact'. The definition of a 'theory' is...A coherent group pf general propositions based on observed data as class of phennomena..an established scientific explaination, though not a 'law'. Couple all of the data points that link human activity as a major part of the 'global warming' situation and the 'theory' takes on a shape that's difficult to dismiss without dismissing the data itself. Also, you might look up the word 'consilience'. A word that has to do with unrelated lines of sientific evidence that supports the global warming 'theory'. Check it out!

Answer 6

No one has ever denied that global warming is happening. It's a proven fact, and can't be refuted. I do, however, refuse to join the Church of Man-made Global Warming and worship Al Gore. Unless, of course, he stops representing theory as fact.

It's nice, however, to see that the issue is becoming increasingly vague. It was global warming before; a nice, definite problem. Now it's climate change; much more abstract. So basically, no matter what pattern the weather takes, Mr. Gore is going to blame me and my Corolla while he flies in private jets.

Answer 7

The sky is falling, the sky is falling.......sorry but man has no dominion over nature, as much as you might like to believe it.

Hey here's one for you, some of the ponds were only 6000 years old, hmmmmmmm what were they before that? maybe DRY!

Answer 8

If you are a good person... you will care about handing something down to your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. You can do your duty and sell you gas guzzling SUV and buy the most economical vehicle you can find. This will send a message to the Automakers and force them into change.

Come on people....we've abused and showed nothing but contempt for Mother Earth...it's time to start giving something back...or... I guarantee she is going to reprimand us in a big way.

Answer 9

This is the problem with Liberals they have to have a crisis to save us from by telling us how to live our lives. Just take care of your own life and quit trying to force me to live up to your standards. It sounds alot like muslims who want us to live our lives the way they see fit. This is why I dont like Liberals or Muslims

Answer 10

I certainly believe in global warming and excessive burning of fossil fuels contribute to this. I believe in using pragmatic solutions to counter global warming.