How is Global Warming supposed to bring upon a new Ice Age?

Question

You see it all the time on TV, but how exactly is that supposed to happen?

*Edit:
Just to throw this out there, but I seriously believe that Global Warming is a blown up media hype that if one pushes at with scientific speculation, will implode.

Answer 1

First of all-this is not "supposed" to be a reslult of global warming--that implies scientists are saying it will definately happen.

And they are NOT saying that. What you are referring to is one of a number of hypotheses about what some of the really long-range (i.e. centuries) effects could be. Here's the basic idea:

As global warming worsens (and that is not open to debate--the matter has been proven), it will continue to melt more and more of the ice n the Artic. If enough melts, it will change the salinity (amount of salt) in the seawater of the North Atlantic. That would change the water's density enough to cause the warm-water current--the Gulf Stream--to change its curse, and no longer run up the eastern seaboard of North America and down the west coast of Europe.

The Gulf Stream is critical to the climate in those regions--remove it and,, desptite the fact that the Earth as a whole is warmer, those regions would be a LOT colder. That would shift the climate of eastern Canada, the US eastern seaboard, and northwest Europe, to a much colder one. Whether it would be enough to create another "Ice Age" is very doubtful--it would have t o be severe and last for hundreds of years to do that.

But--this is a hypothesis--not an established fact like the global warming itself. The model I described is one of a number that scientists are studying.

Answer 2

Global warming is a global phenomenon, experienced by people locally. So it is very well we can understand why so much hype and whether it is true or false.

In this decade, there have been too many flash floods in countries like INDIA. Especially in the last 3 years alone India's THAR desert has experienced 2 floods, which is very very rare phenomenon. Once long long ago this desert had a river by name Saraswati, it is dead now and only trace was found under the ground by satellite images. The monsoon has changed its face too many times in this decade. There were extreme climates experienced near Indo-Pak border areas. So the subcontinent alone has experienced extreme climatic changes.

What was it due to? Let it be called as Global Cooling or Global Warming or it can by any other unnamed stuff so far. Human activities have impacted the way globe was once and the way it is now.

Answer 3

No, this is speculative nonsense.

The idea is that melting glacial water would halt the heat carried to Europe by the Gulf Stream, bringing on much colder weather. This speculation is not borne out by any quantitative models.

There is a real danger from global warming: that the Earth will become too hot a few centuries from now. Even that may not happen. All else is speculative nonsense.

Answer 4

I was kinda dosing when I watched that Doc. on the discovery channel but I think they said that Global warming will increase the Magnetosphere power because warm earth conducts electricity better and suck in an asteroid which will smash into us truly and make a big cloud which will block the sun's heat rays and the earth will chill like a Kenmore.

Answer 5

The real cause of the iceage cycle is not known to science at this time mostly because scientists don't care about real stuff but do care about models of real stuff. The real reason for the iceage cycle is way too complex for the current of model makers but its simple enough for normal people to understand. Its all about energy flex. The ice comes on when the energy is low and it melts when the energy level is high. Right now the energy level is high but in 10,000 years it will be low again and ice will return. Its a sure thing this will happen unless a comet or something changes to cycle. But it won't be changed by human tinkering thats for sure too.

Answer 6

Don't pay attention to the man behind the curtain.

This twist on the effects of global warming is all smoke and mirrors. Someone and or industry is forcing this down our throats. Nature is not static. It is dynamic. Global warming has come and gone many times in the history of this planet, even long before the advent of mankind. Are we to blame the dinosaurs because they lived in an environment that was warmer then it is now. As in forest growing in the Antarctica.

Answer 7

The accepted theory is that the earth's climate is triggered by changes in a huge number of variables. It doesn't evolve or change gradually, but can be thrown into a new climate suddenly. On the ground, climatic periods can mean many and sometimes seemingly contradictory patterns: dry vs tropical africa; warm vs cold Europe, ice covered poles, higher or lower oceans...
The theory on global warming leading to ice age is based on a few ice age triggers: lower "albedo" or reflection of sunlight due to loss of polar ice; fresh melt water that reduces salinity of greenland waters and slows down the "conveyor" that pumps warm water to N. Europe; increased cloud cover overall due to greater evaporation; and other causes.
It does seem that the earth's climate can quickly flip between hot and cold states. Extremes would be more likely to cause that flip. That's the simple answer.

Answer 8

The Earth has periods of correction that affect the overall climate, these involve heating and cooling (Ice Age). If the Earth's heat continues to rise due to the trapped gases like methane and carbon dioxide to a point of critical Earth temperature the new Ice Age will be induced in order to offset the rising temperatures and waters.

Answer 9

First of all forget that idiotic movie about Global Warming. That was a piece of trash! One of the things that could happen is the disruption of ocean currents. This shift in the balance could cause the Gulf Stream to no longer warm Europe. This would cause a massive change to their climate.

Answer 10

You have to cover all bases. If it's warmer than average or colder than average, then it's proof that global warming is real. If it's wetter or dryer than average, then that's proof that global warming is real. If there's more or less hurricanes than average, then that's proof that global warming is real, if more species are discovered or lost, than that's proof that global warming exist, if the ice caps grow or shrink, then that's proof....

See how it works. one must have a simple mind to believe.