Climate change

[GardenerGal]

Royd wrote: Doz wascally humans. We need to do something about them

Yup. We just keep reproducing like widdle bunny wabbits. But bunnies don't burn fossil fuels or release nuclear isotopes, or create synthetic super-toxic chemicals.

 

[Royd]

If bunnies ate humans they'd probably prefer us medium to well done.

 

[chickened]

Hi rowlow,
I'm glad you started the thread, because even if people disagree we can still all learn something from and about each other. It's like a small diversion from talking about chickens and other poultry all the time! Though I don't get tired of that. Love my chicks, ducks 'n' geese. lol

The cycle of warming and cooling is part of the Earth's natural climatic history. Ice ages and warm ages are part of a "pendulum swing" back and forth, a feedback loop of cause and effect. The last ice age (Pleistocene) ended about 12,000 years ago, and since that time the climate has gradually warmed. However (and this is a BIG "however"), the warming trend has very noticeably accelerated -- speeded up far beyond that of previous interstitial ("in-between" ice ages) periods. We know this because drillings of core samples from various places, including Antarctica, reveal the quantities of trapped "greenhouse" gases (so called because they form a layer that causes heat to build up in the atmosphere like a glass greenhouse traps warmth from the sun) directly responsible for global hot climate. Core samples containing low amounts of greenhouse gases indicate a period of global cool climate. By comparing the core drillings that are from different periods of time, we can see the natural pattern of Earth's heating and cooling.

The amounts of greenhouse gases we're reading in the current atmosphere are far higher than they should be, compared to all of the readings from core samples from previous epochs' ice age-warm age periods. That leads researchers to wonder what is causing such a difference in rate of warming. One thing that is observable, is human activity, starting back from thousands of years ago.

Humans are the only creatures known to use fire and combustion -- which releases carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere. Besides natural fires caused by lightning and spontaneous combustion of organic matter, and volcanic activity which has remained fairly constant in the past 50,000 years (which we know for a number of reasons, such as from "reading" layers of lava deposits worldwide), human use of fossil fuels and wood contributes to the buildup of greenhouse gases. When there weren't that many humans, and all they were burning was wood and dried animal dung for cooking and heating, the human contribution of gases was minimal. But now human population is in the 7 billion range, we have vast industries and motor vehicles in addition to personal cooking/heating needs, and we are consuming huge amounts of fuels, most of which are the remains of living things from hundreds of millions of years ago (oil, coal, methane and natural gas). Those fossil organics were holding carbon dioxide trapped in their matter, keeping it out of the atmosphere, but now burning those deposits that would never otherwise have seen the light of day again, is returning the CO2 back into the atmosphere at accelerated rates (think of how China is now increasing its use of oil as more and more Chinese reach the middle class and buy cars... no more bicycles for them!).

So, that is one prevailing theory for why we are witnessing very noticeable changes in global climate, whose consequences include melting of the polar ice caps and permafrost (the previously year-round frozen soils of the Arctic), leading to higher sea levels, changes in ocean currents --- which leads to changes in air thermal currents -- which leads to changes in patterns of storm and drought --- and you can see where all this is going.

If we look at it too near-sightedly -- linearly (we try to create a starting point and an ending point, like a straight line of events) -- it's a domino effect. But if we step back and look at the Big Picture, it is a dyanamic process that we are seeing only a piece of... one phase of a feedback loop that has not hit its critical point (where the pendulum will swing back... to something) yet.

Now you do know that melting ice in the seas does not raise the ocean. Put an icecube in a glass of water let it melt and see if the water level changes.

Chjna has more cars than ever but they have few roads thus not much driving time.

I do agree with the overall assessment you laid out though.

 

[GardenerGal]

Now you do know that melting ice in the seas does not raise the ocean. Put an icecube in a glass of water let it melt and see if the water level changes.

Chjna has more cars than ever but they have few roads thus not much driving time.

I do agree with the overall assessment you laid out though.

China will make more roads to accommodate the lust for cars, don't you think so? Meanwhile, the available roads are packed with motor vehicles.

Melting ice in the seas:
http://phys.org/news5619.html

Beyond that, if ice on land melts into water, and the water that runs into the seas will raise the sea level. I'm not necessarily talking about ice floating in the ocean and melting, but all of the planet's surface ice --- which is melting alarmingly rapidly.

 

[GardenerGal]

If bunnies ate humans they'd probably prefer us medium to well done.

Why am I suddenly having a "Monty Python's Holy Grail" flashback??
Tim: Well, that's no ordinary rabbit.
King Arthur: Ohh.
Tim: That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on!
Sir Robin: You xxx! I soiled my armor I was so scared!
Tim: Look, that rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide! It's a killer!
Sir Galahad: Get stuffed!
Tim: He'll do you up a treat, mate.
Sir Galahad: Oh, yeah?
Sir Robin: You manky Scots git!
Tim: I'm warning you!
Sir Robin: What's he do? Nibble your bum?
Tim: He's got huge, sharp... er... He can leap about. Look at the bones!
King Arthur: Go on, Bors. Chop his head off!
Sir Bors: Right! Silly little bleeder. One rabbit stew comin' right up!

 

[GardenerGal]

Wish I could post the video of that!

 

[GardenerGal]

Thinking of climate change... makes me think of the droughts in the Midwest, and the bizarre "derecho" storm that hit the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Strange things are afoot.

 

[Royd]

Thanks for the laugh.

 

[Royd]

Why are they always blaming the weather on the Latino community ? El Nino, La Nina, Derecho.

 

[rowlow]

Thinking of climate change... makes me think of the droughts in the Midwest, and the bizarre "derecho" storm that hit the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Strange things are afoot.

I agree...Either the weather news coverage has gotten a lot better and more in depth or recently the storms have gotten worse. Out here in Northern california the weather seems mild and kinda normal. I would like a string of 100 deg days now and then though. But where I live that would drive the wine prices up and the whole world would go into chaos lol