Late_Cretaceous

Is it real? Is it manmade? Is it more of a political issue then a scientific issue? How much is media hysteria? Is the media hysteria already starting to wane? How much is Junk Science? How many years will go by before people are saying "hey, what the hell ever happened to GW?"?

Some researchers admit that if they can in anyway tie their research into GW they can get money (one example more or less as it was described: Magnetotellurics are used to map the earth's interior, Magnetotelluric measurments are enhanced during peaks of sunspot activity, sunspot activity may affect climate, anything that affect climate relates to GW, GW = $ for research).

It has been generally accepted that the earth's climate was warmer as recently as the dark-ages (viking farming in greenland), then cooled of considerably. However, it seems to be politically incorrect to bring this up (one documentry on TLC denied that such climate changes took place).

One website I found has a map of the world with icons supposedly showing where evidence of GW can be found. One in particular indicated that 1998 was the hottest summer on record for where I live, and calls that proof of GW. Of course there is no mention of all the summers since, and for a few years before 98 that have all been below normal for here (not to mention we are currently experiencing the coldest spring ever recorded here).


"We have about five more years at the outside to do something, If present trends continue, the world will be ... 11 degrees colder in 2000 ... about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age!" ecologist Kenneth Watt, 1970.

Late_Cretaceous

here is a link to that GW site i mentioned
<a href="http://www.climatehotmap.org/namerica.html" target="_blank">http://www.climatehotmap.org/namerica.html</a>

daemon

As a semi-informed guess, I think the hoopla surrounding GW is primarily the result of sensationalization and zealotry, but it may have some basis in reality. It seems reasonable to guess that humanity can produce a large number and quantity of non-naturally occurring chemicals (as well as excessive amounts of the rest), but I don't think the effects are well understood.

I'm personally somewhat hesitant to lean one way or the other. On one side, we have what seem to me to be hyper-reactionary environmentalists who latch on to one hypothesis and insist it is gospel truth, even in the face of opposing evidence, and on the other we have major industrial concerns with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo--if not loosening restrictions--with a track record of questionable and hazardous practices. It annoys me no end.

[ May 06, 2002: Message edited by: daemon ]</p>

Jamie_L

Warning: unsubstantiated annecdotal hearsay to follow.

I heard a report on NPR last year saying that new data was in on ocean temperatures, and that they had risen in ways that matched global warming models. Supposedly, according to the report, ocean temperatures are more accurate things to look at, because there is so much thermal mass involved in raising them.

But, read the warning at the top of the post.

Jamie

Asha'man

Respectable scientists have gone from talking about *if* global warming is real to talking about *how big* it is.

Liquidrage

Thats kinda a blanket statement.

Global warming?

Hey, maybe we're just fighting off the next Ice Age.

Blinn

There is some data documenting that the reproductive seasons of many temperate organisms, such as amphibians and flowering trees, are occurring several weeks earlier now than they were several decades ago. This is believed to be linked to warmer temps.

Coragyps

I read that same thing, possibly in Science , so you're less unsubstantiated now.
Whether we're really warming as much as some models predict or not, there's no doubt that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are going up crazily. Humans sure seem to be doing most of the additions this time, though there seem to have been previous spikes of CO2 before we were around. If the hypothesis that warming leads to methane hydrate release leads to more greenhouse gases leads to even more warming is true, I worry for my grandkids. It's too damn hot out here in the wastelands already.

moon

I've also heard that there is some controversy surrounding this so-called "evolution" thing. Check this out:
<a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/" target="_blank">http://www.answersingenesis.org/</a>

Lot's of respectable scientists doubt that it is happening. Who knows?

There is also a great motivation for evolution "scientists" to claim that evolution is a fact, because this helps them to get funding for their research projects. If you ask me, it's a scam. Nobody really knows.

Skydancer

Global climate has been oscillating up and down for millenia, ever since the glaciers melted off the last time. Whether what we are doing is having an effect is the only real controversy, and so far there are no trends that exceed previous changes.

The problem with the computer climate models is that they still haven't got one that can predict 2000 starting in 1900. Until they have that, any pronouncement based on computer models is basically total BS.