Climate Change
My Blogs (olelog) are mainly based on my daily
reading of earth science news.
Here on whatonearth.olehnielsen.dk I try to weave
some of the pieces together to a greater whole with added background info.
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Climate Change |
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My Blogs (olelog) are mainly based on my daily
reading of earth science news.
Here on whatonearth.olehnielsen.dk I try to weave
some of the pieces together to a greater whole with added background info.
|
||
Global Warming = Climate Change
Thursday, 1. December 2005, 15:11:03
Global warming is not the same as local warming, so although the earth as a
whole gets warmer it may get colder in your specific region.
The climatic effects of global warming on specific regions are under discussion. Will Sahara get greener? Will Sahel get dryer? Will a quarter of the US become a desert?
Abrupt regional cooling and gradual global warming can unfold simultaneously. For the time being Europe seems to get warmer, but is this a lasting trend? For the time being North Western Europe has its own (oceanic) heat pump, namely the Gulf Stream, but what if the heat pump is altered.
Scientists have discussed this problem for quite some time. It was e.g discussed by a panel on abrupt climate change at the World Economic Forum ar Davos, Switzerland, January 27, 2003, where Robert B. Gagosian described how the global ocean circulation system, often called the Ocean Conveyor, transports heat throughout the planet, and how European and North American winters could easily become more severe. See http://www.whoi.edu/institutes/occi/currenttopics/climatechange_wef.html
New research reported in the scientific journal Nature indicates that changes
to the ocean currents in the Atlantic may cool European weather within a few
decades. The conclusions are based on 50 years of Atlantic observations. I find
however that it must be stressed that the analysis only involves five sets of
measurements, made in 1957, 1981, 1992 and 1998 from ships, and in 2004 from
a line of research buoys tethered to the ocean floor. This is far from proof,
but never the less the story brought by BBC News at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4485840.stm
may give one something to think about, specifically if you live in my part of
the world.
Global Warming
Friday, 2. December 2005, 14:32:57
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