New study suggesting Artic used to feel like Florida

An interesting piece on a new study thats due out in the Next edition of Nature. This study bridges some of the gaps in alogrithms used for scientific virtual models. Existing models show that 55million years ago the Artic sea bed was warmer than it is today but not nearly as warm as new soil and deep core samples from the Artic sea bed are showing.



More and more information is coming in these days that shows that A) there is global warming and more importantly B) That everything we think we know about it is constantly changing and there are still many unknowns.

Personally I ascribe to the position that Global Warming is a natural phenomena that has been helped along by humanity....meaning we arent the sole cause nor are we innocent.

If this study is true and the data is accurate this will defintally change alot of the prediction models being used right now in efforts to influence governments around the world. We need the most up to date and accurate information so that the decsions we make will be informed ones.

Our climate is more important than most average citizens are willing to accept...which is unfortuently more than most government officals care about it.

Related News Links:
www.nature.com
www.nature.com
www.nytimes.com

Still need more evidence, wonder what was the cause of the CO2 spike?

I still am intrigued by the "Gaia Hypothesis"
Seems they might have some support for it.
Poles get hot from excess CO2.
Poles have huge masses of ferns grow which act as CO2 sink.
Temperature decreases and goes back average temps.
Poles return to "normal" state whatever that is.
Hmmmm. Will history repeat itself?

Not saying it's proof but still intriguing.

Or maybe the earth got tilted on it's side by a comet and the pole was at the equator. JK

Personally I ascribe to the position that Global Warming is a natural phenomena that has been helped along by humanity

Global Climate naturally changes because of large scale forcing factors, like solar activity, the tilt of the planet, the roundness of the earth's orbit, etc.

None of those factors explain the current warming trend. And at the same time man is pumping large volumes of gases that are known to cause warming into the air.

We need the most up to date and accurate information so that the decsions we make will be informed ones

Absolutely. Many people are opposed to things like Kyoto, and say that more studies need to be done, that the science doesn't warrant those extreme actions. Fair enough, but where's the funding for the science?

Damocles
I mean, have the poles ALWAYS been icy

Definitly not. There have been long periods in earth history where there was no ice at either pole.

Pavil
Poles have huge masses of ferns grow which act as CO2 sink

This would require the ice sheets to melt no? I mean, if we get to the point that theres no ice at the poles, we're just in a completely different global state. By that point we'd have to want to prevent "Global Cooling".

Poles return to "normal" state whatever that is.

There's definitly no such thing as 'normal' here. There have been periods where there were ice packs at the equator, and there have been periods where there was so much water, that the middle of the United States was a Seaway.

I still am intrigued by the "Gaia Hypothesis"

I am not so sure that this is really the Gaia Hypothesis. Its been known for a long time that there are feedbacks in the global climate system. For example, as ice builds up, it reflects more sunlight away, thus further cooling hte planet, growing more ice, reflecting more light, growing more ice, etc. The planet isn't trying to regulate itself though, likesay a cell tries to stay within certain boundaries to function. The planet will freeze, then forces beyond it kick in, the ice melts, etc.

Originally posted by Nygdan

Personally I ascribe to the position that Global Warming is a natural phenomena that has been helped along by humanity

Global Climate naturally changes because of large scale forcing factors, like solar activity, the tilt of the planet, the roundness of the earth's orbit, etc.

None of those factors explain the current warming trend. And at the same time man is pumping large volumes of gases that are known to cause warming into the air.

I think you misunderstood me Nygan....and thats my fault as I did not articulate my ideas clearly. What I ment by the comment that we are only helping Global warming, hereto refered to as GW, along is that many of the Green Houses gases that man is pumping into the air are similar in nature and chemical composition; SO2, CO2, nitrates, and hydrocarbons, to the chemicals being pumped out by active Volcano's all around the world both above ground and under the sea.

I feel that man is more directly responsible for the effects of Global dimming, hereto refered to as GD, which some scientists believe is aggravating GW.

Also, mass deforistation, strip mining, incursion into ecosystems that cannot support our species, coral deforestation, as well the as heat exchange differential between organic objects and synthetic objects, I.E Asphalt, Concrete, Masonry, Bricks, etc..., We have defintally had an adverse affect on our system, and in a positive feedback loop such as GW any outside interference generally aggravates the situation more.

I wish we had signed Kyoto regardless of wether the science was 100% accurate we do need to take better care of our enviroment.