Alarm over dramatic weakening of Gulf Stream

[Nick+]

"The powerful ocean current that bathes Britain and northern Europe in warm waters from the tropics has weakened dramatically in recent years, a consequence of global warming that could trigger more severe winters and cooler summers across the region, scientists warn today.

Researchers on a scientific expedition in the Atlantic Ocean measured the strength of the current between Africa and the east coast of America and found that the circulation has slowed by 30% since a previous expedition 12 years ago."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,3605,1654803,00.html

 

[silencer]

That's pretty messed up. But until something really terrible happens which proves undoubtedly that global warning exists then governments will do nothing drastic about it ..especially the US government. Sad, but true

 

[Nick+]

Nice bracing freezing cold winters.

 

[Stu]

damn, i was hoping globabl warming might make it a bit warmer here.,

 

[dougnukem]

Being from Chicago, I don't feel sympathetic for them . I was raised in cold, rainy, and windy weather. They'll manage.

 

[ZECH]

It's just a normal cycle.

 

[brogers]

Global warming, good one. April fools is a long way away though

 

[musclepump]

Global warming causing colder summers... funny

 

[gococksDJS]

That's pretty messed up. But until something really terrible happens which proves undoubtedly that global warning exists then governments will do nothing drastic about it ..especially the US government. Sad, but true

There is no doubt that global warming exists. How did the Earth ever come out of the last Ice Age? Global cooling? The theory isn't whether or not global warming exists. The theory deals with "Anthropogenic Global Warming", which is that the strengthening of the greenhouse effect is a direct cause of global temperature increase due to man-made increases in the atmospheric levels of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. So your original post is sad, but not true.

 

[gococksDJS]

Global warming causing colder summers... funny

It's actually a very simple concept to understand. The Atlantic Conveyor keeps Northern Europe warm by carrying warm surface water from around the equator north and cold, deep water back to the equator. The icebergs melting have a desalination effect on the cold water in the northern hemisphere, meaning the water is less dense, so it can't sink and flow south, therefore stalling the Atlantic Conveyor.

 

[NeilPearson]

Global warming causes ice in polar regions to melt. Rising waters slow the currents which means less tropical water can get to cooler regions of the world. This results in colder temperatures which causes the polar ice caps to get built up again...

sounds like a cycle to me

 

[gococksDJS]

Global warming causes ice in polar regions to melt. Rising waters slow the currents which means less tropical water can get to cooler regions of the world. This results in colder temperatures which causes the polar ice caps to get built up again...

sounds like a cycle to me

yes that is a cycle, but it's not the rising water that would stop the Atlantic Conveyor, it's the desalination effect. Cold water flows beneath warm surface water, meaning the cold water must be more dense than the surface water, which it is because of the salt content, but the ice caps melting decreases the density of the cold water, so it can't flow below the warmer surface current. The two currents collide like two cars hitting each other, thus stalling the Atlantic Conveyor.

 

[PreMier]

Amazing.. I love this scientific shit. Great posts gococks.

 

[gococksDJS]

Amazing.. I love this scientific shit. Great posts gococks.

science is the shit, no doubt about it.

 

[Pepper]

Anyone ever stop and think that these changes may be just the normal cycle?

Weather patterns change.

 

[P-funk]

Anyone ever stop and think that these changes may be just the normal cycle?

Weather patterns change.

yea, I could see that side of it too.

It is a tough call to know what is really going on. I don't like to speak in defenites about that stuff. Just sit back and hope it works itself out.

 

[Nick+]

yea, I could see that side of it too.

It is a tough call to know what is really going on. I don't like to speak in defenites about that stuff. Just sit back and hope it works itself out.

Move South!

 

[Pepper]

There is evidence that Mars and Pluto are warming.

Now, why I don't put anything past the tree-huggers, blaming this on the burning of fossil fuels would be a bit of a stretch.

 

[gococksDJS]

Anyone ever stop and think that these changes may be just the normal cycle?

Weather patterns change.

This is why there is no definitive proof that humans are directly causing a spike in global warming. Global warming and the greenhouse effect are natural, not a result of man.

 

[MyK]

global warming is a myth!

 

[BigDyl]

NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING! IT'S GOING TO CAUSE AN ICE AGE!


AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT ANYWAYS...

 

[MyK]

NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING! IT'S GOING TO CAUSE AN ICE AGE!


AND DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT ANYWAYS...

that looks like my sunday morning shit!

 

[gococksDJS]

That's going to happen to our Sun in a mere 4-5 billion years, so be prepared!

 

[GFR]

Humans will destroy this planet soon enough, but I don't think it will be during our lifetime.

 

[Nick+]

Doubt the planet will be 'destroyed' in the near future. (The dinosaurs probably thought the same....) Life is just going to get a little tougher as more and more people go after the remaining resources.........(ie oil and stuff like that). And more extremes in the climate aren't going to make agricultural(food) production any easier either.......

 

[Bazooka Tooth]

wow that is weird....ever see the movie "The Day After Tomorrow"?

It's like that was actually an early warning, and it was for real...?

 

[maniclion]

Could it be that all those Massive Huricanes lately are sucking the warmth from the waters that would normally be flowing through this gulf stream. Maybe the Global Warming is warming and melting the Polar ice just enough to create a Swamp Cooler effect thus making the temps seem cooler in the summer. When these Swamp Cooler air currents meet up with the warmer tropical water tmeps we get these massive hurricanes. Have you noticed the rise in Humidity and rainfall lately?

 

[musclepump]

I'm excited for when the world runs out of oil.

 

[gococksDJS]

I'm excited for when the world runs out of oil.

If the polar ice caps continue to melt at this rate, the oil and natural gas reserves below them will be accessible in the near future, making the total depletion of oil unlikely for a few more generations.