posted on July 12, 2002 01:07:27 PM new
Just got through reading a study by R. Lovett who quotes Richard B Alley a
sedimentologist and glaciologist who studies the layers of ice in Greenland and other
glaciers. He wrote "The Two-Mile Time Machine"
He concluded that we are in an unusually stable period of time on Earth for climate.
That has not only been true since the the start of agriculture and nations but might
be WHY there are civilizations now.
The changes governments and scientists are now worried about called global
warming are shifts of a degree or two over decades.
However they have found over the last 100,000 years double digit shifts of 15 to 18
degrees F in a period of 1 to 3 years are common. Such a shift in our modern world
with large populations everywhere on earth such as have existed the last century
only would be amost unimaiginable but history says they are common. Since we are
in a warm period now although we are on a slow warming trend the mechanisms that
cause rapid shifts would probably result in a double digit DROP. One of the other
disturbing findings is that when such a change occurs it does not just happen and
stabilize at a new value. Often it flip flops back and forth between hot and cold for a
thousand years befor it stabilizes. Can you see populations migrating back and forth
North and South each generation for a millenium? What sort of political boundries or
stability could exist under such conditions?
Reviewing what climate would be like under the extremes of such hot or cold flips I
find I feel a lot safer and comfortable here in MI near the 45the latitude line half way
between the pole and the equatar where it should stay inhabitable in either extreme.
SORRY ABOUT THE THREAD TITLE - WISH WE COULD EDIT IT FOR SPELLING.
posted on July 12, 2002 03:28:57 PM new
Wasn't there an ice sheet covering most of Michigan just 10,000 years ago? Might not be such a wise choice for the long run, although you shouldn't have anything to worry about in your life time.
posted on July 12, 2002 04:17:26 PM new
I doubt whether temperature shifts or political boundaries on earth will be important in a few hundred years. By that time probably many human beings will have moved out onto settlements in other parts of the galaxy.
posted on July 12, 2002 07:43:45 PM new
We have extremes here in Texas this summer,
Last year this time the temp was 100 +.
Now its early 90s,Also everything had dried up last year and we had all kinds of water restrictions..This year we are useing a back\
stroke to go down the street.All is well now
No one can believe we had 12 and 14 inches of rain.
posted on July 12, 2002 08:02:34 PM new
Its hot and wet Just north of us it s hot and dry just south of us hot and dry this year hotter and wetter here 3rd year st, Finally getting to see 5 lined skinks, showed one to one of the local teen girls and I overheard her telling her girlfriend that we caught a skank.....
posted on July 13, 2002 03:09:59 AM new
Gravid, that's the realm of geology, and it's a fair path to reminders of our insignificance. The product of all of the research is at your fingertips.
