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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Something obvious to anybody who is not a professional scientist (or at least, to anybody whose livelihood is not dependent on research grants): if there weren't powerful negative feedback mechanisms, then the Earth's climate would be totally unstable and life on Earth would be impossible.

If the Earth gets warmer, then ocean evaporation increases, producing more clouds. Condensation of water vapor into rain releases heat into the upper atmosphere, where it is more easily radiated away into space.

As oceans get even warmer, they are more able to sustain hurricanes, which are POWERFUL mechanisms for transferring heat energy from ocean surfaces to the upper atmosphere.

If anything, global warming would have been beneficial. Warmer times equal more evaporation, more rain, and longer growing seasons for crops. Global cooling means shorter growing seasons, less rain (drought), and famine.

12 posted on 09/21/2011 5:39:30 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (When you've only heard lies your entire life, the truth sounds insane.)
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To: PapaBear3625

Whenever you see warming in history, prosperity follows. Cooling - generally famine and fall of civilizations.

That said, I’m surprised it took so long to figure out the role of clouds. It’s pretty much common sense.


13 posted on 09/21/2011 6:46:55 AM PDT by Free Vulcan (Vote Republican! You can vote Democrat when you're dead.)
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To: PapaBear3625
As oceans get even warmer, they are more able to sustain hurricanes, which are POWERFUL mechanisms for transferring heat energy from ocean surfaces to the upper atmosphere.

That would seem to be self-limiting too. I heard Joe Bastardi explain that when the atmosphere warms up significantly it creates a shearing effect at high altitudes that keeps tropical storms from gaining the strength to become hurricanes. The climate systems of the earth are pretty well balanced.

14 posted on 09/21/2011 7:48:31 AM PDT by TigersEye (Life is about choices. Your choices. Make good ones.)
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