Beam me to Planet Gore !
Posted on 12/08/2008 2:01:15 PM PST by presidio9
Collapsing antarctic ice sheets, which have become potent symbols of global warming, may actually turn out to help in the battle against climate change and soaring carbon emissions.
Professor Rob Raiswell, a geologist at the University of Leeds, says that as the sheets break off the ice covering the continent, floating icebergs are produced that gouge minerals from the bedrock as they make their way to the sea. Raiswell believes that the accumulated frozen mud could breathe life into the icy waters around Antarctica, triggering a large, natural removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
And as rising temperatures cause the ice sheets to break up faster, creating more icebergs, the amount of carbon dioxide removed will also rise. Raiswell says: ' It won't solve the problem, but it might buy us some time.'
As the icebergs drift northwards, they sprinkle the minerals through the ocean. Among these minerals, Raiswell's research shows, are iron compounds that can fertilise large-scale growth of photosynthetic plankton, which take in carbon dioxide from the air as they flourish.
According to his calculations, melting Antarctic icebergs already deposit up to 120,000 tonnes of this 'bioavailable' iron into the Southern Ocean each year, enough to grow sufficient plankton to remove some 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the annual carbon pollution of India and Japan. A 1 per cent increase in the number of icebergs in the Southern Ocean could remove an extra 26 million tonnes of CO2, equivalent to the annual emissions of Croatia.
Raiswell, a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow,
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
As is my normal practice: “GUARDIAN ALERT”.
Science-illiterate journalists are in the building.
Freezing ice already ended it...
The global warming [aka climate change] types must come up with some explanation as to why there has been no global warming since 1998.
Actaully, I like this article, because it indicates that scientists have finally figured out what we’ve been saying all along: Short of nuclear winter, nothing man does can possibly effect the global climate. The reasons are obvious, be now scientists are even discovering new processes that erase any damage that might be attributable to us.
I posted this on another thread too:
For reasons still unknown, there was a very cold period that lasted five centuries from about 1300-1850. Most scientists that study this attribute it one or more of the following occurrences during that time: increased volcanic activity and/or cyclical decrease solar output and/or cyclical changes in the world’s ocean currents. (Note: human activities not included.)
Even more, in 1815, a volcanic eruption 100 times greater than Mt. St. Helen, caused there to be no summer in 1816 in the upper Northern Hemisphere. In face, there were 5 consecutive days of snow in the American North East in June!
Then, starting in about 1850, the planet starting warming up again. (Note: well before the industrial revolution).
So, the point is that there is no base line to judge the earth’s climate upon. The global climate goes through various short, middle and long term cycles. Like anything natural, there will be peaks and valleys to each cycle of varying intensities. No two peaks or valleys will be the same. One must also consider that our planet is subject to solar cycles, gravitational cycles from the moon, other planets and even comets and asteroids. (Note: comet or meteor impacts have also played huge roles in the planet’s climate history).
Is human activity contributing to global warming or cooling or even stabilization? No one can say yes or no or even to what extent. However, I would wager that we meager humans are no match for the power of nature
I go with freezing ice ... LOL.
ALL THINGS BALANCE OUT (quit F’in with it)
God, Nature and Luck are omni-powerful. We should keep our hands out of the pie.
Here it comes...the reason the earth is no longer warming is because of global warming which is why we must do all we can to fight global warming...or other such nonsense.
the point is that no matter how much we try to or think we can influence climate, our influence is negligible at best.
This is about the amount of iron it takes to build one large cruise ship. Instead of reducing CO2 emissions it is probably much cheaper to increase CO2 consumption by growing more ocean algae, which could be harvested as biofuel creating a closed loop system. If icebergs can dredge up nutrients, so can we.
Well, we could explode every nuke we have in the atmosphere.........
Seriously, I like a planet with negligible pollution, clear skies, and clean fresh water as much as the next person.
Everyone needs to realize this whole MMGW thing is just the latest scam to drain our bank accounts. ( and bring us one step closer to a Socialist NWO)
even if we esploded every nuke, eventually the earth would recover..it may take thousands of years, but that is a blink of the eye ini geological time
I hate needless polution too, but I hate forcing people to suffer to save a shrub or a guppy even more.
you’re 100% correct about the true motivation of the enviro-nazis
The funniest thing about the Global Warming supporters is that they do not make a big deal about some current issues related to warming trends. There has been an explosive growth in jellyfish in 7 of the major seas of the world. It is affecting the fishing stocks. This is certainly a more urgent threat, and nobody is talking about it. Is this related to warming trends? Maybe but it is the first time in recent times that this has happened.
Just so i am clear. I think there is cyclical heating and cooling trends on the planet, and man is not to blame for it.
Anyone who has ever seen an abandoned farm understands the power of nature to repair and reclaim man's modest attempts at cultivation.
It's a problem how to do justice to this factoid.
“...the battle against climate change and soaring carbon emissions.”
The stupidity of the Guardian, the media in general, and most of our political “leaders” is self-evident. Anyone trying to “battle climate change” had better know how to tame the sun’s activity. And carbon emissions are not “soaring”. CO2 is present in the atmosphere in only trace amounts, about 380 parts per million. Greenhouse gases are not “bad”, they are essential. If there were no greenhouse gases, the earth would be far too cold for humans. One of the most prevalent greenhouse gases is Water Vapor.
These facts never appear in newspapers, are never heard on TV or radio, and are never mentioned in Congress or the White House.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.