Posted on 02/07/2010 10:11:07 AM PST by neverdem
According to a new paper by Gerald E. Marsh (PDF), they do. If true, this has great implications for the debate over whether humans are causing global warming, or whether it is a natural phenomenon. More about Marsh here.
The conventional global warming explanation for the Ice Ages and interglacial periods (we are in one right now), is that a change in the Earth’s orbit called a Milankovitch cycle adds heat, that causes carbon dioxide to be released, causing more warming.
Carbon dioxide itself can’t start the process, because during Ice Age cycles the warming trend precedes CO2 increases by an average of 800 years. Supposedly, the Milankovitch cycle is strong enough to start the warming process, but too weak to continue it without the help of carbon dioxide.
But global warming skeptics point to the lag as an indication that carbon dioxide is just along for the ride, as it were, an indicator of increasing warmth, not a major cause of it.
And Marsh’s paper says the cause and effect is wrong as well:
“This Milankovitch insolation theory has a number of problems associated with it, and the one to be discussed here is the so called âcausality problemâ; i.e., what came firstâincreased insolation or the shift to an interglacial. This would seem to be the most serious objection, since if the warming of the Earth preceded the increased insolation it could not be caused by it. This is not to say that Milankovitch variations in solar insolation do...
(Excerpt) Read more at nctimes.com ...
Interglacials, Milankovitch Cycles, and Carbon Dioxide abstract
New paper: Interglacials, Milankovitch Cycles and Carbon Dioxide What I first stumbled into, thinking it was the abstract.
1:11:43 PM LOL! How did you do that?
Just lucky to be in the right place at the right time. :)
Simply looking at the geologic record we see that the northern hemisphere was covered three times with massive glaciers.. Obviously these glaciers are not present today so there must have been both massive global cooling to cause these ice ages and massive global warming to melt these glaciers. Carbon dioxide levels especially from human activity cannot explain these massive global climate changes so there must obviously be some other mechanism. The global warming hoaxers seem to have no explanation for what has happened in the past.
The Sun did it!
Disclosing the Real Risks on Climate Change
Professor of Contempt - The legacy of Howard Zinn.
Some noteworthy articles about politics, foreign or military affairs, IMHO, FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.
They ignore the past. They pretend the world began in the last 100 years or something. Their is no real science supporting manmade global warming as far as I know.
IIRC, some of the same moonbats wanted to blame the impending global cooling of the 1970s on increasing CO2.
This is more plausible than the strongest evidence for it being man-made.
Henrik Svensmark’s book, “The Chilling Stars: A Cosmic View of Climate Change”, makes the same contention. He’s been studying this for years, and was hoping to do experiments in cloud formation at CERN. I guess when they get it fixed, he’ll be able to do it. His book is a good read, and not too difficult to understand, even if you’re not a science-type person!
Thanks for the ping!
Cosmic Ray ping!
Ige Age *ping*
That depends. Let's spend a few months looking for ways to blame cosmic ray levels on the West and on America in particular. If we can find an explanation that requires greater government intervention in our lives, no matter how poorly supported, then the answer is "yes". Otherwise, this is a "no".
yes, “the sun did it” — and we see now that the AGW gang was merely trying to “protect” the sun from blame for all these “climate changes”.......
b/c once we all start to blame the sun, my oh my, we just won’t have much respect anymore for the physical source of our light, warmth, and lives
so they had to scapegoat CO2 instead
it was for the good of all of humanity
</sarcasm>
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.