Dino Questions

[neonerd]

any1 here know anything about dinosaur extinction theories...lmk, cuz im doing a report on any theories there are out there. Any paleontologists out there? ... feel free to email me

 

[Electric Amish]

I'm sure there are a bunch here...

amish

 

[vi edit]

Two most popular ones that I know of -

1. Ice age - basically cooling of earth to the point where plants and animals that were used to the warm environment could no longer flourish
2. Giant meteor struck the earth blacking out the sun for a long time and killing off much plantlife and thus killing off dinosaurs

 

[Howard]

How did the ice age come about?

 

[Platypus]

Originally posted by: Howard
How did the ice age come about?

Hillary Clinton was born.

 

[iwearnosox]

I wish I discovered a new kind of dinasaur, I'd call it nefasaurus sox.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: Howard
How did the ice age come about?

Got hit by a big meteor...
Seriously, the climate is always a kind of balance. If a big meteor hit, and raised enough dust or steam into the atmosphere, this could potentially trigger an ice age. dust/water vapor reflects sunlight ... earth cools, polar ice advances, which reflects more sun ... earth cools more, polar ice advances more ... etc.

Better question maybe ... given that kind of cycle, how do you escape an ice age?

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: ergeorge

Originally posted by: Howard
How did the ice age come about?

Got hit by a big meteor...
Seriously, the climate is always a kind of balance. If a big meteor hit, and raised enough dust or steam into the atmosphere, this could potentially trigger an ice age. dust/water vapor reflects sunlight ... earth cools, polar ice advances, which reflects more sun ... earth cools more, polar ice advances more ... etc.

Better question maybe ... given that kind of cycle, how do you escape an ice age?

Start one hella big bonfire!

Pig roast!

 

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by: ergeorge

Originally posted by: Howard
How did the ice age come about?

Got hit by a big meteor...
Seriously, the climate is always a kind of balance. If a big meteor hit, and raised enough dust or steam into the atmosphere, this could potentially trigger an ice age. dust/water vapor reflects sunlight ... earth cools, polar ice advances, which reflects more sun ... earth cools more, polar ice advances more ... etc.

Better question maybe ... given that kind of cycle, how do you escape an ice age?

Atmosphere...

Just because the sun is being reflected doesn't mean that heat isn't being transferred and trapped by the atmosphere.

amish

 

[Armitage]

Yea, but an icy planet definitely has a lower albedo then a green one.
Actually, I think the dying vegetation tends to help reverse it because it releases trapped carbon (methane, CO2, etc. into the atmosphere which increases the greenhouse effect, trapping more heat despite the decreased albedo.