Global warming: Solar activity vs. Human-derived greenhouse gasses

[Auggie]

From /. [Slashdot.org]:

"Solar physicists have been waiting for the appearance of a reversed-polarity sunspot to signal the start of the next solar cycle. As of Friday, that wait is over. A magnetically reversed, high-latitude sunspot emerged on the surface of the sun. Just a few months ago, an 'All Quiet Alert' had been issued for the sun. This reversed-polarity sunspot marks the beginning of the sun's return back to Solar Maximum. Solar Cycle 24 has been the subject of much speculation due to competing forecasts on whether it will be a highly active or a quiet low cycle. If it is a low cycle, it may very well be a test of validity for some CO2 based global warming theories. Only time will tell."

I would certainly hope this next solar cycle is less active than more recent solar cycles. Furthermore, I hope it turns out to correlate precisely with year-to-year climate change in the next couple of decades, so I can continue my carbon-rich lifestyle without guilt!

Not much to really discuss in this thread, but it's something I figured some here might find interesting and/or keep in mind over the next few years.

 

[Ozoned]

I thought global warming was caused by farting cows?

 

[Jaskalas]

There are both 11 and 200 year cycles in the sun?s activity. Longer cycles are probable if humanity were old enough to observe such things.

 

[ProfJohn]

1998 is on record as being the hottest year ever.
So we have gone almost a decade without one bit of temp increase.

Let's hope that we start to see a decline in temps in the next few years. Not only will it show Gore and the other GW pushers to be fools, but it will be better for the planet and humanity in the long run.

 

[manowar821]

Originally posted by: ProfJohn
1998 is on record as being the hottest year ever.
So we have gone almost a decade without one bit of temp increase.

Let's hope that we start to see a decline in temps in the next few years. Not only will it show Gore and the other GW pushers to be fools, but it will be better for the planet and humanity in the long run.

Hurry up and wait, then?

It's not like that's one of the biggest problems with humanity, or anything.

 

[Wheezer]

Originally posted by: manowar821

Originally posted by: ProfJohn
1998 is on record as being the hottest year ever.
So we have gone almost a decade without one bit of temp increase.

Let's hope that we start to see a decline in temps in the next few years. Not only will it show Gore and the other GW pushers to be fools, but it will be better for the planet and humanity in the long run.

Hurry up and wait, then?

It's not like that's one of the biggest problems with humanity, or anything.

exactly, it's not....for something they are so sure exists, they have yet to pinpoint it's cause.

If alleged global warming means that I don't have to deal with 0-20 degree temps here in Ohio and the average temp is 35+...WOO HOO!!! Heat this place up!!!

 

[FoBoT]

solar activity is the single largest factor that determines temperatures on earth

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: manowar821

Originally posted by: ProfJohn
1998 is on record as being the hottest year ever.
So we have gone almost a decade without one bit of temp increase.

Let's hope that we start to see a decline in temps in the next few years. Not only will it show Gore and the other GW pushers to be fools, but it will be better for the planet and humanity in the long run.

Hurry up and wait, then?

It's not like that's one of the biggest problems with humanity, or anything.

If it is such a big problem then why have we gone 9 years with out an increase in temp?

I think Bush should point out that temps have not gone up since he took office and claim credit for ending global warming

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: manowar821
It's not like that's one of the biggest problems with humanity, or anything.

Uh... it's not.

Have you ever considered the doublethink necessary in order to believe that carbon emissions are the worst of humankind's environmental impacts to the planet?

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: Ozoned


I thought global warming was caused by farting cows?

Cattle and sheep farts are one of the sources of greenhouse gasses. Obviously, there are more.

Global warming is real, and humanity may live or die from how it manifests. The point is, regardless of other sources of greenhouse gasses, human activity the one element of the equation about which we can do anything.

Regardless of whether we eventually succeed in preventing our own demise, we don't have to be stupid enough to volunteer for it.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Harvey

Originally posted by: Ozoned


I thought global warming was caused by farting cows?

Cattle and sheep farts are one of the sources of greenhouse gasses. Obviously, there are more.

Global warming is real, and humanity may live or die from how it manifests. The point is, regardless of other sources of greenhouse gasses, human activity the one element of the equation about which we can do anything.

Regardless of whether we eventually succeed in preventing our own demise, we don't have to be stupid enough to volunteer for it.

"Fish are friends, not food."

 

[WHAMPOM]

Originally posted by: ProfJohn

Originally posted by: manowar821

Originally posted by: ProfJohn
1998 is on record as being the hottest year ever.
So we have gone almost a decade without one bit of temp increase.

Let's hope that we start to see a decline in temps in the next few years. Not only will it show Gore and the other GW pushers to be fools, but it will be better for the planet and humanity in the long run.

Hurry up and wait, then?

It's not like that's one of the biggest problems with humanity, or anything.

If it is such a big problem then why have we gone 9 years with out an increase in temp?

I think Bush should point out that temps have not gone up since he took office and claim credit for ending global warming

Why have we gone 9 years without a substantial decrease in temperature? Could a human induced green house effect be the reason?

 

[manowar821]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: manowar821
It's not like that's one of the biggest problems with humanity, or anything.

Uh... it's not.

Have you ever considered the doublethink necessary in order to believe that carbon emissions are the worst of humankind's environmental impacts to the planet?

Originally posted by: ProfJohn
If it is such a big problem then why have we gone 9 years with out an increase in temp?

I think Bush should point out that temps have not gone up since he took office and claim credit for ending global warming

I'm not talking about global warming, reading comprehension, my dear.

Humanity is absolutely terrible at acting before an issue becomes dangerous. We like to "hurry up and wait". We don't like to "nip it in the bud". Like the frog in a slowly heating pan of water. We only react, we don't normally head anything off.

That is one of humanities biggest issues.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: manowar821

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: manowar821
It's not like that's one of the biggest problems with humanity, or anything.

Uh... it's not.

Have you ever considered the doublethink necessary in order to believe that carbon emissions are the worst of humankind's environmental impacts to the planet?

Originally posted by: ProfJohn
If it is such a big problem then why have we gone 9 years with out an increase in temp?

I think Bush should point out that temps have not gone up since he took office and claim credit for ending global warming

I'm not talking about global warming, reading comprehension, my dear.

Humanity is absolutely terrible at acting before an issue becomes dangerous. We like to "hurry up and wait". We don't like to "nip it in the bud". Like the frog in a slowly heating pan of water. We only react, we don't normally head anything off.

That is one of humanities biggest issues.

Really? And here I always thought that constantly freaking out and fixing things before they were broke was one of humanity's biggest issues. That whole unenlightened "get them before they get us" attitude.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: ProfJohn
1998 is on record as being the hottest year ever.
So we have gone almost a decade without one bit of temp increase.

Let's hope that we start to see a decline in temps in the next few years. Not only will it show Gore and the other GW pushers to be fools, but it will be better for the planet and humanity in the long run.

And yet several of the years have been among the ten hottest ever recorded. Once you learn a little bit about variance you'll understand why what you wrote is wrong.

 

[Vic]

And how long have we been recording temperatures across the globe?

 

[GoPackGo]

in relative comparison to the age of the earth?

Not at all.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: Vic
And how long have we been recording temperatures across the globe?

Ugh, you know was well as I do that we are able to measure temperatures with reasonable accuracy from times before we were taking global measurements through the process that we currently use.

 

[GoPackGo]

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: Vic
And how long have we been recording temperatures across the globe?

Ugh, you know was well as I do that we are able to measure temperatures with reasonable accuracy from times before we were taking global measurements through the process that we currently use.

How far back? 100000 years? A million?

Still trivial.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: Vic
And how long have we been recording temperatures across the globe?

Ugh, you know was well as I do that we are able to measure temperatures with reasonable accuracy from times before we were taking global measurements through the process that we currently use.

Yep. And it sure was cold 10,000 years ago wasn't it? Half the northern hemisphere was covered 2-3 miles deep in ice. So yeah, the earth is warming. And that's supposed to be the greatest threat facing humankind?

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: eskimospy

Originally posted by: Vic
And how long have we been recording temperatures across the globe?

Ugh, you know was well as I do that we are able to measure temperatures with reasonable accuracy from times before we were taking global measurements through the process that we currently use.

Yep. And it sure was cold 10,000 years ago wasn't it? Half the northern hemisphere was covered 2-3 miles deep in ice. So yeah, the earth is warming. And that's supposed to be the greatest threat facing humankind?

No its not the greatest threat facing humankind, but it is a significant problem that we should work to remedy as soon as possible.

GoPackGo: No.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: eskimospy
No its not the greatest threat facing humankind, but it is a significant problem that we should work to remedy as soon as possible.

If you wanted to say that our overall environmental impact is a significant problem that we should work to remedy as soon as possible, I would agree with you completely. Within that greater issue though, MMGW is just a political distraction designed to manipulate you into believing that the one of the least significiant of your polluting emissions are actuall among the worst.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: eskimospy
No its not the greatest threat facing humankind, but it is a significant problem that we should work to remedy as soon as possible.

If you wanted to say that our overall environmental impact is a significant problem that we should work to remedy as soon as possible, I would agree with you completely. Within that greater issue though, MMGW is just a political distraction designed to manipulate you into believing that the one of the least significiant of your polluting emissions are actuall among the worst.

Meh, I disagree but I'm not really interested in retreading this ground again.

 

[palehorse]

I believe the only decent reaction to all this GW nonsense is this: No matter what the cause, or the effects, cleaning up our industries and lifestyles cant be a bad thing, so why fight against it so hard?

Will mandating alternative or more efficient sources of energy cause more problems? no? then why not just go along for the ride? Will changing the way we dispose of waste effect our lives that much? no? Then why not do it?!

regardless of the root cause(s) -- the who/what to blame for GW (if it even exists) -- any changes we make to clean up our lives can't frickin hurt. Heck, as with the Internet thing, we can even let Al Gore go on believing that he saved everyone!

 

[GoPackGo]

Originally posted by: palehorse74
I believe the only decent reaction to all this GW nonsense is this: No matter what the cause, or the effects, cleaning up our industries and lifestyles cant be a bad thing, so why fight against it so hard?

Will mandating alternative or more efficient sources of energy cause more problems? no? then why not just go along for the ride? Will changing the way we dispose of waste effect our lives that much? no? Then why not do it?!

regardless of the root cause(s) -- the who/what to blame for GW (if it even exists) -- any changes we make to clean up our lives can't frickin hurt. Heck, as with the Internet thing, we can even let Al Gore go on believing that he saved everyone!

I don't disagree with that.