Ice breaks off Antarctic ice sheet. Why?...

[XZeroII]

Read Me First

Now Read Me

hmmmm, a bit of inconsistancy here. Article 1 suggests that a large chunk of ice that just broke off antarctica was just due to expansion within the ice and that it is natural. The second article blames it on global warming. Which are we to believe? Who knows...

 

[ragazzo]

i haven't read those articles, but it is natural that huge chunks break off. what isn't natural is a super huge chunk breaking off...

 

[WA261]

both...its a natural process that is sped up by global warming

 

[Czar]

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/05/14/large.iceberg/index.html

 

[Jzero]

Of course, if global warming is actually a natural process, then both articles are right

 

[Czar]

Originally posted by: WA261
both...its a natural process that is sped up by global warming

exactly what I think

 

[Electrode]

I thought it was obvious: the polar bears broke it off with the intent of riding it to South America, where they will kill and devour everyone they see.

 

[mesonw]

The southern continent believes it is at a party where things are feeling a bit awkward. Naturally it attempts to break the ice.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Electrode
I thought it was obvious: the polar bears broke it off with the intent of riding it to South America, where they will kill and devour everyone they see.

Wrong pole Now killer emperor penguins.....whooboy....gotta watch out for those sucker! :Q

 

[Demon-Xanth]

There's a reason why penguins are shaped like underwater cruise missles. THEY'RE REALLY TORPEDOS! (hey, haven't you seen Batman returns?)

Considering that the earth's temperature was abnormally low about 200 years ago (when was it normal?), and it's gonna be warming up for another 300 years, we're gonna see more of this. Anyone who thinks the earth has had a stable environment needs to be shown the theory of plate tectonics as well as the fact that a single volcanic eruption can cause a global climate change. An example of this is Mount Vesuvious (iirc), when it went off the temperatures in europe became quite low, for three or four years plant growth was dismal (we have proof of this), at the same time in asia a tribe based primarily on horses was forced out due to lack of food, they went west. They found european empires in shambles due to the lack of food and the cold. So they simply used thier mad mounted warfare skills and basically took over the place. If I remember the dates correctly the empire was the roman empire.


....all because of a single volcano.

 

[ndee]

cuz of america.

 

[djheater]

The earth has a long history of weather. Humans have only been recording it for a very short time. We have no real way of knowing what is to be expected.

 

[Beau]

Originally posted by: Jzero
Of course, if global warming is actually a natural process, then both articles are right

I agree

 

[ATLien247]

The first article speculates that "bottom water" production is down 20% from pre-industrial times. My questions are: Did they even know about "bottom water" back then? And if so, how were they able to measure it?

 

[tk149]

1. All scientific theories are just that: theories. They're based on the best information we have, but they're not necessarily the truth, because nobody has all the facts, and nobody is free from personal biases. Remember that ALL of the scientific measurements pertaining to the state of the earth more than a few hundred years ago are based on theory. There wasn't anybody around using a thermometer to measure the temperature in London (much less the bottom of the ocean) back then.

2. I've heard one theory that says that the Earth's natural state is actually an ice age. We are in between Ice Ages right now and are supposed to be entering a new ice age soon (in a few hundred years or so). Maybe global warming would be a good thing.

3. Try this exercise: calculate the amount of Carbon Dioxide expelled by 5 billion humans breathing and compare it to the total global industrial carbon dioxide output.

 

[ThisIsMatt]

Increased global temperature caused by the takeoff and landing of alien spaceships on earth is the cause of polar ice breakup.

No?

 

[tcsenter]

Ice breaks off Antarctic ice sheet. Why?...

My home now stands where there was once 20ft thick glacial ice...15,000 years ago. Who knows why it collapsed?

I DO KNOW one thing, and that is people DON'T know what is truly responsible for the Antarctic shelf collapse. Like so many other areas of science, they only THINK they know.

 

[shiner]

I blame it all on the increase in poularity of Mexican food. All those beans had to have some kind of effect you know.

 

[Harvey]

Regardless of your personal theories or beliefs about global warming, the event of the ice breakup is significant enough that it should be seriously studied and understood. It has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with understanding how it impacts our future.

Ignoring the event and its implications is the only truly stupid response.

 

[dawks]

I once saw a show (I hope I remember what they said correctly..) that said the overall average earth temperature fluctuates over hundreds of years between -4 and +4 celcius.. On a year when the average earth temperature is -4.. Well we have an ice age.. everything is frozen.. north america is completely covered with ice. When the temp is +4.. we have massive flooding as the polar ice caps melt and drout conditions worldwide (where ever it doesnt flood of course)..

Right now were sitting somewhere around 0 or 1 degree celcius.. (I THINK) and were on a natural upward trend right now.. 'Global Warming' is happening.. but in the way the media portrays it.. ie.. 'pollution is creating a blanket thats holding heat in, and warming the planet up' is partially true. The earth is warming up, but not just because of the pollution blanket, thats mearly speeding up the process. Its still natural temperature fluctuations that truely are global warming.

I think the nature temperature changes have to do with the earths distance from the sun. For whatever reason, we're probably very slowly, moving closer to the sun right now.. I doubt we'll see any major flooding as a result of the temperature increases in any of our current life times.. but it is possible.. (major flooding being something like NYC being submerged in water.. a 1 or 2 degree increase in the earth average temp could completly flood something like manhatten.. maybe not to the tops of the buildings..

Someone correct me if they happen to know more on the subject.. if I am wrong that is..

 

[tcsenter]

It has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with understanding how it impacts our future.

haha, right! What the hell are they going to 'understand' about it?

"Jee...uh...apparently...um...the climate has not been consistent for the last 1 billion years. We have discovered that it changes, sometimes it warms up, sometimes it gets cold. In some places, where it usually never snows, it snows sometimes. In other places, where it almost always snows, it doesn't on occassion. The wind blows really hard some days, and not at all in others. Oh yes, and we also found that some regions which historically only get moderate amounts of rain, will either experience torrential rains or a drought every decade or so. We are brilliant climatologists and are very smart, you're all going to die, give us more federal funding, please and thank you."

 

[XZeroII]

Originally posted by: tcsenter

It has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with understanding how it impacts our future.

haha, right! What the hell are they going to 'understand' about it?

"Jee...uh...apparently...um...the climate has not been consistent for the last 1 billion years. We have discovered that it changes, sometimes it warms up, sometimes it gets cold. In some places, where it usually never snows, it snows sometimes. In other places, where it almost always snows, it doesn't on occassion. The wind blows really hard some days, and not at all in others. Oh yes, and we also found that some regions which historically only get moderate amounts of rain, will either experience torrential rains or a drought every decade or so. We are brilliant climatologists and are very smart, you're all going to die, give us more federal funding, please and thank you."

lol, it's funny because it's true. A bumble bee farted in china so all our weather predictions may be off, give us more money.