New Global Warming concept...Soot

[MWatkins]

This is one I haven't read much about...but considering the debate on this topic over the last few months I thought this might be fun for some...

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/12 ... index.html

The article...and I have had no time to look back to the source data yet...is a compelling one.

Take care this holiday season...happy holidays to everyone...

MW

[David]

Global Warming is a joke..... supposivly the World should be getting another Ice Age around this time too....

[MWatkins]

Hey David...

I spent my first 20 years in Hutch, KS...had a STRONG interest in a Girl from Topeka way back when...probably the most attractive girl I have ever met. Didn't work out...but maybe...maybe the Chiefs will find a way to stop the run in the post season.

What the heck is a landlocked guy like you from Kansas doing tracking the tropics?

MW

[ColdFront77]

Hello MW... it is nice to see you.

I heard about this Global Warming from soot on The Fox New Channel Tuesday evening.

[abajan]

Global Warming is a joke..... supposivly the World should be getting another Ice Age around this time too....

I agree, David. IMHO global warming is more about politics than science and he who has the greatest lobbying power in Washington usually wins.

[Stormsfury]

I, myself, don't know what to make of global warming/cooling other than that it is nothing more than a natural cycle, or Earth's overall balancing act.

Even during the warm periods, we have aberration and cooling of temperatures. What about Mt. Pinatubo's eruption, and the temperatures GLOBALLY cooled about 1ºC...Doesn't seem like much? 1ºC can make a big difference.. temporary climatic changes can/do occur after major volcanic eruptions, and can cause periods of global cooling (somewhat of a balancing act in the shorter term). The same happened with the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in Washington State in 1980.

And how about the year without a summer? Increased volcanic activity and at least 3 major eruptions occurred during 1812-1817, and most notably, the eruption of Tambora ... and also apparently, the sun was in a very weak solar maxima according to visual observations...

According to William Humphreys, a Weather Bureau scientist writing almost a century later, the cold years were caused largely by volcanic dust in the earth's atmosphere: Such dust partially shields the Earth from the Sun's rays, but permits heat to escape from the Earth, thus lowering the temperature.
Three major volcanic eruptions took place between 1812 and 1817. Soufriere on St. Vincent Island erupted in 1812; Mayon in the Philippines in 1814; and Tarnbora on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia in 1815. The worst was Tambora, a 13,000-foot volcano that belched f1ame and ash from April 7 to 12, 1815; and rained stone fragments on surrounding villages.
It has been estimated that Tambora's titanic explosion blew from 37 to 100 cubic miles of dust, ashes, and cinders into the atmosphere, generating a globe-girdling veil of volcanic dust.
The idea that volcanic dust suspended in the atmosphere might lower the Earth's temperature has been around for a long time. Like many other scientific firsts, it can be traced to Benjamin Franklin, although the thought may not have been original with him. In 1913, William Humphreys published a now classic paper documenting the correlation between historic volcanic eruptions and worldwide temperature depressions.
According to Humphreys, volcanic dust is some 30 times more effective in keeping the Sun's radiation out than in keeping the Earth's in. And once blown into the atmosphere-more specifically; the stratosphere it may take years for the dust to settle out (the finest particles from Krakatoa's eruption in 1883, for example, took 2 to 3 years to reach the ground.) During this period the average temperature of the whole world may drop a degree or two; while local losses can be considerably greater.
The chief effect however, as in 1816, seems to be the dramatic depression of minimum temperatures during the summer. A weak sunspot maximum also preceded the cold summer of 1816. During May and June, these blemishes on the face of the Sun grew large enough to be seen with the naked eye and people squinted at them through smoked glass.

Full story and details ...
http://wchs.csc.noaa.gov/1816.htm

SF

[FLguy]

I, myself, don't know what to make of global warming/cooling other than that it is nothing more than a natural cycle, or Earth's overall balancing act.

Even during the warm periods, we have aberration and cooling of temperatures. What about Mt. Pinatubo's eruption, and the temperatures GLOBALLY cooled about 1ºC...Doesn't seem like much? 1ºC can make a big difference.. temporary climatic changes can/do occur after major volcanic eruptions, and can cause periods of global cooling (somewhat of a balancing act in the shorter term). The same happened with the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in Washington State in 1980.

And how about the year without a summer? Increased volcanic activity and at least 3 major eruptions occurred during 1812-1817, and most notably, the eruption of Tambora ... and also apparently, the sun was in a very weak solar maxima according to visual observations...

According to William Humphreys, a Weather Bureau scientist writing almost a century later, the cold years were caused largely by volcanic dust in the earth's atmosphere: Such dust partially shields the Earth from the Sun's rays, but permits heat to escape from the Earth, thus lowering the temperature.
Three major volcanic eruptions took place between 1812 and 1817. Soufriere on St. Vincent Island erupted in 1812; Mayon in the Philippines in 1814; and Tarnbora on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia in 1815. The worst was Tambora, a 13,000-foot volcano that belched f1ame and ash from April 7 to 12, 1815; and rained stone fragments on surrounding villages.
It has been estimated that Tambora's titanic explosion blew from 37 to 100 cubic miles of dust, ashes, and cinders into the atmosphere, generating a globe-girdling veil of volcanic dust.
The idea that volcanic dust suspended in the atmosphere might lower the Earth's temperature has been around for a long time. Like many other scientific firsts, it can be traced to Benjamin Franklin, although the thought may not have been original with him. In 1913, William Humphreys published a now classic paper documenting the correlation between historic volcanic eruptions and worldwide temperature depressions.
According to Humphreys, volcanic dust is some 30 times more effective in keeping the Sun's radiation out than in keeping the Earth's in. And once blown into the atmosphere-more specifically; the stratosphere it may take years for the dust to settle out (the finest particles from Krakatoa's eruption in 1883, for example, took 2 to 3 years to reach the ground.) During this period the average temperature of the whole world may drop a degree or two; while local losses can be considerably greater.
The chief effect however, as in 1816, seems to be the dramatic depression of minimum temperatures during the summer. A weak sunspot maximum also preceded the cold summer of 1816. During May and June, these blemishes on the face of the Sun grew large enough to be seen with the naked eye and people squinted at them through smoked glass.

Full story and details ...
http://wchs.csc.noaa.gov/1816.htm

SF

IMO the fluctuations in climate are most closely related to natural oceanic/atmospheric processes and the solar cycles which have been going on much longer than we have been on this planet.

SF brings up an EXCELLENT point regarding volcanic activity...major volcanic eruptions can spew copious amounts of dust and ash into the atmosphere which can block sunlight from reaching the surface resulting in cooler temperatures globally.

the 5 years leading up to and following the solar maximum(s) (as there can be two peaks in activity) can also greatly effect climate patterns. we all found this out in 2001/02. these effects are manifested in both enhanced geomagnetic activity and 10.7cm solar flux.

the exact effect of increased solar activity on our atmospheric patterns however lies in the type of activity which is observed.

10.7cm solar flux (radio wave which correlates to enhanced luminoscity...(brightness) solar irradiance...and UV) effects the equatorial regions more intensively...whereas geomagnetic activity will have a greater effect on the polar regions. this is because the waves themselves are naturally drawn to the earths magnetic poles.

very high geomagnetic activity has been correlated to a strengthening of the icelandic low (strong signal for a positive NAO) and weakening of the Aleutianl low (favoring an RNA (-PNA) pattern).

increased 10.7cm flux causes a chemically based reaction with the earths ozone leading to above normal heights (higher pressures/ridging) across the equatorial regions and mid-latitudes.

BOTH high geomagnetic activity...AND 10.7cm solar flux were at least 60% of the problem with the 2001/02 winter.

High Geomagnetic activity can aslo lead to the increased probability for volcanic activity and earthquakes...as the geomagnetic activity disrupts the normalized state of the earths tectonic plates.

another eruption along the lines of Mt St. helens...mt pinatubo and el chichon can have MAJOR impacts on global temperatures. high volcanic ash and areosols aided in enhancing the severity of the cold during the 1993/94 winter.

[btangy]

Frankly, I'm not very comfortable waiting around and finding out in 50 years whether or not global warming exists. By then it might be too late if we continue to put out CO2 and other greenhouse gasses at the rate we are currently. I've seen enough evidence that IMO global warming is occuring. Most climate experts would tell you the same.