Published on2/19/10 10:17 AM
GLOBAL WARMING or CLIMATE CHANGE
Given the recent weather anomalies, and comments on "Climate Change", I've decided to update my July, 2006 comments, in which I attempted to clarify the "Global Warming" issue and designated Mother Nature as the prime culprit for atmospheric pollution of CO2 and other clutter.
In the interim, the Science Community has become embroiled in a controversy over the issue, and the debate has turned to whether the problem is "Global Warming" or an impending "Ice Age."
Personally, I view this current weather pattern as a cycle; one that repeats itself every few decades. [Sorry Al!]
Since the title of the issue has been subtly changed from Global Warming to "Climate Change", I suspect that the consensus is that all these unusual winter storms with ravaging temperatures and record snowfalls somehow don't reflect a "warming" trend, although Climate Change seems to be a cover for all the back-pedaling by the "experts."
Since the title of the issue has been subtly changed from Global Warming to "Climate Change", I suspect that the consensus is that all these unusual winter storms with ravaging temperatures and record snowfalls somehow don't reflect a "warming" trend, although Climate Change seems to be a cover for all the back-pedaling by the "experts."
They now say that our odd snow falls resulted from moisture trapped in the atmosphere from “Global Warming” as opposed to the massive cold fronts swooping down from the Arctic along the Jet Stream’s new path and El Nino which bring considerable moisture in from the ocean and the Caribbean.
Mix the ocean moisture with sub-freezing cold fronts and VOILA! You have snow!
One issue I mentioned in 2006 was that the magnetic North Pole changes frequently enough that military and navigation (Joint Operations Graphic) maps carry an azimuth adjustment in the legend to indicate the difference (declination) between Magnetic North and True North.
One issue I mentioned in 2006 was that the magnetic North Pole changes frequently enough that military and navigation (Joint Operations Graphic) maps carry an azimuth adjustment in the legend to indicate the difference (declination) between Magnetic North and True North.
Briefly, this constant movement of Magnetic North indicates the shift in the Earth's Axis, and the angle of exposure to the Sun; the greater the exposure, the more heat, the more the Polar Caps melt, and temperatures get cooler elsewhere on the planet.
Minor magnetic fluctuations may also cause the cold fronts which surge down from the Arctic to radically change the strange weather patterns you may have noticed this past year or two. [As an aside, the Antarctic ice cap is reportedly expanding.]
As for man's pollution, it pales in comparison to that spewed out by the roughly
As for man's pollution, it pales in comparison to that spewed out by the roughly
3,000 volcanic eruptions over the last 50 years.
Since my original blog, I've done some reading and discovered a few more facts.
c) I doubt these were abrupt jumps, but the jumps occurred, and I suspect
Early on, I was a firm believer in the responsibility of vehicular pollution for dirty air, and I can recall coughing and wheezing in cities like Los Angeles and Bangkok which were terribly polluted from unregulated vehicular traffic. But, as I traveled and read, I became aware of other major pollutants, such as farmers throughout the Third and Fourth Worlds burning off their fields at the end of the harvest – causing the sky to cloud over and blot out the sun for weeks at a time.
I'm inclined to support the concept of climate cycles, and I suspect we're in the midst of another changeover as we speak. I can recall that in the 1950s, the climate was much warmer than it was in the late 1970s; if you examine a house built in the 1950s, you'll notice very little, if any, insulation -- simply because the climate was warmer then; I can remember a climate shift in the 1960s when it began snowing in the South for the first time. I can also recall seeing houses in the Midwest which had second story exits to allow egress during the massive snowfalls of the 19th Century, when the climate was much colder.
Although I condemn industrial pollution, and believe it to be a contributing factor to the warming process, I believe there are additional sinister forces at work.
Recently, I've taken note of a major unfettered source of pollution in our atmosphere and a destroyer of the earth's ozone layer: Volcanoes.
1) According to noted geologist John McPhee, the Magnetic Pole "has jumped from North to South and back again" on average every 500,000 years.
a) Note, these were 180 degree jumps, or complete Polar reversals.
b) --- Yes, I (he) said REVERSALS.
c) I doubt these were abrupt jumps, but the jumps occurred, and I suspect
the Earth's climate changed with the jumps; and, we may be in the midst
of one of these "jumps" now.
d) [No telling the duration of the jump though -- it may take a while.]
2) Geologists at the South Pole mark the Magnetic South Pole annually; it shifts as much as 30 meters a year, and if you look at the marker flags, they are in perfect alignment for as far as the eye can see -- indicating the Pole is steadily progressing in one direction. Normally, over a century, that's only a few miles, so a polar "jump" would likely take a number of centuries, so we may not have to worry immediately.
3) Finally, we have the Sun itself. The Earth's magnetic field is altered by solar winds consisting of charged particles.
a. The solar winds result from sun spots and flares, and when active [e.g., since 1940], they tend to diminish cloud activity on earth, resulting in a temporary "warming" effect, to include altering ocean currents and helping to create "El Nino" among others.
b. Sunspot activity occurs in cycles of roughly 11 years, and we seem to be at the end of a cycle now.
(1) In the past ten years, solar flare/spot activity has been on the decline, facilitating the buildup of a cloud cover which shields the Earth from the sun's warming rays, resulting in a gradual cooling, and perhaps, as some scientists predict, an Ice Age.
(2) All this is to say that we are in the midst of a cyclical climate change, and I suspect it ain't Global Warming!
c. I appreciate all the efforts of our "Green" folks because they are making for a more habitable immediate environment of "clean air", and I won't have to inhale the fumes of internal combustion engines for much longer [except with those cretins running the leaf blowers].
But, I will be investing in companies that make snow shoes, snow blowers, and warm clothing, and those that can figure out how to grow crops in the snow, since I figure that's what we -- or our kids will be facing in the future.
My July, 2006 blog, which specifically addresses the causes of Climate Change,
appears below:
There is considerable discussion of Global Warming these days, and recently I was verbally assaulted by a college lad intent on getting me to sign a petition condemning vehicular pollutants and holding George Bush responsible for the problem because he would not sign the Kyoto Accords. I declined to add my signature, and provided him the following explanation.
There is considerable discussion of Global Warming these days, and recently I was verbally assaulted by a college lad intent on getting me to sign a petition condemning vehicular pollutants and holding George Bush responsible for the problem because he would not sign the Kyoto Accords. I declined to add my signature, and provided him the following explanation.
Early on, I was a firm believer in the responsibility of vehicular pollution for dirty air, and I can recall coughing and wheezing in cities like Los Angeles and Bangkok which were terribly polluted from unregulated vehicular traffic. But, as I traveled and read, I became aware of other major pollutants, such as farmers throughout the Third and Fourth Worlds burning off their fields at the end of the harvest – causing the sky to cloud over and blot out the sun for weeks at a time.
I believe other factors might also have an impact.
I'm inclined to support the concept of climate cycles, and I suspect we're in the midst of another changeover as we speak. I can recall that in the 1950s, the climate was much warmer than it was in the late 1970s; if you examine a house built in the 1950s, you'll notice very little, if any, insulation -- simply because the climate was warmer then; I can remember a climate shift in the 1960s when it began snowing in the South for the first time. I can also recall seeing houses in the Midwest which had second story exits to allow egress during the massive snowfalls of the 19th Century, when the climate was much colder.
Although I condemn industrial pollution, and believe it to be a contributing factor to the warming process, I believe there are additional sinister forces at work.
Recently, I've taken note of a major unfettered source of pollution in our atmosphere and a destroyer of the earth's ozone layer: Volcanoes.
It would seem these forces of nature have become much more active in the last 20+ years, perhaps because the earth itself is going through a metamorphosis -- causing tectonic plates to shift and sub-surface pressures to build with consequent earthquakes, tsunamis, and surface eruptions of volcanoes.
There are probably fifty or more active volcanoes throughout the world, to include Mt St Helens, each routinely pumping hundreds of tons of pollution into the stratosphere. These pollutants include sulfur dioxide, which, when combined with water, forms a sulfuric acid mist; this, in turn, helps destroy the ozone layer by altering chlorine and nitrogen compounds in the upper atmosphere. This is similar to the chemical combinations created by industrial and vehicular pollution, but on a much grander scale.
Depending on the volcano and whether it is erupting or simply fuming, you can have differing impacts.
In the last fifty years, we've had some fairly impressive volcanic explosions [most recently Mt St Helen's (still active) and Mt Pinatubo in the Philippines] which ringed the earth with layers of ash and other pollutants for months, and I imagine they may have created a cooling effect. Once these layers dissipated, the unfiltered sun likely heated the Earth's surface by a few degrees and we've had a warming trend.
Still another contributing factor in this process of climate change could be the recent shift in the earth’s magnetic poles, an issue given minimal coverage by the media. Shifts in the earths axis occur periodically, and geologists have been aware of this shifting phenomenon for centuries. The legend at the bottom of advanced maps reflects the variance between true north and magnetic north by several degrees, and navigators and military personnel pay close attention to these shifts.
There are probably fifty or more active volcanoes throughout the world, to include Mt St Helens, each routinely pumping hundreds of tons of pollution into the stratosphere. These pollutants include sulfur dioxide, which, when combined with water, forms a sulfuric acid mist; this, in turn, helps destroy the ozone layer by altering chlorine and nitrogen compounds in the upper atmosphere. This is similar to the chemical combinations created by industrial and vehicular pollution, but on a much grander scale.
Depending on the volcano and whether it is erupting or simply fuming, you can have differing impacts.
1. The mists/aerosols of a fuming volcano can reflect the sun's rays and lower the surface temperature of the Earth;
2. Steam, pushing large quantities of carbon dioxide, sulfur and chlorine into the atmosphere can create a cloak, reflecting warmth back to Earth, and creating a global warming effect; and/or,
3. Erupting volcanoes, spewing massive amounts of ash, gases, and chemicals into the atmosphere, can create a reflective layer, causing the Earth's surface to cool. Mount St Helens created a stratospheric ash cloud that lasted for months.
Still another contributing factor in this process of climate change could be the recent shift in the earth’s magnetic poles, an issue given minimal coverage by the media. Shifts in the earths axis occur periodically, and geologists have been aware of this shifting phenomenon for centuries. The legend at the bottom of advanced maps reflects the variance between true north and magnetic north by several degrees, and navigators and military personnel pay close attention to these shifts.
The magnetic change may come about as a result of the shift of the liquid core of the earth following earthquakes and shifting tectonic plates which would open fissures for volcanoes to release pressure via eruptions. The molten core would then shift its base slightly because it would be squeezed out of closed cavities and flow into newly created cavities, causing the earth's rotation to act like a gyroscope with a highly flexible and somewhat wobbly shaft.
I can only assume that such polar shifts would alter the angle of the earth’s rotation with respect to the sun, which in turn, would likely change the patterns in which the earth is warmed and cooled by latitudes. With greater exposure to the sun, the ice caps would probably tend to melt faster, and in the process alter weather patterns, jet streams, and ocean currents in the process. That might explain the El Nino and odd hurricane weather we’ve experienced of late.
As I see it, nature tends to make its own rules; and the Earth's population tends to adapt (dinosaurs got smaller and grew fur or feathers, while humans discovered the utility of caves, fire, animal fur, and the internet).
I'm not dismissing the negative impact of man-made pollution or de-forestation, and I’m all for reducing human produced pollution, voluntarily or through appropriate legislation, as needed.
But let's give credit where credit is due to the major polluters and the consequent Global Warming: Mother Nature and her volcanic offspring, and the earth's own metamorphosis which shifts its exposure of the North and South Poles to the sun. Compare the shifts of magnetic north to the climate shifts during recorded history; I suspect you'll find a direct correlation.
As a postscript, I would note that if George Bush were indeed responsible for Global Warming, as his detractors claim, it would follow that he was easily the most powerful political leader in history, since he can control Mother Nature.
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