Guest Captain Compassion Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 The Earth fights back Guardian Unlimited Tuesday August 7 2007 http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/aug/07/disasters Never mind higher temperatures, climate change has a few nastier surprises in store. Bill McGuire says we can also expect more earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides and tsunamis Unlike most apparently intractable problems, which have a tendency to go away when examined closely and analytically, the climate change predicament just seems to get bigger and scarier the more we learn about it. Now we discover that not only are the oceans and the atmosphere conspiring against us, bringing baking temperatures, more powerful storms, floods and ever-climbing sea levels, but the crust beneath our feet seems likely to join in too. Looking back to other periods in our planet's history when the climate was swinging about wildly, most notably during the last ice age, it appears that far more than the weather was affected. The solid earth also became restless, with an increase in volcanic activity, earthquakes, giant submarine landslides and tsunamis. At the rate climate change is accelerating, there is every prospect that we will see a similar response from the planet, heralding not just a warmer future but also a fiery one. Several times in the past couple of million years the ice left its polar fastnesses and headed towards the equator, covering much of the world's continents in ice sheets over a kilometre thick, and sucking water from the oceans in order to do so. As a consequence, at times when the ice was most dominant, global sea levels were as much as 130m lower than they are today; sufficient to expose land bridges between the UK and the continent and Alaska and Russia. Each time the ice retreated, sea levels shot up again, sometimes at rates as high as several metres a century. In the mid 1990s, as part of a study funded by the European Union, we discovered that in the Mediterranean region there was a close correlation between how quickly sea levels went up and down during the last ice age and the level of explosive activity at volcanoes in Italy and Greece. The link was most obvious following the retreat of the glaciers around 18,000 years ago, after which sea levels jumped back up to where they are today, triggering a 300% increase in explosive volcanic activity in the Mediterranean in doing so. Further evidence for a flurry of volcanic action at this time comes from cores extracted from deep within the Greenland ice sheet, which yield increased numbers of volcanic dust and sulphate layers from eruptions across the northern hemisphere, if not the entire planet. But how can rising sea levels cause volcanoes to erupt? The answer lies in the enormous mass of the water pouring into the ocean basins from the retreating ice sheets. The addition of over a hundred metres depth of water to the continental margins and marine island chains, where over 60% of the world's active volcanoes reside, seems to be sufficient to load and bend the underlying crust. This in turn squeezes out any magma that happens to be hanging around waiting for an excuse to erupt. It may well be that a much smaller rise can trigger an eruption if a volcano is critically poised and ready to blow. Eruptions of Pavlof volcano in Alaska, for example, tend to occur during the winter months when, for meteorological reasons, the regional sea level is barely 30cm (12in) higher than during the summer. If other volcanic systems are similarly sensitive then we could be faced with an escalating burst of volcanic activity as anthropogenic climate change drives sea levels ever upwards. Notwithstanding the recent prediction by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that sea levels in 2100 will be a measly 18-59cm (7-23in) higher, Jim Hansen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Neolibertarian Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 In article <l1ikb3ha9h2tkf3dhglmpvi8987k4cdp6h@4ax.com>, Captain Compassion <daranc@NOSPAMcharter.net> wrote: > The Earth fights back > Guardian Unlimited Tuesday August 7 2007 > http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/aug/07/disasters > > Never mind higher temperatures, climate change has a few nastier > surprises in store. Bill McGuire says we can also expect more > earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides and tsunamis > > Unlike most apparently intractable problems, which have a tendency to > go away when examined closely and analytically, the climate change > predicament just seems to get bigger and scarier the more we learn > about it. > > Now we discover that not only are the oceans and the atmosphere > conspiring against us, bringing baking temperatures, more powerful > storms, floods and ever-climbing sea levels, but the crust beneath our > feet seems likely to join in too. > > Looking back to other periods in our planet's history when the climate > was swinging about wildly, most notably during the last ice age, it > appears that far more than the weather was affected. The solid earth > also became restless, with an increase in volcanic activity, > earthquakes, giant submarine landslides and tsunamis. At the rate > climate change is accelerating, there is every prospect that we will > see a similar response from the planet, heralding not just a warmer > future but also a fiery one. > > Several times in the past couple of million years the ice left its > polar fastnesses and headed towards the equator, covering much of the > world's continents in ice sheets over a kilometre thick, and sucking > water from the oceans in order to do so. As a consequence, at times > when the ice was most dominant, global sea levels were as much as 130m > lower than they are today; sufficient to expose land bridges between > the UK and the continent and Alaska and Russia. > > Each time the ice retreated, sea levels shot up again, sometimes at > rates as high as several metres a century. In the mid 1990s, as part > of a study funded by the European Union, we discovered that in the > Mediterranean region there was a close correlation between how quickly > sea levels went up and down during the last ice age and the level of > explosive activity at volcanoes in Italy and Greece. > > The link was most obvious following the retreat of the glaciers around > 18,000 years ago, after which sea levels jumped back up to where they > are today, triggering a 300% increase in explosive volcanic activity > in the Mediterranean in doing so. Further evidence for a flurry of > volcanic action at this time comes from cores extracted from deep > within the Greenland ice sheet, which yield increased numbers of > volcanic dust and sulphate layers from eruptions across the northern > hemisphere, if not the entire planet. > > But how can rising sea levels cause volcanoes to erupt? The answer > lies in the enormous mass of the water pouring into the ocean basins > from the retreating ice sheets. The addition of over a hundred metres > depth of water to the continental margins and marine island chains, > where over 60% of the world's active volcanoes reside, seems to be > sufficient to load and bend the underlying crust. > > This in turn squeezes out any magma that happens to be hanging around > waiting for an excuse to erupt. It may well be that a much smaller > rise can trigger an eruption if a volcano is critically poised and > ready to blow. > > Eruptions of Pavlof volcano in Alaska, for example, tend to occur > during the winter months when, for meteorological reasons, the > regional sea level is barely 30cm (12in) higher than during the > summer. If other volcanic systems are similarly sensitive then we > could be faced with an escalating burst of volcanic activity as > anthropogenic climate change drives sea levels ever upwards. > > Notwithstanding the recent prediction by the Intergovernmental Panel > on Climate Change (IPCC) that sea levels in 2100 will be a measly > 18-59cm (7-23in) higher, Jim Hansen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Captain Compassion Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 03:24:23 GMT, Neolibertarian <cognac756@gmail.com> wrote: >In article <l1ikb3ha9h2tkf3dhglmpvi8987k4cdp6h@4ax.com>, > Captain Compassion <daranc@NOSPAMcharter.net> wrote: > >> The Earth fights back >> Guardian Unlimited Tuesday August 7 2007 >> http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/aug/07/disasters >> >> Never mind higher temperatures, climate change has a few nastier >> surprises in store. Bill McGuire says we can also expect more >> earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides and tsunamis >> >> Unlike most apparently intractable problems, which have a tendency to >> go away when examined closely and analytically, the climate change >> predicament just seems to get bigger and scarier the more we learn >> about it. >> >> Now we discover that not only are the oceans and the atmosphere >> conspiring against us, bringing baking temperatures, more powerful >> storms, floods and ever-climbing sea levels, but the crust beneath our >> feet seems likely to join in too. >> >> Looking back to other periods in our planet's history when the climate >> was swinging about wildly, most notably during the last ice age, it >> appears that far more than the weather was affected. The solid earth >> also became restless, with an increase in volcanic activity, >> earthquakes, giant submarine landslides and tsunamis. At the rate >> climate change is accelerating, there is every prospect that we will >> see a similar response from the planet, heralding not just a warmer >> future but also a fiery one. >> >> Several times in the past couple of million years the ice left its >> polar fastnesses and headed towards the equator, covering much of the >> world's continents in ice sheets over a kilometre thick, and sucking >> water from the oceans in order to do so. As a consequence, at times >> when the ice was most dominant, global sea levels were as much as 130m >> lower than they are today; sufficient to expose land bridges between >> the UK and the continent and Alaska and Russia. >> >> Each time the ice retreated, sea levels shot up again, sometimes at >> rates as high as several metres a century. In the mid 1990s, as part >> of a study funded by the European Union, we discovered that in the >> Mediterranean region there was a close correlation between how quickly >> sea levels went up and down during the last ice age and the level of >> explosive activity at volcanoes in Italy and Greece. >> >> The link was most obvious following the retreat of the glaciers around >> 18,000 years ago, after which sea levels jumped back up to where they >> are today, triggering a 300% increase in explosive volcanic activity >> in the Mediterranean in doing so. Further evidence for a flurry of >> volcanic action at this time comes from cores extracted from deep >> within the Greenland ice sheet, which yield increased numbers of >> volcanic dust and sulphate layers from eruptions across the northern >> hemisphere, if not the entire planet. >> >> But how can rising sea levels cause volcanoes to erupt? The answer >> lies in the enormous mass of the water pouring into the ocean basins >> from the retreating ice sheets. The addition of over a hundred metres >> depth of water to the continental margins and marine island chains, >> where over 60% of the world's active volcanoes reside, seems to be >> sufficient to load and bend the underlying crust. >> >> This in turn squeezes out any magma that happens to be hanging around >> waiting for an excuse to erupt. It may well be that a much smaller >> rise can trigger an eruption if a volcano is critically poised and >> ready to blow. >> >> Eruptions of Pavlof volcano in Alaska, for example, tend to occur >> during the winter months when, for meteorological reasons, the >> regional sea level is barely 30cm (12in) higher than during the >> summer. If other volcanic systems are similarly sensitive then we >> could be faced with an escalating burst of volcanic activity as >> anthropogenic climate change drives sea levels ever upwards. >> >> Notwithstanding the recent prediction by the Intergovernmental Panel >> on Climate Change (IPCC) that sea levels in 2100 will be a measly >> 18-59cm (7-23in) higher, Jim Hansen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Baldin Lee Pramer Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 On Aug 8, 11:11 pm, Captain Compassion <dar...@NOSPAMcharter.net> wrote: > On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 03:24:23 GMT, Neolibertarian <cognac...@gmail.com> > >I wonder if they'd sell me their member's list--and Amazon's list of > >people who'd bought his books? That would be ever so much easier than > >dragging a circus tent from town to town the way P.T. Barnum did. > > I wonder if this has been peer reviewed? Can't you tell? BLP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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