Subject:
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Re: Global Warming (was: Re: Why is AIDS such a big deal?)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Wed, 10 May 2000 19:19:24 GMT
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Viewed:
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715 times
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Larry Pieniazek wrote:
> Oh please. Do the math. To me, "flooding" means a change in sea level of 20
> feet or so. That's not going to happen. There isn't enough ice even if both
> icecaps melted down to nothing.
well, i didn't do the math but some other researchers have:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/factsheet/fs133-99//gl_vol.html
The maximum sea-level rise from the complete melting of these bodies of
ice would be about 264 feet- that's about flooding times 13 by your definition
above. There has be a lot of melting before sea level will rise
that much. However, there is significant melting all over the world currently.
Also, part of the Ross Ice Shelf collapesed about a month and half ago. It
resulted in the largest iceberg in recorded history. That will contribute a
little. Furthermore, much of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet(WAIS) is
grounded below sea level. This could actually surge into the sea by
the changes initiated by a relatively small change in global sea level.
That will produce a rapid sea level rise of somewhere around 8 meters(~25 ft).
Similar events happened before in the geologic record.
Sea level changes just don't make the shoreline a little higher- they
cause erosion, salt intrusion into the groundwater, etc. And when 25%
of the nation's population lives within 10meters height of the present
coast- i would say that's something to worry about.
check the map on this page(again) http://pubs.usgs.gov/factsheet/fs2-00/
> The apocalyptic visions of the gloom and doom crowd are not going to come to
> pass. Relatively minor shifts in temperature or in sea level DO lead to
> dramatic changes elsewhere but we are not going to see palm trees in
> Yellowknife any time soon.
of course you aren't, many tree species can't migrate to new ranges fast
enough. i think there was a study done with yellow poplar or birch that
demostrated that.
> And yes, it DOES matter why. It matters a lot. Because if we decide not to care
> why, and decide that we have to stop using carbon fuels, but actually it is a
> climate shift that we are not having any impact on with our use of fuels, we've
> given up on an industrial society for nothing.
there are some other good reasons to give up on carbon based fuels...
but that's topic for another debate. But, I counter that there is a lot
of evidence that CO2 does contribute to greenhouse gas warming.
> I'll give Chris's words some credence but you're just scaremongering, try not
> to believe everything you read.
Shiri may be a little overreactionary, but she has the general idea.
-chris
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