Will Europe see another Ice Age starting in this century?

[addiv]

Some scientists are saying that because of global warming, the Gulf Stream might come to a stop quite suddenly, because the water around Europe will be so warm that water from the Caribbean won't be inclined to stream in that direction any more. This would then result in a severe cooling of the temperature in Europe, since the Gulf Stream is the only thing that keeps Europe from having temperatures as low as in Labrador.
Do you think this is likely to happen soon, and what do you think will be the effects on Europe and the World if this were to happen?

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

It is a distinct possibility.

 

[Archer 007]

European navy power would see a sharp decline.
Quick, Americans, use fossil fuels.

 

[stormbind]

There's the polar shift theory aswell, but that would suggest the next ice age will be in N.Amerca.

Also, the UK is currently warmer than it was a couple of centuries ago. It might be nice to "correct" that.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

Considering where I am, I wouldn't want a North American ice age. I am about as far inland and north as you can be in this world without being near an ocean.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Not likely, I would suspect that we are more apt to see a warming trend that will reduce or melt the polar ice.

 

[downwithgravity]

think of all the snow days you guys would have over there.

i'll burn some gas for you over here. maybe my tiny contribution to global warming will cheer it up over there

 

[Goober]

I seriously doubt that this shall occur anytime soon, seriously doubt it. Before it happens, we will likely put into place laws or whatnot to stop this, we might be slow, and relatively stupid as a race, but we can react, under pressure . . .

 

[The Last Conformist]

As Sobieski said, it's a distinct possibility.

My native Sweden would be hit particularly hard, altho hopefully it wouldn't be as bad as the last Ice Age, when the location of my homse city was under well over a kilometer of ice ...

 

[EzInKy]

Originally posted by RealGoober
I seriously doubt that this shall occur anytime soon, seriously doubt it. Before it happens, we will likely put into place laws or whatnot to stop this, we might be slow, and relatively stupid as a race, but we can react, under pressure . . .

Who's going to make the laws? How are they going to be enforced? What would be the punishment if they are broken?

If it happens, we can find room for you down here B-)

 

[carlosMM]

distinct posibility to near-certainty.

the other question is how long the cooling would last. Possibly, there would be a global climatic shift, and we do not really know where to.


but yes, turn the GUlf Stream off and we freeze down to the continental climate 'normal' for the latitude!

 

[Stapel]

There is one big flaw in the reasoning.

Global warming has been here, way before the start of the Industrial Age. I remeber learnign at school, the river Themes once ended in the river Rhine, somewhere on the bottom of what is now called the Northsea.


Another point with global warming is its causes. CO2 is only one of them. Most others have been dealt with quite reasonable.
So what if the CO2 level rises from 0.4 to 0.5%? That will simply lead to a new order, not to an ongoing warm-up.

 

[Akka]

Originally posted by Birdjaguar
Not likely, I would suspect that we are more apt to see a warming trend that will reduce or melt the polar ice.

That's precisely the point.
The polar ice melt, and being non-salted water, it stays on top of ocean (lighter), and make the Gulf Stream "plunge" deeper, effectively stopping its effect on Europe (I'm simplifying, but it's the basic of the thing).

I wonder : do a preemptive strike on USA would be justified, as they are clearly threatening Europe by refusing to reduce their CO² emissions ?

 

[carlosMM]

Originally posted by Stapel
There is one big flaw in the reasoning.

Global warming has been here, way before the start of the Industrial Age. I remeber learnign at school, the river Themes once ended in the river Rhine, somewhere on the bottom of what is now called the Northsea.

ah, you mix this up! Thatb was when the water was in ice sheets....

Another point with global warming is its causes. CO2 is only one of them. Most others have been dealt with quite reasonable.
So what if the CO2 level rises from 0.4 to 0.5%? That will simply lead to a new order, not to an ongoing warm-up.

ah, I won't educate you on this here, it took me years to study it, but:

a) it mostly is CO2 and athmospheric H2O.
b) not a new order, quickly, but first of all a melting of the ice caps
--> higher sea levels with larger continental seas (on teh shelf as opposed to deep ocenas)
--> more evaporation
--> higher H2O content in the air
--> sightly higher albedo but decidedly higher heat retention due to grenhouse effects
--> even more warming

long term we may get a Eocene or even Paleocene climate with TOTALLY different ecosystems - arriving there in a few hundred years instead of a few millions. That will kill off almost all live. I am talking the order of the Late Permian or K/T extinction event!

 

[Hundegesicht]

Sad for all the Russians, but Europe is too warm for my tastes anyway.

 

[polymath]

Originally posted by stormbind
There's the polar shift theory aswell, but that would suggest the next ice age will be in N.Amerca.

Also, the UK is currently warmer than it was a couple of centuries ago. It might be nice to "correct" that.

Exactly, and in the 1600s ice-skating on the Thames in the winter was a very popular pastime. Of course, it might not be so much fun in the summer.

 

[HamaticBabylon]

Originally posted by Archer 007
European navy power would see a sharp decline.
Quick, Americans, use fossil fuels.

Dude it's always political...

 

[bigfatron]

It's an interesting question - by refusing to take atmospheric emission control seriously, there is a case for saying that the US government is knowingly and willingly taking action that will cause massive and irreversible damage to the life, liberty and happiness of the European continent.

As European governments have a responsibility to ensure Europeans' life liberty and happiness, are they entitled, or even obliged, to take strong action, up to and including military force, to ensure the US government addresses the damage being caused by itself and its citizens?

If not, would a case exist were the theory of global warming to be demonstrably proven?

Discuss.....

 

[Akka]

Well, considering that the existence of WMD in Iraq wasn't proved but only supposed, I think there is a perfectly acceptable casus belli with the supposition of global warming because of refusal to reduce atmospheric emission from the US.

 

[carlosMM]

as akka says, and it is proven