In this article by Camille Parmesan, "Global climate change", in AccessScience@McGraw-Hill, http://www.accessscience.com, DOI 10.1036/1097-8542.757541, last modified: April 6, 2001. (Subscription required) I found these two quotations:
Quote: "Since 1900, the amount of two main greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane) in the Earth's atmosphere has increased by 25%."
and....
Quote: "Not only is carbon dioxide produced in much greater quantities than any other pollutant, but it remains stable in the atmosphere for over 100 years."
So we can know that there is 'something' going on, but what?
Well, the telling sign of things is in the wind, and that is a more literal statement then you might realize. That is one of the most Highly impressive Observations that my studies of physics gave me, the reality of the Very Placid nature of the face of this place, Earth.
In studying Spherical objects (planetary bodies) and circulations of Atmospheres around the surface of such objects, it becomes quite obvious that to STOP cyclonic activities (An image of some of the earths'Normal Cyclonic activities) in such environments is an exceedingly difficult thing to 'reason out' or 'model" (no, I haven't {Computer} 'modelled' them, but in thought {thinking processes} it is possible to, so...) as the nature of interaction of 'Material objects' (Gases/air/ or Liquids/water) and Gravitational Bodies (Earth) is such that stopping activity/interactivity is difficult, at best!
That is one of the items of Future concern(?) that isn't as easy to model to predict (on/with computers) as Scientists/Science would like it to be, wind and the thereafter Circulation patterns that emerge as a result of Changes in temperature and Composition of the Planets atmosphere.
Wind is more Problematic then it looks like as it can be a Major destructive force if it begins to exceed what we have all come to take for granted as the Placid Natured 'Blowing' that has been the norm for the Lives of Most of Us living today...events like Katrina come to mind, but that one isn't remarkable as it fits well into the margins of what is 'Normal' over a long enough span of time, just that it does readily demonstrate the point of knowing about the force of Wind, and the problem facing us that we do not Know just what that force of wind is to become as a result of what we ARE doing to the Atmosphere...it (Wind) is also an Indicator that is one of the first things that will be telling us that we are doing it, it is Our Global Canary.
Recent events on the western Coastline of North America might just be in the Key of the 'Warming up' Tune, indicators of the reality of what is transpiring, we are changing the Climate/Circulations, it is now simply a matter of, how fast?
Just for clarity, in chemistry and physics it is known that when a gas is heated you increase the Volume (Expand it) and you accelrate the Motions of the Molecules/atoms that comprise the gas itself. In making it, the atmosphere, less viscous ('Viscosity' is a measure of flow rate, think Maple syrup and water, the syrup is the More viscous/thick) we enable Faster blending rates and more turbulent activities to arise...this has all been predicted back in the Eighties and Ninties by Scientists when we were all told that Global Warming would make the Storm systems More violent as that is what heating it all causes to occur.
It may Just be that that (older) tune of "The answer my friend is Blowing in the Wind" might just be more prophetic then we would like, as recent events may just be a Mild prelude to what is to follow as the Planets systems adjust to the New Inputs of our recent (Last 20 to 30 years) expansive mobilization (AKA Energy utilization) of Humanity albeit for the economic purposes of Most of us, and especially for those 'Special Interest Groups' also known as "The Greedy"
As a Notation, having watched and listened to some of the oil executives that Run 'Very Large' Oil companies talking about this particular problem, Global Warming, it interested me to hear one say that they (Paraphrasing it) 'would have loved nothing better then to turn off the taps' as to curtail this Very Potent event from furthering into our collective future, just that that would mean people "freezing in the dark, probably with No food" (gets to the grocery store in the back of a truck, from the Diesel Powered Farm Tractor) which would be a Very irresponsible act on their parts, and that it is NOT the oil companies that create the Demand for the Product, it is Us!
BTW the demand is Going UP as this writing by Russel Felton in The Imperial Oil Review explains, it also is inclusive of (as the graphs used in the published work are not on the net published work) an estimation of Greater (then currently projected) uses of Solar and Wind and other 'Green' Energy sources and still arives at it's Conclusion ....which is Probably an Untenable situation to have occuring, as current use is so high that is is NOW causing us problems
Still going to go for a Sunday drive? cause the time to act to Curb yourself in all of your ownpersonal energy uses is Now, Right Now.
BTW normally the "canary" is seen as the Glacial Melting, but since it is a huge planet, we can use more then one canary, so the winds are definitely qualifiable as a second re-sounding (soon to be dead?) "canary"
by
Mr. Robin Parsons (1 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 64 comments)
on Saturday, April 21, 2007 at 7:55:49 AM
2 comments
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