global warming
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jeezoo
global warming
How does global warming cause places to become colder as well? I'm writing an essay on global warming, and I've heard more than once that certain areas are getting colder from it. Like, a cooler summer and a hotter winter? Also, my friend from Europe says that winters there are getting even colder. How is this possible?
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shadowx
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This is in the wrong subforum but meh...
This isnt exact science, this is just what i know and describes the situation fairly well but google "Gulf stream" and "gulf stream global warming" for more.
Essentially there is a current of water that either comes from, or is help by, currents of water coming down from the Arctic. These waters flow down the east of america and join with a current of warm along the border between America and Mexico, here they divert eastward, towards europe. These waters are several degrees warmer than the ocean around them and are driven right up to the South West coast of the UK where i live. They stop just short of the coast of Cornwall and often bring large algae blooms and hence whales and dolphins (and even large sharks) off the coast of south-west UK. This gulf stream keeps the UK and western europe much warmer than it should be. If you look at a comparison between the UK and the North US for example places like New York regularly suffer with several inches, or even feet, of snow and ice and cold temperatures. London on the other hand, which is roughly on the same latitude as NY rarely suffers snow more than an inch. This is because of the gulf stream which even in winter keeps the UK and Western Europe warmer than it should be.
Now, if global warming is indeed real, and the polar ice caps melt this means a lot of very cold water melts from the ice caps up north and a HUGE current of COLD water comes down the east coast of the US, when this abnormally cold water hits the gulf stream it causes the current to cool down, in theory if this current gets cool enough it will no longer warm up western europe. So if that happens the summers will still be warm but winter will be very cold indeed and could cause problems for things like food crops, winter travel etc... since we arent prepared or used to it.
This winter of 2009/2010 was very harsh for the UK and we had loads of snow, in fact there is an amazing picture taken from a satellite during the winter: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GIchwvJ-aNk/S ... icture.jpg
IF global warming does cause problems with the gulf stream current winter will be like that every year!
I suspect, but i dont know for sure, that there are similar currents around the world that would also be affected by extra, cold meltwater from the poles.
This isnt exact science, this is just what i know and describes the situation fairly well but google "Gulf stream" and "gulf stream global warming" for more.
Essentially there is a current of water that either comes from, or is help by, currents of water coming down from the Arctic. These waters flow down the east of america and join with a current of warm along the border between America and Mexico, here they divert eastward, towards europe. These waters are several degrees warmer than the ocean around them and are driven right up to the South West coast of the UK where i live. They stop just short of the coast of Cornwall and often bring large algae blooms and hence whales and dolphins (and even large sharks) off the coast of south-west UK. This gulf stream keeps the UK and western europe much warmer than it should be. If you look at a comparison between the UK and the North US for example places like New York regularly suffer with several inches, or even feet, of snow and ice and cold temperatures. London on the other hand, which is roughly on the same latitude as NY rarely suffers snow more than an inch. This is because of the gulf stream which even in winter keeps the UK and Western Europe warmer than it should be.
Now, if global warming is indeed real, and the polar ice caps melt this means a lot of very cold water melts from the ice caps up north and a HUGE current of COLD water comes down the east coast of the US, when this abnormally cold water hits the gulf stream it causes the current to cool down, in theory if this current gets cool enough it will no longer warm up western europe. So if that happens the summers will still be warm but winter will be very cold indeed and could cause problems for things like food crops, winter travel etc... since we arent prepared or used to it.
This winter of 2009/2010 was very harsh for the UK and we had loads of snow, in fact there is an amazing picture taken from a satellite during the winter: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GIchwvJ-aNk/S ... icture.jpg
IF global warming does cause problems with the gulf stream current winter will be like that every year!
I suspect, but i dont know for sure, that there are similar currents around the world that would also be affected by extra, cold meltwater from the poles.
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Traumwandlerin
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shadowx
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Thanks, it's nowhere close to a full explanation but it does explain why the UK has a mild climate! Even compared to eastern europe there is a vast difference within only a couple thousand miles of the end of the stream. A complete shutdown could be bad indeed.
Not to mention what could happen to the jet stream which again brings the UK mild warm air in much the same way the gulf stream does.
Mind you, climate change has happened in the past and it allowed us to be hear so it is a two sided story.
Not to mention what could happen to the jet stream which again brings the UK mild warm air in much the same way the gulf stream does.
Mind you, climate change has happened in the past and it allowed us to be hear so it is a two sided story.
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Traumwandlerin
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Yeah. But Germany suffered from a hard winter last year, too. First it was like "whoa snow for about 3 days in a row? 
" Then it went to "WTF snow again? After 3 weeks? I'm sick of it" and it just went on and on and on..
I'm not thinking about "oh poor humanity" or "poor vegetation" it comes and goes, it's naturally (and sometimes not, like probably this time or the time with this asteroid and the dinosaurs) but it's all about"poor me! I don't want all this snow stuff and coldness! I'm freezing here!"
" Then it went to "WTF snow again? After 3 weeks? I'm sick of it" and it just went on and on and on..I'm not thinking about "oh poor humanity" or "poor vegetation" it comes and goes, it's naturally (and sometimes not, like probably this time or the time with this asteroid and the dinosaurs) but it's all about"poor me! I don't want all this snow stuff and coldness! I'm freezing here!"