NATO

[HONDO74]

Lots of pictures of glaciers today and even 100 years ago. But what did they look like 500 years ago when the population of the earth was only in the millions and not the 8 billion we have today and way before the advent of burning fossil fuels.

What caused all the glaciers to start retreating when human activity was at a minimum ??

I have been to Glacier bay on our Alaska cruise so I know what it looks like today. Take a look at this map that shows when it started to retreat. In 1700 the glacier extended into the strait. By 1750 it was retreating at a fast pace and by 1850 it had retreated 50 miles. By 1900 it was at the back of the bay when John Muir was there.

You can see the timelines of the retreat on the map.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

An important addition to what we have been considering, HONDO. Thanks for that information and its focus on when.

I think I read somewhere that glaciation occurs in 50,000 year intervals (?)

Scratches from glaciers moving across the exposed rock in Manhattan are easily visible in Central Park, once pointed out. Long Island is considered to be a glacial terminal moraine ("outwash plain"), dumped upon occasion of the melt-back and last (as it relates to us) retreat.

[Mitch]

So, what if it is the core temperature and rotation of the earth causing the melting glaciers? In Wisconsin, Minnesota, (land of 10,000 lakes), and all of western Ontario, Manitoba, and parts of Saskatchewan, the 10s of thousands of lakes were formed by glaciers. It is called the Canadian Shield. The lakes are all still there, but the glaciers were gone long, long, long before population by man. I'm tellin' ya it's weather and natural history! Nothing more. (I'll Turnerize that statement. It's my opinion).

[MurphOnMillerAve]

…. In Wisconsin, Minnesota, (land of 10,000 lakes), and all of western Ontario, Manitoba, and parts of Saskatchewan, the 10s of thousands of lakes were formed by glaciers. It is called the Canadian Shield. The lakes are all still there, but the glaciers were gone long, long, long before population by man....:

You're right about those lakes, Mitch; in fact, the Great Lakes themselves are fresh water because they were first gouged-out by the southward movement of the glaciers and filled with their meltwater once they began to melt and retreat.

[HONDO74]

I am not saying that humans are not having some impact on climate change. I just don't believe that burning fossil fuels are the only contributing factor. What about all the volcanoes and the fires that are burning thousands of acres. They know that there are volcanoes under the Antarctic that are heating the water under them.

What would we as humans do to change course. Are we going to stop using fossil fuels ? In order to keep this merry go round spinning we are going to need all the energy we can get as the population continues to increase at the rate it is now.

Nothing is being done to prepare for what they are projecting is going to happen. Even if we stopped using fossil fuels tomorrow it can still take a couple of hundred years for the earth to change course if they are correct.

Maybe the earth warming up might be a good thing for food production in northern areas where there is more water available. California has used up its water growing food in the desert. Maybe things will shift towards Canada. They have plenty of water.

[rex desilets]

Maybe things will shift towards Canada. They have plenty of water.

Eh?

[John Webster]

The correct temperature of the earth is what it was when the planet's savior, Al Gore, was born.

Listen to him as he travels between his five palatial residences in his jets and convoy of armored SUVs and he will tell you about the government controls needed to reduce your carbon footprint.

[CWBurfle]

I am not saying that humans are not having some impact on climate change. I just don't believe that burning fossil fuels are the only contributing factor. What about all the volcanoes and the fires that are burning thousands of acres. They know that there are volcanoes under the Antarctic that are heating the water under them.

I don't recall ever reading any claims that burning fossil fuels is the sole cause of global warming.

[HONDO74]

I am not saying that humans are not having some impact on climate change. I just don't believe that burning fossil fuels are the only contributing factor. What about all the volcanoes and the fires that are burning thousands of acres. They know that there are volcanoes under the Antarctic that are heating the water under them.

I don't recall ever reading any claims that burning fossil fuels is the sole cause of global warming.

From NASA.
https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

On Earth, human activities are changing the natural greenhouse. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). This happens because the coal or oil burning process combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO2. To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities has increased concentrations of greenhouse gases.

[Roy]

There was a piece on TV recently about methane, also known as natural gas, aggravating the greenhouse gas problem. There's much less of it in the atmosphere, but it's about 30 times more powerful than CO2.

Here's some more info: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases

[CWBurfle]

From NASA.

I guess we don't interpret what was written the same way.

[E7]

The correct temperature of the earth is what it was when the planet's savior, Al Gore, was born.

Listen to him as he travels between his five palatial residences in his jets and convoy of armored SUVs and he will tell you about the government controls needed to reduce your carbon footprint.

John, By Jove, I think you've identified the root cause!

Rich

[HONDO74]

From NASA.

I guess we don't interpret what was written the same way.

There can always be differences in interpretations. It just appears to me that the main emphasis is being placed on the burning of fossil fuels causing climate change. This is why Europe is in the process of banning the internal combustion engine. Also the elimination of coal fired power plants.

[John Webster]

More likely the problem is slash and burn agriculture where the forests are cleared to provide grazing land or salable crops. That is going on almost unregulated across South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. That is doubly harmful in that it removes the CO2 absorbing trees and releases their stored CO2 into the atmosphere.

The real problem is overpopulation. We could turn control over to the socialists, with their long history of mass murder they might solve the problem.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

More likely the problem is slash and burn agriculture where the forests are cleared to provide grazing land or salable crops. That is going on almost unregulated across South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. That is doubly harmful in that it removes the CO2 absorbing trees and releases their stored CO2 into the atmosphere....

No doubt about it, John. I heard some time ago that Brazil has had an official policy of cutting away the Amazon jungle, at so-many sq. mi. per year. Wasn't the city of Brasilia constructed on just such land?