Martin Gregorie wrote:
Shawn wrote:
5Z wrote:
wrote:

New math: 2035 - 2006 = 6!


I think he meant 60 more seasons. Cooling should occur in the 2060+
timeframe.

Not necessarily. One of the more doom and gloom climate change
scenarios has fresh water from greenhouse warming induced melting of
part of the Greenland icecap, shutting down the Deep Atlantic Conveyor.
This circulation pattern is the source of energy driving much of the
world's ocean circulation including the Gulf Stream. Water in the North
Atlantic tends to be cold and salty (dense), sinks to the ocean bottom
near Iceland (IIRC) and flows south driving deep ocean currents. Some
of this water eventually rises near the equator picking up heat and
returning north on the surface. Melt water from the Greenland
fresh-water ice is of much lower density and could hypothetically
override the denser Gulf Stream water. This *could* mess up the cycle.
Heat flow to high latitudes decreases, making those areas colder, while
lower latitudes become warmer since the heat isn't carried away. Good or
bad, if or when, can't be called by any respectable climatologist at
this time. Makes for bad Hollywood though. :-)
http://calspace.ucsd.edu/virtualmuse...ge1/10_5.shtml
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319262/photogallery

Shawn

A recent measurement reported the eastern branch of the Gulf Stream was
already 30% of the way to being shut down.


Yes, some research do show that.
Other researchers have not come to that conclusion and I have also
heard that the flow of the Gulf stream between Iceland and Scotland is
on the increase.