Rocky Mountains Keep Europe Warm 32
fldvm writes "The Earth Institute at Columbia University says that the rocky mountains are more responsible than the gulf stream for mild winters in Europe. See the press release, or google cache. The long held assumption had been that the warm water of the Gulf stream makes Western Europe warmer than Canada and and other parts at the same latitude. The researchers said that with computer models they removed the Gulf Stream and Europe stayed warm but when they flattened the mountains over North America the Eastern US was warmer and Europe was colder. "
Good to know, now... (Score:1)
Re:Good to know, now... (Score:2, Funny)
The Rockies? Or the Europeans?
So (Score:2, Interesting)
LOTB
Re:So (Score:5, Insightful)
Before this finding about the Rockies: That theory about the Gulf Stream really sounds like wild speculation.
After this finding about the Rockies: That theory about the Gulf Stream really sounds like wild speculation.
Global warming is fairly strongly established at this point, but its actual effects -- even at macroscopic levels -- still remain terrifyingly unknown. Most scientists aren't managing much better than wild speculation. But it's all a moot question, since we get to find out through a nice fun emperical global experiment over the next thousand years!
Re:So (Score:2, Funny)
You knew that global warming was the only thing staving off the next ice age right? (see Fallen Angels by Larry Niven)
TTFN
Re:So (Score:1)
When making claims about climatology, a reference to a scientific work - even a something of popular science rather than peer-reviewed journals - would be far more appropriate than science fiction.
Re:So (Score:1)
#include <stdhumor.h>
TTFN
Re:So (Score:4, Insightful)
We have no idea what large amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will do to weather in Europe, the US, or anywhere else. We have no idea either what they will do to sea levels or plant life. But we do know that it is quite plausible that they will have big effects and that it is quite plausible that those effects won't be good. We also know that getting rid of excessive carbon dixoide from the atmosphere may take decades or centuries.
The conservative thing to do is to reduce our emissions to more historical levels which we know are safe, as opposed to engaging in a wild experiment on a global scale and see what happens.
Speculative (Score:4, Insightful)
Leaving aside the headlines, the text of the press release reads "Research suggests..."
This is good work, and part of the huge and valuable process of improving our understanding of climate, but it's quite possible that some group will run a different computer model tomorrow and come up with the opposite result.
We'll know that climate modelling is starting to "get there" when they're able to make accurate predictions about the effects of things like volcanic eruptions and solar fluctuations.
Re:Speculative (Score:2)
Butterflies (Score:4, Funny)
Flatten them (Score:2, Troll)
Re:Flatten them (Score:2)
Allergies and warming (Score:2)
but seriously, i agree that it's all almost irrelevant, since we're going to find out sooner than we expect.
Re:Flatten them-or maybe... (Score:1)
Re:Flatten them (Score:1)
Don't forget:
If it wasn't for the French you'd be English.
If it wasn't for the English you'd still be in England.
And if it wasn't for the USA the French would be German.
You need to get a global perspective. And a grip.
lets bulldoze the mountans!!! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:lets bulldoze the mountans!!! (Score:2)
Re:lets bulldoze the mountans!!! (Score:1)
Re:lets bulldoze the mountans!!! (Score:2)
I suspect the person to whom you're replying is sarcastically mocking the "freedom fries" nonsense some idiots here in the US are coming up with, not supporting it.
Ding ding ding!!! (Score:2)
Re:lets bulldoze the mountans!!! (Score:2)
Re:lets bulldoze the mountans!!! (Score:1)
cold Europe (Score:2, Insightful)
in the popular climate models. Are these fact incompatible?
just don't tell (Score:2)
Re:Bruce Willis doesn't die in his movies (Score:2)
Re:Bruce Willis doesn't die in his movies (Score:1)
hmmm (Score:2)
Logically, (Score:1)
I bet the oil companies know how the Rockies keep the US dependant on heating oil and that is why they started this [sierraclub.org] puppet organization.
What if: (Score:1)
Re:What if: (Score:1)
northern europe (Score:1)