Little Ice Age: It Was Not the Sun 375
vikingpower writes "The Little Ice Age, lasting from the end of the Middle Age into the 17th century, may very likely have been caused by the combined effects of four major volcanic eruptions and increased sunlight reflection by increasing sea ice, the so-called Albedo effect. ... The University of Boulder has a press release with maps and photographs. Bette Otto-Bliesner, one of the scientists behind the 'volcano + sea ice' thesis, fields an earnest warning against drawing conclusions too quickly from this research: 'I think people might look at the Little Ice Age and think that all we need to save us from rising temperatures are some volcanic eruptions or the geo-engineering equivalent [...] But when you see what happened when global temperatures dropped by just one degree and you look at current predictions of six or seven degree increases for the future, you realize how precarious things are for life as we know it.'"
Global Warming? Let the Intelligent Debate Begin! (Score:5, Funny)
No doubt this item will produce reasoned, well mannered discourse in droves! Pop some popcorn, enjoy the highbrow debate!
Re:Global Warming? Let the Intelligent Debate Begi (Score:4, Funny)
Canwedo it with beer and make it lowbrow?
Re:We didn't really know how things worked before (Score:5, Funny)
We deny that.
Re:so where you going with this? (Score:2, Funny)
"Volcanism" sounds like... (Score:3, Funny)
...something catholic church would disapprove of.
Re:Maunder minimum was not the culprit [Re:Of cour (Score:5, Funny)
... and the dating shows the Little Ice Age began well before the Maunder minimum. The Maunder minimum didn't cause it, very definitely.
The only logical conclusion is that cold temperatures on earth somehow prevent sunspots. Which means, obviously, that global warming will blot out the sun due to a proliferation of sunspots caused by warmer temperatures here.
We're doomed!
Re:Global meltdown, they say ... (Score:2, Funny)
I'll just leave this here for you. [cpcache.com]
Re:University of Boulder? (Score:4, Funny)
OK, so maybe it is just a guy sitting on a large rock...
What's your point?
Re:Global Warming? Let the Intelligent Debate Begi (Score:5, Funny)
"Intelligent debate"? What kind of nonsense is that?! Everybody worth listening to knows full well that Slashdot posts aren't written, they're generated from a QRNG in CmdrTaco's basement, and comment scores reflect natural selection.