diarmidlogan

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_835854.html

Britain could be heading for a new Ice Age.

A Horizon do***entary to be shown on BBC2 says global warming could
'switch off' the Gulf Stream.

The Gulf Stream continually warms Britain's coast and scientists say
that without it, our climate would be like Alaska's.

Winters like the big freeze in 1962-63 would hit us all the time, we
would have to live in minus 22C for months and ice storms would batter
the land.

Greenland is said to be melting at a rate of 100 cubic km every year
because of the greenhouse effect.

Experts believe the melt water from the ice could effectively switch
off the Gulf Stream.

"It would be quick," says Dr Terry Joyce. "Suddenly one decade we are
warm, the next decade we're in for the coldest winter we've
experienced in 100 years. And we'd be stuck in it for 100 years."

Dr Richard Wood of the Met Office tells Horizon: "You would expect to
see sea ice off the south coast for several miles."


Story filed: 08:33 Thursday 6th November 2003

malcolm ogilvie

In article <6d220a72.0311060948.7651ab38@posting.google.com>, Diarmid
Logan <diarmidlogan@yahoo.com> writes


Well if Britain is, then so is Ireland :-)


A highly speculative suggestion that has been around for perhaps 10
years or more. Don't know why Horizon have only just cottoned on.

--
Malcolm Ogilvie

diarmid logan

I know that. That is why I posted it in soc.culture.irish as well as soc.culture.british.


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harry crun

AIR, The New Scientist reported a few months ago that the Gulf Stream flow
was down by 20% relative to historical norms. If I don't remember correctly,
this kind of data would be highly relevant -- it's not as if the GS is going
to suddenly come to a dead stop in human scale time.

Harry C.

u2

You know Alaska actually is about -30 to -40C and whereas upper New York
State is about -20C; and, without further elaboration by you of the
particular mentioned details you appear merely to be spreading
unsubstantible rumors (now do you want to do that?).

diarmidlogan

I was posting a news account from Ananova, not "spreading
unsubstantible rumors". If you don't like the news from Ananova then I
suggest that you contact them about it.

exit

Yet this year in the UK was one of the hottest on record - some things just
don't add up do they?

--
Julian
---------
= Pretentious Sig required =

adam whyte-settlar

It's a goody though. Always freaks 'em out, that one.
It's the timescale of only a decade wot does it.
A W-S


Don't know why Horizon have only just cottoned on.

malcolm ogilvie

In article <_%1rb.5665$ws.544775@news02.tsnz.net>, Adam Whyte-Settlar
<grawillers@hotmail.com> writes

It worries me, the palm trees in my garden might not survive :-(

--
Malcolm Ogilvie

alan hardie

Yes they do. The argument is that the high temperatures are melting
the ice caps. Fresh water is pouring into the Atlantic Ocean where it
meets the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. Now the warm waters from the
Gulf Stream normally sink when they hit the cold waters of the
northern seas and are pushed back to the Caribbean where they rise to
be warmed again and head back north once more. It's called the
Atlantic Conveyor. But when the warm waters of the Gulf Stream hit
freshwater - they don't sink and when they don't sink the Atlantic
Conveyor is switched off. So goodbye warm Gulf Stream water keeping
Britain and Ireland temperate and hello freezing cold waters and the
new ice age. Cheery thought, isn't it?