| dethalternate | Date: Friday, 13-January-2012, 6:29 PM | Message # 1 |
-- dragon lord--
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| Carbon dioxide levels will stay high for 1,000 years
Could insulate against ice age in 1,500 years
We would be 'better off' in warmer world
Cambridge university scientists say that a new Ice Age is due to start within 1,500 years.
But due to human carbon emissions, the lethal 'big freeze' could be put off.
Levels of CO2 in the atmosphere could actually insulate against a catastrophic ice age which would see glaciers advance over Europe and north America.
The scientists admit that we would be 'better off' in a warmer world - but caution that this is 'missing the point'.
In a paper published in Nature Geoscience, Cambridge University paleoclimatologist Luke Skinner says that even if carbon emissions stopped today, levels would remain elevated for at least 1,000 years, and stored heat could prevent the next Ice Age from happening.
Instead, things would cool down, but not quite so severely.
Thanks to elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the earth would not experience 'glaciation' - periods of severe cold where glaciers advance.
The current level of carbon dioxide is 390 parts per million. Scientists believe that level would need to drop to 240 parts per million to allow glaciation to take place.
'It's an interesting philosophical discussion. Would we better off in a warm world rather than a glaciation? Probably we would,' says Dr Skinner.
Full article/source - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/science....ts.html
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