[kochevnik]

So does this mean the coming dieoff will take care of global warming for us ?


$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'E')urope's "Little Ice Age" may have been triggered by the 14th Century Black Death plague, according to a new study.

Pollen and leaf data support the idea that millions of trees sprang up on abandoned farmland, soaking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

This would have had the effect of cooling the climate, a team from Utrecht University, Netherlands, says.

[The_Virginian]

The interesting part about CO2 and plants, is the theory that Metahane is large plant produced byproduct....

Now how would that play into the "little Ice age"?

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')lack Death Caused Mini-Ice Age

[katkinkate]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('The_Virginian', 'T')he interesting part about CO2 and plants, is the theory that Metahane is large plant produced byproduct....

Now how would that play into the "little Ice age"?

[elroy]

Not entirely. A recent study showed that plants produce quite a bit of methane during their life. The reason why we didn't know is simple, nobody was measuring it.

[Falconoffury]

I thought that any animal that farts produces methane. It might be an urban legend.

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Falconoffury', 'I') thought that any animal that farts produces methane. It might be an urban legend.

[bobcousins]

It's an interesting theory. It is really tough to isolate the dozens of different forcings that affect climate.

Ruddiman's theory is that humans have been influencing climate ever since we developed agriculture, over 8,000 years ago. A major die-off would presumably coincidence with reduction in fossil fuel burning, so there would be a large reduction in CO2.

Unfortunately, the climate scientists can only make definite statements about the immediate future, further than that they don't really have much of a clue. We know at one extreme there is snowball Earth, at the other runaway global warming. Somewhere in the middle, there are one or more switches that flip the direction, but we don't have much idea where they are. We don't know what triggers glaciation for example. My theory is that reduced CO2 causes it, others say excess CO2!

I don't think IPCC even model PO at all - one study said the IPCC "Business As Usual" is impossible as it assumes that CO2 continues rising linearly to 2200, and takes no account of oil reserves.

There is discussion whether we are at the end of the interglacial period - or whether this is a long one and we are half way through. If we reduce CO2 below pre-industrial levels, that could put us back into the regular interglacial happy zone - or be the trigger of the next glacial advance. We just don't know.

[Odin]

What I've read says the Little Ice Age started just before the Black Death. The cold, wet summers and the resulting crop failures ment people were malnourished and therfore had comprimised immune systems, making them more vulnerable to disease. Some climatologists think there has been a 1500 year-long cycle of warm and cool periods since the Altithermal, the naturally warmest part of the current interglacial (the current, artificial warming just recently exceeded it), 6000 years ago and we are currently entering a warm phase (although the natural recovery is being swamped by the artificial warming we are causing) and the Little Ice age was the last cool period in the cycle.

[rogerhb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Odin', 's')wampled

[Odin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('bobcousins', 'I')t's an interesting theory. It is really tough to isolate the dozens of different forcings that affect climate.

Ruddiman's theory is that humans have been influencing climate ever since we developed agriculture, over 8,000 years ago. A major die-off would presumably coincidence with reduction in fossil fuel burning, so there would be a large reduction in CO2.

Unfortunately, the climate scientists can only make definite statements about the immediate future, further than that they don't really have much of a clue. We know at one extreme there is snowball Earth, at the other runaway global warming. Somewhere in the middle, there are one or more switches that flip the direction, but we don't have much idea where they are. We don't know what triggers glaciation for example. My theory is that reduced CO2 causes it, others say excess CO2!

I don't think IPCC even model PO at all - one study said the IPCC "Business As Usual" is impossible as it assumes that CO2 continues rising linearly to 2200, and takes no account of oil reserves.

There is discussion whether we are at the end of the interglacial period - or whether this is a long one and we are half way through. If we reduce CO2 below pre-industrial levels, that could put us back into the regular interglacial happy zone - or be the trigger of the next glacial advance. We just don't know.

[Odin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Odin', 's')wampled