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Failing Ocean Current Raises Fears of Mini Ice Age

Posted by samzenpus on from the let-the-mammoth-hunt-begin dept.

Designadrug writes "This article from Newscientist paints a picture of a major climate control mechanism teetering on the brink: "The ocean current that gives western Europe its relatively balmy climate is stuttering, raising fears that it might fail entirely and plunge the continent into a mini ice age. The dramatic finding comes from a study of ocean circulation in the North Atlantic, which found a 30% reduction in the warm currents that carry water north from the Gulf Stream.""

3 of 568 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Bring warm water in by ToasterofDOOM · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You can't make anything that would work on that massive a scale without spending as much money as would be lost if South America suddenly vanished. Nature is much bigger and more powerful than us and is totally beyond our control through methods like that.

    --
    I am Spartacus
  2. Re:Careful there... by rannala · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Because obviously, following a treaty designed to economically punish the United States for a few years would have solved all of this.

    I don't know if the treaty makes any difference, but do you really think the climate change is not going to punish the USA economically?

  3. Re:Global Warming! by ColaMan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Suppose someone tries to make decisisions about how to handle their health from 2 measurements taken just seconds apart?

    Really, depends if you're having a heart attack or not.

    Medic 1: "Nah, look he's fine, his long-term yearly heart rate has only dropped 0.05%"
    Medic 2: "But he's turning blue... and he's stopped thrashing about!"
    Medic 1: "Look,long term averages show that this is just a minor blip. He'll be up and about in no time!"

    --

    You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
    There is a lot of hype here.