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Humans Are Causing the Earth To Wobble More Than It Should, NASA Finds (bgr.com)

Iwastheone shares a report from BGR: When looking at the Earth from afar it appears to be a perfect sphere, but that actually isn't the case. Because Earth isn't uniform on all sides due to land masses that shift and change over time, our planet actually wobbles a bit when it spins. Now, a new study by researchers with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and several universities and science centers has pinpointed the causes of Earth's imperfect spin, called "polar motion," and they found that humans are contributing to it. The researchers used a wealth of data gathered over 100 years to build mathematical models to trace the causes of the wobble and found that three factors are at play, and mankind is responsible for one of them. Two of the three factors identified by the scientists are glacial rebound and mantle convection. Glacial rebound happens when thick ice sheets physically push down on land masses, compressing them, but then release that pressure upon melting. The land then balloons back up over time, causing Earth's spin to wobble as if slightly off-axis. The effects of the last ice age, which would have compressed a huge amount of land across many continents, is still being felt today in the form of glacial rebound.

Mantle convection, the other uncontrollable factor in Earth's wobble, relates to our planet's inner workings. The plates on Earth's surface are in constant flux due to the movement of liquid rock far beneath our feet. The researchers believe these currents also contribute to the planet's imperfect spin. The third and final factor identified by the scientists is the massive loss of ice on Greenland and other areas, which is the direct result of global warming thanks to human activities. The researchers estimate that Greenland has lost roughly 7,500 gigatons, or 7,500,000,000,000 metric tons of ice due to global warming. All that ice loss has happened in the 20th century, and greenhouse gas production has been cited as the primary culprit. Losing all that mass has caused a significant shift on the planet and has contributed to the wobble as well.

205 comments

  1. Not That Far by Baby+Duck · · Score: 2

    The plates on Earth's surface are in constant flux due to the movement of liquid rock far beneath our feet.

    In terms of the Earth's radius, the liquid rock is not that far. It's close. It's so close. So scarily, scarily close!

    --

    "Love heals scars love left." -- Henry Rollins

    1. Re:Not That Far by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      According to Al Gore (the inventor of climate change), the Earth is "millions of degrees only a couple of miles down". I think that is well beyond liquid state.

  2. Just try to get that song outta your head by Tablizer · · Score: 0

    I blame it on Weebles.

  3. Re:Global warming by WindowsStar · · Score: 0

    Correct. I have family that live where it is getting colder and colder over the last 10 years. So their part of the Globe is NOT warming. It is "Climate Change".

  4. Ice caps... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Two of the three factors identified by the scientists are glacial rebound and mantle convection. Glacial rebound happens when thick ice sheets physically push down on land masses, compressing them, but then release that pressure upon melting.

    Soooo they are all over India's plan to artificially drag a massive ice sheet and melt it for water, right?

    Yeah.. didn't think so.

  5. Re:Global warming by 110010001000 · · Score: 1, Informative

    More precisely it is "Anthropogenic Climate Change" because we know it is caused by humans.

  6. Re:Global warming by Alypius · · Score: 1

    Just as "Comcast" is now "Xfinity" and for much the same reason.

  7. But they don't fall down by tepples · · Score: 1
    1. Re:But they don't fall down by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      Damn you, now I got two songs in my head!

    2. Re: But they don't fall down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ancient source of the mythical weeble wobble: https://youtu.be/dFzhjnjXc2o

    3. Re:But they don't fall down by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      In Australia, Weebles fall down but don't wobble.

    4. Re:But they don't fall down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is only the 1970 version. Those later CGI monstrosities never existed.

  8. Re:humans make the earth wobble? wtf by viperidaenz · · Score: 4, Informative

    Also the same "scientists" that claim the earth is round!

  9. Wobble? by msauve · · Score: 0

    "Wobble" implies some sort of cyclic shift of the Earth's geographic axis. But they seem to be describing a simple change.

    Interestingly, searching for a map showing any such change to the geographic pole produces, well, not much. It seems to be all about the magnetic pole.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    1. Re:Wobble? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Probably because you're not considering the east and west poles.

    2. Re: Wobble? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Google-fu you fail it

      Look for positional astronomy and nutation

      Dumbass

  10. Contradiction by ichthus · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The effects of the last ice age, which would have compressed a huge amount of land across many continents, is still being felt today in the form of glacial rebound....
    {snip}
    The third and final factor identified by the scientists is ... the direct result of global warming thanks to human activities.

    So... acknowledgment that we're still coming out of the last ice age (you know, warming), but (and in the very next breath, mind you) blaming (in its entirety) this warming solely on human activity. How fucking stupid do they think we are? ...

    --
    sig: sauer
    1. Re:Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fucking liberal zombie

    2. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have provided such solid and convincing evidence and facts I am now converted to your climate change religion.

      I no longer require any facts or evidence to overcome the incredible cognitive dissonance that would be caused by normal people reading how coming out of the ice age has nothing to do with climate trends. It is all obviously human activity since we know the earth is otherwise an entirely stable paradise unchanging and static except for human activity.

      Clearly the denialist moron you are replying to does not understand science like we do. The ice age was caused by man and the ice age ended because of man. It is utterly impossible for any other options to exist. Because ... global warming. Or climate change. Or whatever the high priests of global Marxist control tell us.

      We have always been at war with Eurasia.

    3. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Check how fast temperatures change year by year or even decade by decade before about 1900 when the industrial revolution came about.

      Then check how fast the temperature has gone up after, especially the past 20 to 30 years.

      Please, explain the difference if it's not man made.

      This is what science does... Until someone else proposes another theory that fits the data, the original stands.

    4. Re: Contradiction by youngone · · Score: 1

      You've managed to fit almost every one of the Koch brother's propaganda into one post, well done.
      Just needed to blame Al Gore for something and you would have had a full house.

    5. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The temperature has gone up frighteningly fast. There's no doubt about that.

      But for all we know, that's how ice ages end. With a tipping point that shifts the climate back into a warm period. Or perhaps, at this stage the climate bounces back and forth during the course of hundreds of years. It was named Greenland back in the day for a reason, and it wasn't because of the glaciers.

      Either way, none of this climate debate will matter when we've finished cutting down the forests and polluting the oceans. Hot or cold, the world will still be un-livable.

    6. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Conjecture with no proof.

    7. Re:Contradiction by Plus1Entropy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They are speaking of 2 different effects, both caused by the melting of ice.

      The first effect is due to how the land responds to the ice melting. This continues long after the ice has melted, because the land does not decompress instantly. This is not (really) about glaciers that are melting today, the land is rebounding from glaciers which melted millennia ago.

      The second effect is due simply to the loss of the ice itself. As stated in TFS, the 7500Gtons is only over the last 100 years. That much mass loss in a fairly localized area was enough to make a significant contribution to the movement of Earth's center of mass, impacting the wobble.

      Finally, it's not the direction so much as the rate. Yes, we're coming out of an ice age, so we would expect average temperatures to gradually climb. However, what we have seen is that the climb has accelerated. Specifically, it has accelerated during the time that we have become industrialized. That acceleration means that certain effects will be more extreme, and we will have less time to adapt or prepare for them.

      This is not just true of the climate, but of any non-linear dynamic system (aka everything). When a system moves from one state to another, there are high frequency effects introduced. The faster the system transitions, the more pronounced those effects are.

      --
      Only crack the nuts that crack. You don't put the ones that don't crack in the sack.
    8. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because ... global warming. Or climate change. Or whatever the high priests of global Marxist control tell us.

      It was the Bush administration, in accordance with advice given by their spin doctor Frank Luntz, who were largely responsible for re-branding global warming as climate change (on the basis that "warming" was too scary). The "high priests of global Marxist control"?! How far to the right are you?

      We have always been at war with Eurasia.

      George Orwell, OTOH, was an avowed socialist.

    9. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I find it really funny how no one mentions that the closest corliation we have found to climate change is earth's magnetic anomalies. Yet CO2 still is the forerunner for the cause of climate change.

      I'm not saying we don't effect climate change, just that the most significant factors are ignored, especially when they are naturally caused. So, sorry if I doubt the validity of stories like this. But I'm going to need more than ice melting to take responsibility for this.

    10. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Explain this graph please: https://xkcd.com/1732/

    11. Re: Contradiction by Plus1Entropy · · Score: 1

      I don't understand. You don't believe that ice melting can wobble the Earth, or you don't believe that the ice melted because of humans?

      Also, can you describe the mechanism by which anomalies in Earth's magnetic field impact climate change?

      --
      Only crack the nuts that crack. You don't put the ones that don't crack in the sack.
    12. Re:Contradiction by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Well, that question is easily answered: you just acknowledged that you are extremely stupid.
      HINT: the ice age is over since 15,000 years.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    13. Re: Contradiction by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      People aren't really stupid so much, just gullible. I'm not much smarter than your average person but I was blessed with a disdain for authority and a habit of moving my brain outside the box to ask questions. Most of the "order" in the world exists because people stay in the box and are happy to be there. My innocent questions made for a lot of uncomfortable times at my fundamentalist church as a child. These were questions coming from a kid who was a full on believer and slated to be an upstanding Christian. Didn't work out that way. I have learned to conceal my questions as an adult and use the perspective to my advantage while allowing others to believe they know what I believe. The best of both worlds. The global warming scientists and politicians are not to be trusted. Don't hate on thier useful idiots though...they will come around when the real leaders of this world prevail.

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    14. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And AGW is a conjecture with proof? Mathematical models that constantly require re-adjustment as real evidence comes in is not proof and no consensus is also not proof.

    15. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Explain this graph please

      Vivid imagination by an obvious environmentalist.

    16. Re:Contradiction by riverat1 · · Score: 1

      So... acknowledgment that we're still coming out of the last ice age (you know, warming), but (and in the very next breath, mind you) blaming (in its entirety) this warming solely on human activity. How fucking stupid do they think we are? ...

      Actually we finished coming out of the last glacial period (ice age) around 8,000 years ago and had slowly started dropping toward the next one as the temperature has been on a slight downward trend since then. But the massive increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily due to human emissions has reversed that trend.

    17. Re: Contradiction by riverat1 · · Score: 1

      The global warming scientists and politicians are not to be trusted.

      In general scientists are among the most trustworthy of human beings. That's because they spend so much time and effort keeping each other honest. In order to believe that climate scientists are not being honest about their findings you would have to believe thousands of them have been involved in a decades long conspiracy that no one's been able to crack. Given the amount of opposition to them it's just not believable to me that if there were a substantial problem with their work it would not have surfaced by now.

      Politicians on the other hand ...

    18. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well the honest ones are being put up on a cross because they are refuting the claims.

    19. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you trust corporate entities when their meal ticket depends on deceiving people wholesale?
      Perhaps deception is too strong a term. Persuasion of the superiority of your position perhaps. Or marketing.
      Do you believe the words 'new and improved'? 'Brightest brights ever'?
      Can you understand why a lot of people require a higher standard of proof, especially when the 'solutions' are wealth destruction and redistribution on a global scale, and a (almost) uniform, massive reduction in quality of life?

    20. Re: Contradiction by riverat1 · · Score: 1

      Do you honestly believe we wouldn't be studying climate and that climate scientists would be out of a job if anthropogenic global warming wasn't a thing? Understanding how the climate system works is important to our modern complex civilization regardless of the reasons behind it. Besides the proposed 'solutions' are not for the most part being proposed by climate scientists. For the most part all they are doing is calling for emissions of CO2 to be reduced and eventually eliminated. How we get there is the realm of politicians.

      Also saying it requires 'wealth destruction' and 'a massive reduction in the quality of life' is a straw man. There are ways to get there that perhaps require some changes to the way we live but don't necessarily require a massive reduction in those things.

    21. Re:Contradiction by ichthus · · Score: 1

      HINT: the ice age is over since 15,000 years.

      Then, why do they state that the earth is still coming out of the ice age? Yeah, they say it -- it's right there in my first post, copied directly from the summary, moron.

      --
      sig: sauer
    22. Re:Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So... acknowledgment that we're still coming out of the last ice age (you know, warming), but (and in the very next breath, mind you) blaming (in its entirety) this warming solely on human activity. How fucking stupid do they think we are? ...

      Actually we finished coming out of the last glacial period (ice age) around 8,000 years ago and had slowly started dropping toward the next one as the temperature has been on a slight downward trend since then. But the massive increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily due to human emissions has reversed that trend.

      So AGW is a good thing. Much better than a mile thick glacier tearing through your cities.

    23. Re:Contradiction by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      Then, why do they state that the earth is still coming out of the ice age? Yeah, they say it -- it's right there in my first post, copied directly from the summary, moron.

      They don't. The sentence you quoted says that the land is still rebounding after the glaciers melted, not that the temperature would still be rising without human contribution. Glaciers don't reappear the moment that global temperature begins to drop.

    24. Re: Contradiction by jbengt · · Score: 1

      It was named Greenland back in the day for a reason, and it wasn't because of the glaciers.

      True, it was named Greenland because the original settlers wanted to convince more Vikings to come join them.

    25. Re:Contradiction by jbengt · · Score: 1

      To be pedantic, the latest glaciation retreated 15,000 years ago.
      We're still in an ice age (there's still permanent ice at the poles and on top of some mountains) and if we come out of the ice age, it will be getting significantly hotter than it has been in the last couple of million years or so.

    26. Re:Contradiction by riverat1 · · Score: 1

      Not something you ever needed to worry about in your lifetime regardless of what happened. Maybe taking CO2 levels from 270 ppm up to around 320 ppm would be a good thing. But the CO2 level is over 400 ppm now and that's going to cause changes that will cost a lot of money to adapt to over the next 50 to 100 years. It would be cheaper to prevent the changes in the first place.

    27. Re: Contradiction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mathematical models that constantly require re-adjustment as real evidence comes in are what we call "science", Clem.

    28. Re:Contradiction by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Obviously the "article" misused "ice age" instead of using the more appropriated term "glacier period".

      Obviously, all on /. except you pedant, grasped that, and continued to use the lay man term: "ice age".

      But thanx for pointing it out. I forgot to write "ice age" in quotes, as I usually do to get rid of people like you.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    29. Re:Contradiction by Plus1Entropy · · Score: 1

      why do they state that the earth is still coming out of the ice age?

      Why didn't you respond to my reply, where I explain exactly why you misunderstood what the article was saying?

      Of course, you don't have to be convinced by my comment, but at least we could continue the discussion.

      Unless you just comment because you like hearing the sound of your own voice (so to speak)?

      --
      Only crack the nuts that crack. You don't put the ones that don't crack in the sack.
  11. Re:humans make the earth wobble? wtf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As Trump's flying flab proves, there is no simple "round" "retard" "traitor" "wearing diapers" on the "golf course" - it's far more computational, if you're dithering.

  12. Re: humans make the earth wobble? wtf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I wonder who do you think "us" and "nobody" are

  13. Re:humans make the earth wobble? wtf by msauve · · Score: 1

    It's turtles all the way down.

    Any "wobble" is just turtle farts.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  14. because of obesity? by bonedonut · · Score: 1

    are the high levels of obesity in the US causing the wobble?

    1. Re:because of obesity? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Especially those on the left coast

    2. Re: because of obesity? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you been to Louisiana?

    3. Re:because of obesity? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was thinking this was onion and they would have a picture of a fat-assed American in a scooter at Walmart and identify this as the likely cause of the wobble.

  15. Yo Mamma by alvinrod · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Yo mamma so fat, she makes the earth wobble more than it should.

    We all know that's the real cause.

    1. Re:Yo Mamma by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When she sits around the world, she sits 'around' the world!

    2. Re:Yo Mamma by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Makes a bout as much sense as the idea that humans are causing the earth to wobble. And even if that is true, what does that mean compared to the fact that Earth was once way hotter than it was before modern life evolved on this world?

    3. Re:Yo Mamma by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      Yo mamma so fat, she makes the earth wobble more than it should.

      That's nothing, your mom is so fat she has smaller fat women orbiting her.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  16. Re:Global warming by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 0

    You need to keep updated with the latest propaganda.

    I have seen the latest update: Climate change is now a "Chinese hoax".

  17. Re:Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Global production of concrete is 10 billions per year. Every year, just from concrete production, the earth gets 10 billion tons heavier. And what about the hundreds of millions of cars, trucks and busses that didn't exist a hundred years ago. That's a lot of weight that has been added. And it's not evenly distributed either.

  18. Next thing will be Al Gore Saying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The earth is “several million degrees at 2 kilometers or so down” because of humans.

    1. Re:Next thing will be Al Gore Saying by youngone · · Score: 1

      What an idiot.

  19. Earth sandwich, anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  20. Re:humans make the earth wobble? wtf by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

    How do you explain volcanoes then?

    Turtles that ate too much mexican food?

  21. Re: Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a pretty convincing hoax too. China has invested trillions into renewables and cleaner tech... Man, when it's publicly revealed that this is all a hoax, China's gonna take one look at the US and it's trillions and proudly proclaim "Worth it!"

  22. Re:humans make the earth wobble? wtf by youngone · · Score: 0

    These are the same "scientists" who tell us global warming is real and that evolution is a "fact". And then they wonder why no one beleves them.

    It's not "no-one". It's just the credulous morons at your Church.
    Also, learn to spell.

  23. Re:humans make the earth wobble? wtf by msauve · · Score: 4, Funny

    Volcanoes are just pimples, and should be treated Proactivly.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  24. Can't we have both? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can't we have both clean drinking water AND no global warming? Or do we get drinking water, only from glaciers melted by greenhouse effect?

    You know that its not propaganda, its empirical objectively observed data,

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

    If you want to refer to the general trend upwards, feel free to call it "global warming", if you want to refer to the increased chaotic variance, call it "climate change", if you want to refer to the cause call it "greenhouse effect"...

    But you want to ignore the data, so why not call it "la la la I'm not listening" .

    1. Re: Can't we have both? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uses Wikipedia as the source for science type things...

    2. Re: Can't we have both? by stealth_finger · · Score: 1

      Uses Wikipedia as the source for science type things...

      If the wiki page is wrong feel free to correct it.

      --
      Wanna buy a shirt?
      https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
    3. Re:Can't we have both? by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      You better fix the local pollution problem first, because it is going to kill you first. Also, it has been a problem for many decades and is only getting worse so when are you planning on fixing it? There is no discussion about it, because everyone is up in arms about how to spend billions fixing climate change.

    4. Re:Can't we have both? by jbengt · · Score: 1

      You better fix the local pollution problem first, because it is going to kill you first.

      "Local" pollution has been significantly reduced within my lifetime, so, yes, we can have both.

  25. Re: Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Added? From where?

  26. Weasel Words by mentil · · Score: 1

    Be wary of weasel words like 'contributes to' because they can be misleading yet technically correct (not always the best kind). In particular, if a contributor is responsible for a negligible portion.

    --
    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
    1. Re:Weasel Words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Previous studies identified glacial rebound as the key contributor to long-term polar motion. ... In the new study, which relied heavily on a statistical analysis of such rebound, scientists figured out that glacial rebound is likely to be responsible for only about a third of the polar drift in the 20th century ... "We identified not one but three sets of processes that are crucial -- and melting of the global cryosphere (especially Greenland) over the course of the 20th century is one of them." ... The authors argue that mantle convection makes up the final third.

      Be wary of weasel words like 'contributes to' ... if a contributor is responsible for a negligible [ca. 33%] portion

      Be wary of scientists in general. They are out to get you. And the worst thing about scientists? They NEVER quantify anything. Just weasel words ...

    2. Re:Weasel Words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem is, people outside the science community thinks everything is black and white. People in the science community realizes, or should anyways, that everything is nuance. There is nothing cut and dry. But they speak as such and from one scientist to another, there isn't much translation required. However there are those who get pissed about hearing something that contradicts their own beliefs, and pissing matches ensue.

      Anyways anyone who says it is "settled science", is a dumbass opening themselves up for being proven wrong over time.

    3. Re:Weasel Words by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hi, the sarcastic AC from above ...

      Anyways anyone who says it is "settled science" ...

      Science, no less than dust, can "settle." When we speak of 'settled science' that simply indicates that, at the current state of knowledge, a particular proposition is so well established that it entertains little prospect of productive research. To take an extreme example (as we should probably avoid), you would find it very difficult to attract grant money to investigate whether or not gravity causes a body of lesser mass is attracted to a larger body, or to put that colloquially: the proposition, dropped stuff (eventually) falls towards the ground is "settled science."

      Any specific topic, which is still the subject of frequent publication in the scientific journals (which rather than "what scientists say/think" is the actual locus of capital-S Science), is clearly not "settled." Within climate science there are both contentions which are largely "settled" and those which are still the subject of productive research. Thus while the very existence of those specialist journals speaks to the fact that the statement "the science is settled," as a blanket statement covering the entire field of climate science, is obvious nonsense, certain aspects (which no longer bear publication in said journals), can fairly be regarded as "settled."

  27. My fridge is colder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I guess your family live in my fridge? Because you didn't state even their location, let alone a 100 year graph.

    IMHO, climate scientists build all these models and collect all this data, and you don't even quote a single fact to support your argument, or even float a hypothesis as to how your family's house is representative of the worlds climate.... so if its all the same, I'll trust the scientists. Because their mechanisms stand up to basic fact checking, and yours don't even quote facts to check.

    1. Re: My fridge is colder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Models are not evidence or fact either.

    2. Re: My fridge is colder by Sique · · Score: 2
      No. But we have some facts.

      Carbon dioxide has strong absorption bands in the near infrared (namely 2.7 micrometer, 4.2 micrometer and 15 micrometer). That means, that infrared radiation with those wavelengths will not penetrate a layer of carbon dioxide very well, but instead heat the carbon dioxide (which in turn then radiates itself, but in all directions, thus reflecting 50% of the radiation back to Earth).

      We also have carbon dioxide data for the atmosphere since about 250 years, when Joseph Priestley first found out that air is actually a mixture of different gasses, and started to measure the respective shares. We know for instance, that around 1900, the carbon dioxide share of the atmosphere was around 270 ppm (or 0,027 percent), as we can read in Anatol Leduc: Nouvelles recherches sur le Gaz (1899) or numerous other publications of the time. We know the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere today (410 ppm or 0,041 percent), for instance measured in the Keeling Curve. So we know that the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere has risen 140 ppm, and we can calculate, how much carbon dioxide you need, given that the total pressure of the atmosphere is 1033 hPa or 103,3 kN/m. Of this pressure, 140 ppm is caused by additional carbon dioxide since 1900, giving 14 Pascal or 14 N/m. As the whole Earth has a surface of 510 million square kilometers or 510 trillion square meters, this means that the additional carbon dioxide lasts with around 7000 trillion Newtons on the Earth's surface. And because 1 kg causes a force of 9,81 N on the Earth's surface, we can calculate, that we need 700 trillion kilograms or about 700 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide to cause an increase of the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere from 270 ppm in 1900 to 410 ppm today.

      And because carbon dioxide is made up of one atom of Carbon (12 g/mol) and two atoms of Oxygen (16 g/mol), we can calculate that we need to burn 200 billion metric tons of pure Carbon to cause an increase of the atmospheric carbon dioxide from 270 ppm to 410 ppm. And how much pure carbon (mainly as coal and crude oil) have we mined since 1900? About 270 billion metric tons (currently, it's about 4.1 billion metric tons per year). That means, if we have burned all our coal and crude oil mined since 1900, about 70% of its carbon content is still in the atmosphere (the other 30% are mainly solved in the oceans causing acidification, and some of it indeed was bound due to increased plant mass, because we have more forests now than we had in 1900).

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
    3. Re: My fridge is colder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course models are evidence. They might not be conclusive evidence, but proof is built from multiple sources of evidence

    4. Re: My fridge is colder by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 2

      No. But we have some facts.

      But they have alternative facts.

      Carbon dioxide has strong absorption bands in the near infrared (namely 2.7 micrometer, 4.2 micrometer and 15 micrometer). That means, that infrared radiation with those wavelengths will not penetrate a layer of carbon dioxide very well, but instead heat the carbon dioxide (which in turn then radiates itself, but in all directions, thus reflecting 50% of the radiation back to Earth).

      I have attempted to get the idea of the concept of the greenhouse gas effect through some folks by the concept of energy retention. Different gases and water vapor have the effect of energy retention. A few, like Sulfur Dioxide function in reverse of that.

      I have no expectation that I will actually convince any person who denies this energy retention for political reasons. I only put it out there as an example of politics trying to trump physics, and hopefully others might see the folly of that.

      Meanwhile, as of 2007, we have had 800 Terawatts of radiative forcing. since 1750. http://news.mit.edu/2010/expla...

      We also have carbon dioxide data for the atmosphere since about 250 years, when Joseph Priestley first found out that air is actually a mixture of different gasses, and started to measure the respective shares. We know for instance, that around 1900, the carbon dioxide share of the atmosphere was around 270 ppm (or 0,027 percent), as we can read in Anatol Leduc: Nouvelles recherches sur le Gaz (1899) or numerous other publications of the time.

      Something important to point out here. Over this long timeline, nothing has changed except the accuracy of the measurements. The first mention of the global effect was made in the late 1890's by Svante Arrhenius.

      This ain't rocket surgery, AGW deniers, the physics is real. The release of much sequestered Carbon Dioxide and Methane is real. The denialists need to come up with a sound reason why these simple truths fail on a global scale.

      So far, they have failed miserably. The political rhetoric, like calling Michael Mann an asshole - he isn't - doesn't hack it, and the tactic of jumping on every anomaly like it is a smoking gun simply helps point scientists in the direction to send their research. Cherry pick away deniers, you are helping refute your denialism.

      because we have more forests now than we had in 1900).

      Side note. I was at an old iron furnace a few years ago. Greenwood Furnace to be exact, in that section of Pennsylvania made famous by the LANDSAT images from space for it's tortured terrain.

      They cut trees and turned them into charcoal for the furnaces. So much that you could stand on top of the mountains in that area, and eventually not see one tree from horizon to horizon. Which is what always put the furnaces out of business before coke production allowed the big furnaces in Western PA to take over and kill charcoal smelting for good.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    5. Re: My fridge is colder by Sique · · Score: 1

      Something important to point out here. Over this long timeline, nothing has changed except the accuracy of the measurements. The first mention of the global effect was made in the late 1890's by Svante Arrhenius.

      And even if the measurements are more exact now, we are talking one hundred ppm here, the ten thousandth part. In 1900, chemical analysis was good enough to separate Praseodymium and Neodymium (1879 Cleve, 1885 Auer von Welsbach), two Rare Earth elements which basically are identical in all chemical properties. Carl Auer von Welsbach repeated his separation method (fractioned crystallization) several hundred times(!) to actually split Didymium (supposed to be an element) into Praseodymium and Neodymium. 15 years later, analytical chemists were surely able to determine the share of Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for five digits after the decimal point (something a teacher today can show his pupils).

      So the actual numbers of 270 ppm and 410 ppm are not the problem (they even change a little over the course of a year due to different temperatures). They didn't change from 1900 to 2018 because Carbon dioxide can be better measured now. They changed because the share of Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose by 50 percent.

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
    6. Re:My fridge is colder by Jerry · · Score: 1

      IMHO, climate scientists build all these models and collect all this data, and you don't even quote a single fact to support your argument, or even float a hypothesis as to how your family's house is representative of the worlds climate.... so if its all the same, I'll trust the scientists. Because their mechanisms stand up to basic fact checking, and yours don't even quote facts to check.

      There are significant concerns about HOW they built those models and "collected" all their data.

      In the 2009 FOIA zip files were 1,072 emails which were dated from 1999 to Nov of 2009, two weeks before the whistle blower released the zip file. In it is HARRY_README.TXT, which describes the horrible state of the data used to generate the hockey stick graph. They dropped all the thermometer temperature data between 1960 to the date prior to the release of the graph and replaced it with "synthetic" data (i.e., made up out of thin air), combined with a "neat trick" (their words) by Mann to hide the decline in global temperature which has obviously been taken place since 1997. The plans to deliberately create a website for propaganda purposes, the deliberate withholding of data on which their published reports were based, their constant and continuing change of data taken decades ago in order to make it fit their agenda ... all of it suggests what has been repeated in other posts citing comments made by IPCC reps and supporters that "Climate Change" is about redistribution of wealth from the Western world to Marxist countries.

      Various emails discuss getting journal editors who don't favor AGW replaced with people that do, which they did, and stuffing "peer review" panels with AGW proponents, which they did. They colluded between themselves to give each other's papers high "approval" marks.

      In the DOCS section of the ZIP file are Word documents in which the "researchers" apply for grant money from the IPCC. In it they set up "milestones" (their word) for delivering "proof" of AGW on a timely basis. When I was doing research in grad school one couldn't claim that any particular line of research would prove any hypothesis. In fact, the exact opposite is how science is done. One assumes their hypothesis is true and designs an experiment to test its validity, the "null hypothesis". A thousand experiments can not prove an hypothesis correct, but it takes only one to prove it wrong. If that happens the hypothesis is modified to take into account the new data and it is retested. Here is an example email about Greenpeace and the IPCC working toward "the globalization agenda" (their words)
      *******************
      From: "paul horsman"
      To: m.kelly@uea.ac.uk
      Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 14:45:23 -0700
      MIME-Version: 1.0
      Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
      Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
      Subject: climate negotiations/wto etc.
      Priority: normal
      X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.12b)
      Status: O

      Hi Mick,

      It was good to see you again yesterday - if briefly. One particular
      thing you said - and we agreed - was about the IPCC reports and
      the broader climate negotiations were working to the globalisation
      agenda driven by organisations like the WTO. So my first question
      is do you have anything written or published, or know of anything
      particularly on this subject, which talks about this in more detail?

      My second question is that I am invovled in a working group
      organising a climate justice summit in the Hague and I wondered if
      you had any contacts, ngos or individuals, with whom you have
      worked especially from the small island States or similar areas,
      who could be invited as a voice either to help on the working group
      and/or to invite to speak?

      All the best,

      Paul

      ---------------
      Paul V. Horsman
      Oil Campaigner
      Greenpeace International Climate Campaign
      Greenpeace,
      Canonbury Villas
      London N1 2PN
      Tel: +44 171 865 8286
      Fax: +44 171 865 8201
      Mob: +44 7801 212990

      *********************

      The 2011 FOIA zip contains more damning evidence of fraud, collusion, corruption ...

      --

      Running with Linux for over 20 years!

    7. Re:My fridge is colder by Jerry · · Score: 1

      Text of email: 1255523796.txt from FOIA-2009.zip
      "Filter error: Please use fewer 'junk' characters." forced me to remove some email reply addresses and reduce boundary markers.

      From: Kevin Trenberth
      To: Michael Mann
      Subject: Re: BBC U-turn on climate
      Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:36:36 -0600
      Cc: Tom Wigley ,...
      Mike
      Here are some of the issues as I see them:
      Saying it is natural variability is not an explanation. What are the physical processes?
      Where did the heat go? We know there is a build up of ocean heat prior to El Nino, and a discharge (and sfc T warming) during late stages of El Nino, but is the observing system sufficient to track it? Quite aside from the changes in the ocean, we know there are major changes in the storm tracks and teleconnections with ENSO, and there is a LOT more rain on land during La Nina (more drought in El Nino), so how does the albedo change overall (changes in cloud)? At the very least the extra rain on land means a lot more heat goes into evaporation rather than raising temperatures, and so that keeps land temps down: and should generate cloud. But the resulting evaporative cooling means the heat goes into atmosphere and should be radiated to space: so we should be able to track it with CERES
      data. The CERES data are unfortunately wonting and so too are the cloud data. The ocean data are also lacking although some of that may be related to the ocean current changes and burying heat at depth where it is not picked up. If it is sequestered at depth then it comes back to haunt us later and so we should know about it.
      Kevin
      Michael Mann wrote:

      Kevin, that's an interesting point. As the plot from Gavin I sent shows, we can easily account for the observed surface cooling in terms of the natural variability seen in the CMIP3 ensemble (i.e. the observed cold dip falls well within it). So in that sense, we can "explain" it. But this raises the interesting question, is there something going on here w/ the energy & radiation budget which is inconsistent with the modes of internal variability that leads to similar temporary cooling periods within the models.
      I'm not sure that this has been addressed--has it?

      m

      On Oct 14, 2009, at 10:17 AM, Kevin Trenberth wrote:

      Hi Tom
      How come you do not agree with a statement that says we are no where close to knowing where energy is going or whether clouds are changing to make the planet brighter. We are not close to balancing the energy budget. The fact that we can not account for what is happening in the climate system makes any consideration of geoengineering quite hopeless as we will never be able to tell if it is successful or not! It is a travesty!
      Kevin
      Tom Wigley wrote:

      Dear all,

      At the risk of overload, here are some notes of mine on the recent lack of warming. I look at this in two ways. The first is to look at the difference between the observed and expected anthropogenic trend relative to the pdf for unforced variability. The second is to remove ENSO, volcanoes and TSI variations from the observed data.

      Both methods show that what we are seeing is not unusual. The second method leaves a significant warming over the past decade.

      These sums complement Kevin's energy work.

      Kevin says ... "The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't". I do not agree with this.

      --

      Running with Linux for over 20 years!

    8. Re: My fridge is colder by Jerry · · Score: 1

      Models are NOT evidence of anything except the hypothesis, which has to be tested using the null hypothesis. Experiments are not designed to prove something right. They are designed to prove an hypothesis wrong.

      Classic case: Einstein's prediction of the bending of light from a star on a certain date during a solar eclipse. He didn't need the support of a newspaper blasting his opponents, or of a radio host denigrating anyone who didn't believe he was right.

      --

      Running with Linux for over 20 years!

  28. Precisely by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And last I heard the evidence that humans are causing global climate change is still quite inconclusive.

    I see that you got a troll mod. Not surprising, given the strong liberal bias on this site.

    1. Re:Precisely by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "empirical measurement data." != data that is interpolated and "Adjusted".

      Time and again data that doesn't agree with the models is changed wholesale.

  29. Easy to fix by CharlesAKAChuck · · Score: 1

    Just have like everyone in China jump up and down at the same time for a while. If the wobble gets worse, have everyone in North America jump up and down for a longer period of time.

    1. Re:Easy to fix by Crashmarik · · Score: 1

      Nooo you have just invent the Jumping Jack Attack, and we have a Jumping Jack Gap. This will require a large increase in the defense budget to fix.

    2. Re:Easy to fix by Daralantan · · Score: 1

      Proof for the Flat Earthers that the Earth is flat. "Only a flat disc could wobble when people jump on it!"

    3. Re:Easy to fix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Americans are so far they probably can't jump for that long. Can we just have the Chinese jump backwards instead?

    4. Re:Easy to fix by TimMD909 · · Score: 1

      Just have like everyone in China jump up and down at the same time for a while. If the wobble gets worse, have everyone in North America jump up and down for a longer period of time.

      With about 40% of the US population being overweight, I'm pretty sure we won't need to "jump up and down for a longer period of time." We might want to instead jump only once.

  30. Global Wobbling next hoax by fat cat scientists! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Once everyone can see global warming was fraud, global wobbling will be the next scam from the academic-industrial complex.

  31. Re: Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm joking.

  32. Slowing rotation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Interesting there was no mention that humans have probably slowed the rotation of the earth in the past few centuries. Humans have built things up, call buildings, and and built dams trapping water, also further from the center of the earth. The later factor is the major one. Think angular momentum. Most slashdoters will have this, but for those who don't, an iceskater spinning around will spin slower if they move their arms out away from the center.
    The amount of slowing is very tiny. The speed of the earths rotation is tracked by NASA and other entities. Quite useful if you are communicating with a satellite in the outer solar system. The loss off rotational speed jives with calculations of how much water humans have been keeping up in dams.

  33. Re: Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I see what you did there. You crafty fox you. :)

  34. You know what is up... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's all because of Windows 10 updates, nothing to be concerned about!!!

  35. Re:Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's just Climate Change, it doesn't matter who caused it, it only matters if we can do anything about it.

    The only people that ever care about "Anthropogenic" are those who either don't believe it's happening or don't believe humans caused it, because clearly if it's happening but humans didn't 100% cause it, then we can all happily go back driving giant trucks that burn coal with a clean conscience and zero consequences.

  36. Re:humans make the earth wobble? wtf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why on earth would you assume these are the same scientists?

    It's not even the same field.

  37. Losing all that mass??? by mark-t · · Score: 1, Informative

    What, did it escape into space or something?

    Because otherwise, regardless of its form, all of that mass is still here, on earth.

    Seriously.... the principles of conservation of matter and energy is like grade 5 or 6 science class stuff.

    1. Re:Losing all that mass??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So is the principle of centre of mass. ;-)

    2. Re:Losing all that mass??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yo-yos, spinning tops, ice skating and those rotating things at playgrounds are also Grade 6. But that doesn’t mean that a Grade 6 student will necessarily understand how a change to the distribution of mass in a closed system causes a change in angular velocity (but not momentum) due to the change in the moment of inertia tensor.

      For linear motion, both linear velocity and linear momentum of the closed system are conserved. Whereas for angular motion, only angular momentum is necessarily conserved; angular velocity can change.

  38. So they only identified 2 factors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I would consider their third factor as a subset of glacial rebound.
    Maybe if they try hard enough, they could link man-made global warming to mantle convection and have a total of 4 factors.
    They could split the human-caused portion into 7.6B "factors" and we could just go after the worst humans.

  39. No, it's not humans... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's just me. I'm sorry, I've really let myself go. -SOB- It is my fat ass that is screwing with the Earth and making it wobble... In fact, I really shouhlsdf be eating thssh icgh cream uddr the cicumshtahnches but ish jush sho goog...

    1. Re:No, it's not humans... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is that you creimer?

  40. Strange by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 2

    "The third and final factor identified by the scientists is the massive loss of ice on Greenland and other areas"
    That affecting the "wobbling" is possible. But the loss of ice - melting and going into oceans - should make earth wobble less, as oceans are more equally distributed on earth than blocks of ice.

    --
    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    1. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea it's like they decided to ignore common sense because they had an agenda...

    2. Re:Strange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Redistribution of mass causes change in the moment of inertia tensor. This causes change in angular velocity, also known as “wobbling”.

    3. Re:Strange by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      You have a rotating mass.
      You distribute some mass from some point to another.
      Obviously this causes wobbling, until the "system has settled".

      The fact that the mass is now more even distributed, does not change the fact that it takes quite a time until the wobbling ceases.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  41. The real culprit by arswright · · Score: 1

    I blame this "double-step" music that's apparently all the rage nowadays - it's known for its "wobble".

  42. Uh, Search Axial Precession.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and then, causation of correlation. You're welcome.

  43. Hard to fake by Capsaicin · · Score: 1

    It's a pretty convincing hoax too. China has invested trillions into renewables and cleaner tech.

    Well that's virtue signalling in its most literal, technical (signalling theory) meaning then.

    --
    Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident a security. --Edmund Burke
  44. Hypocrites by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Said the agency that is testing rockets. Close NASA down.

  45. ice v. water by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ice is lighter than water but it's all concentrated in one spot... Water seeks its own level, so once it melts into the ocean, it tends to flow around the planet eh? So if anything were to hold true, it's that the spin ought to become less wobbly because there's less mass concentrated in one spot...

  46. Load of brown stuff by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What a bunch of hogwash. I call B.S. on this article lol.

  47. Re: Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If it's a hoax you'd better do something to stop it being taught in all the schools now. Or no one will believe it when it's unhoaxed.

  48. I remember... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...when such clowns wandered around wearing sandwich boards with 'The End is Nigh!' written on them. Nowadays we pay them a living with our taxes.

  49. Crust != Mantle by fisted · · Score: 1

    Yeah.. We only have to dig 3000 km to arrive at liquid rock. That's like 0.0001% of Earth's ~6000 km radius. Right?

    1. Re:Crust != Mantle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On a geological timescale, even granite at room temperature behaves at a liquid.

    2. Re:Crust != Mantle by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      The living proof, that a little bit of knowledge is often more dangerous than none, "Two main zones are distinguished in the upper mantle: the inner asthenosphere composed of plastic flowing rock of varying thickness, on average about 200 km thick, and the lowermost part of the lithosphere composed of rigid rock about 50 to 120 km thick. A thin crust, the upper part of the lithosphere, surrounds the mantle and is about 5 to 75 km thick." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantle_(geology), I edited out the imperial measurements, why should I serve the stupid. Most of the mantle plastic flowing rock ie it is very fucking bendy.

      So yeah, it all moves around, and even just from orbital mechanics, the different forces applied alter the shape and induce stresses which become apparent when weaknesses are created.

      So mantle no where near as rock solid as your brain.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    3. Re:Crust != Mantle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He knows, how to use commas that, makes it even.

    4. Re:Crust != Mantle by Dragonslicer · · Score: 1

      Sometimes we don't have to dig at all. There are places where the liquid rock comes right up to the surface all by itself.

  50. Did you hear that? by gerald.edward.butler · · Score: 1

    Whoooooooooosh!

  51. Re: Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Added? From where?

    From Portland obviously.

  52. Everybody jump now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Humans Are Causing the Earth To Wobble More Than It Should, NASA Finds

    Was it from when they had that experiment to get millions of people to jump in the air all at the same time?

  53. Popcorn time! by Opportunist · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Get out your bag of popcorn folks and grab a soda, the astroturfers are on stage again! What are they gonna give us today? "It's not man made"? "It doensn't happen"? Or are we going to be entertained by a new conspiracy theory around the evil scientist that gets rich from wanting to change our way of life?

    Anyhow, we know it's gonna be a blast! Let the show begin!

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:Popcorn time! by commodore64_love · · Score: 2

      I wish I was an astroturfer. I'd love to get paid by the DNC or GOP to post on forums.

      But no, I'm just an ordinary guy, who gets paid Nothing for being on /. forum. TRIVIAL: There have been 5 ice ages on the earth, including the one we are experiencing now.

      - The earth has spent the majority of its time (90% of its life) with NO ice on the poles. This is called a Tropical Age.

      --
      "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
    2. Re:Popcorn time! by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      - The earth has spent the majority of its time (90% of its life) with NO ice on the poles. This is called a Tropical Age.

      True. You know what else the Earth didn't have during those times? Humans.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:Popcorn time! by Iwastheone · · Score: 1

      Submitter here, thank you for being a voice of reason here.

    4. Re:Popcorn time! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gosh do you ever sound and feel like creimer...

  54. Snopes is Soros run and fake! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stop wobbling everyone, you're making the Earth wobble. Stop it! I boted her. #shewon
    Now where's my purple hair dye.

  55. Easy fix by LordHighExecutioner · · Score: 2

    we just need a coordinated effort among all the people in the world.

    1. Re:Easy fix by orsayman · · Score: 1

      And the mandatory XKCD.

  56. Re: Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The word "change" is superfluous and does not contribute any additional meaning. Climate changes by definition. Sea levels change. Temperature changes. Atmospheric composition changes. Weather patterns change. Warmists are actually static-climate theorists who believe normal changes are a deviation from the norm. It's a cult like belief system grounded in groupthink and weak science.

  57. Re: Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How much does the Russian government pay you?

  58. Re:Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The average surface temperature of the globe is increasing. average != everywhere. See this animation.

  59. Re: Global warming by datavirtue · · Score: 1

    Nothing is taught in school. They just repeat shit enough times so that you give up and treat it as fact.

    --
    I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
  60. Re:Global warming by samkass · · Score: 1

    I knew global warming had to be in there somewhere. By the way, it is "climate change" not "global warming". You need to keep updated with the latest propaganda. Meanwhile, your local drinking water is polluted, but go ahead and worry about the Earth wobbling.

    Climate Change and Global Warming are two different things. Global Warming refers to the observed surface temperature change. Climate Change is broader, and encompasses many effects that may be induced by increased greenhouse gasses and the resulting change in climates.

    Politicians and media personalities have tried to push the use of one over the other for their own purposes. For example, Republicans have (largely successfully) pushed for "Climate Change" over "Global Warming" in public discourse, in an attempt to obfuscate the fact that the Earth really is warming. (This is, I assume, the propaganda you're talking about.)

    --
    E pluribus unum
  61. Re: Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You mean when I'm not assaulting women and lynching black people? I'm a pro-science former-Democrat.

    Which means I probably raped someone back in the eighties at a party somewhere.

    Keep calling everyone who disagrees with you names though. Seems to be working.... For the other team, that is.

  62. Re: Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a cult like belief system grounded in groupthink and weak science.

    Your post is right on the money (unintentional pun), but you left out one thing: There are so many people chasing so much government research money that science on this topic has for all time been compromised. It's no longer about the search for truth, it's about the search for endless streams of money.

  63. Yes. Finally. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    At 1:00pm EST everyone is to jump up and down. This will solve the problem!!! It will put back the weeble in the wobble and we won't fall down.

  64. Re:Global warming by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    What's next? The Great Red Spot on Jupiter "shouldn't" be there?

    According to some reports it's shrinking, so you might be right. In more ways than one.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  65. "Wobbling" by temcat · · Score: 1

    I hope it's because of all the fucking.

  66. Re:Global warming by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

    Uh, what are you talking about? "Anthropogenic" is the standard term in the community. If you don't know what causes it, how can you fix it? How stupid.

  67. Re: Global warming by mpercy · · Score: 3, Informative

    (OTTMAR EDENHOFER, UN IPCC OFFICIAL): Basically it’s a big mistake to discuss climate policy separately from the major themes of globalization. The climate summit in Cancun at the end of the month is not a climate conference, but one of the largest economic conferences since the Second World War... First of all, developed countries have basically expropriated the atmosphere of the world community. But one must say clearly that we redistribute de facto the world’s wealth by climate policy. Obviously, the owners of coal and oil will not be enthusiastic about this. One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy anymore, with problems such as deforestation or the ozone hole.

    Christine Stewart, former Canadian Environment Minister: “No matter if the science is all phony, there are collateral environmental benefits.... climate change [provides] the greatest chance to bring about justice and equality in the world.”

    Monika Kopacz, atmospheric scientist: "It is no secret that a lot of climate-change research is subject to opinion, that climate models sometimes disagree even on the signs of the future changes (e.g. drier vs. wetter future climate). The problem is, only sensational exaggeration makes the kind of story that will get politicians’ — and readers’ — attention. So, yes, climate scientists might exaggerate, but in today’s world, this is the only way to assure any political action and thus more federal financing to reduce the scientific uncertainty."

    Researcher Robert Phalen's 2010 testimony to the California Air Resources Board: "It benefits us personally to have the public be afraid, even if these risks are trivial."

  68. Re:Global warming by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

    Actually "Climate Change" and "Global Warming" are terms that came from the science, not the politicians. And stop blaming the Republicans: the Democrats aren't doing anything about it either.

  69. Justice and Equality's Deadly Toll by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    One Hundred million dead last century in the quest for "Justice and Equality".

    So, yes, climate scientists might exaggerate, but in today’s world, this is the only way to assure any political action

    And THAT is why you are not believed. People aren't stupid. When you claim that Florida will be under water in 20 years, and it isn't, then people will rightly think you are nothing more thana Left Wing activist pushing an agenda.

  70. Re:Global warming by riverat1 · · Score: 1

    I knew global warming had to be in there somewhere. By the way, it is "climate change" not "global warming". You need to keep updated with the latest propaganda. Meanwhile, your local drinking water is polluted, but go ahead and worry about the Earth wobbling.

    Global warming is one cause of climate change. Both terms are useful in the proper context.

  71. Have they never washed clothes, seen spin cycle? by raymorris · · Score: 1

    I have observed that when you put a heavy solid object on a spinning object, such as a washing machine, it throws it off balance and makes it wobble.

    I have also observed that if the washing machine is full of water, in the spin cycle the water self- balances. It's not off balance and doesn't wobble because the water automatically centers around the center of the spin.

    Helicopter rotors use the same effect to self-balance, allowing each blade to move a bit relative to the others. When they can move, they self-balance.

    I wonder if these researchers have ever washed their own clothes and seen that solids can throw the balance off, while liquids do not. Put a chunk of ice in the spin cycle and it'll wobble. Melt the ice into water and it won't wobble.

  72. What happened before the ice??? by acoustix · · Score: 2

    Did the Earth wobble more before the ice age compacted the surface? What's the correct amount of wobble? What's the best temperature for the planet? Who gets to decide all of this?

    --
    "A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
    1. Re:What happened before the ice??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did the Earth wobble more before the ice age compacted the surface? What's the correct amount of wobble? What's the best temperature for the planet? Who gets to decide all of this?

      The ideal state of the universe was the span from August 12, 1970 to July 3, 1972. Don't ask why, you wouldn't understand.

    2. Re:What happened before the ice??? by tkotz · · Score: 1

      The ideal state of the universe was the span from August 12, 1970 to July 3, 1972. Don't ask why, you wouldn't understand.

      Does it have something to do with the release of the Planet of the Apes sequels?

      Because a pre-Star Wars universe sounds pretty far from ideal.

    3. Re:What happened before the ice??? by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 1

      Did the Earth wobble more before the ice age compacted the surface?

      We don't know.

      What's the correct amount of wobble?

      We don't know.

      What's the best temperature for the planet?

      We don't know.

      Who gets to decide all of this?

      We'll require more grants to study these questions, and get back with you on that.

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
  73. Re: Global warming by Bongo · · Score: 2

    Oh, nice quotes.

    An environmentalist, who worked in advising on carbon credits, told me basically the same thing, that it doesn't matter if the CO2 issue isn't really a problem, because by cutting CO2 you will force everyone to cut production and so you force everyone to cut consumption, and she added with emphasis, "it's about reducing greed".

    That was a good ten years ago. It shapes my opinion that people are here using "science" as a narrative, to wrap their entical and moral ideas in a science theory so as to give it objective validity, whereas moral and ethical issues are inter-subjective, social, cultural issues, not objective issues.

    By all means, people can and should debate the ethical issues around co-habiting on a planet, where a child born in Somalia faces entirely different opportunities and hardships to a child born in Norway. We as a humanity should be talking about that ethical issue.

    But leave science to the objective study and testing of objective phenomena. Don't corrupt science for the sake of propaganda.

    Most of the world's population is not ethically developed enough to start viewing the world as a common humanity. We are barely growing out of the ethical dogmas of the traditional religions, as it is.

    Trying to convince everyone that they "must act" because of imagined disasters, will NOT end well, because existential threats cause people to RETREAT and go back to earlier more primitive moralities.

    Making everyone fearful for existence does NOT make them more globally compassionate people.

    It is kinda sad how they are damaging the reputation of science, and damaging the ethical development of humanity, at the same time.

    The best one can hope for is that they just get generally ignored.

  74. NASA doesn't say that...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The NASA's website in the link doesn't say anything about humans. Just glacial rebound, convection and water mass redistribution (mainly from Greenland). So what on Earth???

    1. Re:NASA doesn't say that...? by TimMD909 · · Score: 1

      The NASA's website in the link doesn't say anything about humans. Just glacial rebound, convection and water mass redistribution (mainly from Greenland). So what on Earth???

      BGR isn't reporting on NASA's information. They're pushing a political agenda. Distorting NASA's findings was simply something added to trick naive people.

  75. This was actually good news by Not-a-Neg · · Score: 1

    Glacial rebound means the Crust is rising, as a result land will rebound higher than current sea level leaving plenty of room for all the melted ice. Such immaculate design!

    Joke aside, have the Global Warming "scientists" taken into account glacial rebound with relation to their flood models?

    --
    -==- Buy a Mac and leave me alone!
    1. Re:This was actually good news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're aware there's a huge difference in the time scale for the two events, right?

      We're talking about ice that melts over a couple hundred of years, and rock whose rebound will take tens (and hundreds) of milenia. Moreover, the only place where the crust is "rising" is Greenland. Even when the crust "rises" in Greenland - that will only leave less room for the ocean's volume -- driving the sea level even higher in places like Los Angeles or London.

      The net effect is still the same for virtually all of us: Coastal areas everywhere else will be inundated with water. Trillions of dollars spent in re-locating and re-building entire cities and infrastructure (and/or building levees to keep the water out).

  76. Really? by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    "...The third and final factor identified by the scientists is the massive loss of ice on Greenland and other areas, which is the direct result of global warming thanks to human activities...."

    Yes, no begged questions there at ALL.

    Perhaps the title could have been better formed as "Since we're all believing that THIS spike in temps - comparable in frequency and size to the last 20 times this has happened over the previous 3 million years - happens to be caused by humans, we're going to blame everything on humans.

    No, this is not just humans thinking they're the center of the universe as they have since Aristotle."

    --
    -Styopa
  77. Global Wobble Danger by biggaijin · · Score: 1

    Al Gore reported yesterday that the dangers of global wobble were now dire, with the danger of Earth whirling out of its orbit and falling in to the sun becoming more and more likely. Human activity is entirely responsible for this situation and the only cure for it is enormous taxes on the developed nations, who move around more than the rest of the world and, of course, have lots of money. Gore has formed a wobble bank that will be selling wobble credits to rich people so that they can assuage their consciences over causing this terrible situation.

  78. Re: humans make the earth wobble? wtf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The majority of normal everyday Americans who work hard and expect goverment to get out of the way.

  79. Of course this has been pointed out. by rickb928 · · Score: 1

    "Glacial rebound"...

    "Mantle convection"...

    "massive loss of ice on Greenland and other areas"...

    That's two causes. Two.

    --
    deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
  80. HUMANS! by Zorro · · Score: 1

    Is there anything they can't or didn't do?

  81. Old news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I read articles about this more than thirty years ago, about how the concentration of water in damns, mostly in the northern hemisphere, was changing the rotation. SSDD

  82. The solution is clear by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Humans should make more Weebles.

  83. Global Warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bullshit. Climate change is a natural function of our planet and is not caused by humans. Fake news will brainwash you every time.

  84. Stop! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stop global warming! Stop global wobbling!

  85. At the very least by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the causes are multi-variant, not human induced.

  86. I, for one, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I, for one, welcome our new Wobblpocolypse overlords!

  87. I Blame... by dcw3 · · Score: 1

    Kim Kardashian's ass for the wobble.

    --
    Just another day in Paradise
    1. Re: I Blame... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Came here expecting some new "Yo Momma" jokes, butt thanks for this.

    2. Re:I Blame... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's the Earth's drinking problem that causes wobbling. That planet drinks like a fish!

  88. Greenland is doing just fine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Itâ(TM)s funny that they keep pointing to Greenland as the poster child for melting ice. If only they looked at more current information:
    http://polarportal.dk/en/nyheder/arkiv/nyheder/end-of-the-smb-season-summary-2017/

    Letâ(TM)s keep watching and see what happens over the next 5 years. If Greenland gains more ice is anthropogenic global âoewarmingâ causing that too?

  89. fat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Troll here

    I think it's just the number of fat people in the US

  90. But wait, there's more... by bblb · · Score: 1

    Climate change has become like a bad "as seen on tv" product where some coked up asshat just keeps adding on to the pile of worthless nonsense with another "but wait, there's more". Next they'll tell us climate change is responsible for Bill Cosby raping women.

  91. Re: Global warming by TimMD909 · · Score: 1

    Stewart, Kopacz, and Phalen seem like douche bags. They're effectively saying that lying is ok, and that they can't imagine that coming back to bite them in the ass. If you keep saying the sky is falling, and it doesn't, then no one will listen to you. Wasn't this covered in everyone's elementary school?

  92. Fat hoes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's all those goddamn fat hoes in Yakima, WA that's causing the Earth's eccentric & wobbly rotation.

  93. T. Herman Zweibel called it by kimago · · Score: 1

    "I am certain that the world is hurtling ever closer to the Sun, overbalanced as it is on one side by the overbreeding of the fecund Hindoo, but at present there is little I can do about it." ( https://www.theonion.com/my-su... )

  94. Re: humans make the earth wobble? wtf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So government oversight (or the lack thereof) change scientific facts?

  95. Dams and Reservoirs by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    Another one not mentioned is the massive weight of water for when we create MASSIVE dams such as 3 gorges, Kariba Dam, Bratsk Dam, etc. In fact, the biggest ones have had plenty of earthquakes associated with them.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  96. I just can't help but laugh at the alarmism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    At least five times since the formation of the earth, because of changes in global climate, the polar ice has expanded north and south toward the equator and has stayed there for at least a million years. The earliest of these known ice ages was some two billion years ago, during the Huronian epoch of the Precambrian era. The most recent ice age began about 1.7 million years in the Pleistocene epoch. It was characterized by a number of fluctuations in North polar ice, some of which expanded over much of modern North America and Europe, covered up to half of the existing continents, and measured as much as 1.8 mi (3 km) deep in some places. These glacial expansions locked up even more water, dropping sea levels worldwide by more than 300 ft (100 m). Animal species that had adapted to cold weather, like the mammoth, thrived in the polar conditions of the Pleistocene glaciations, and their ranges stretched south into what is now the southern United States.

    http://science.jrank.org/pages/5371/Polar-Ice-Caps-Polar-ice-caps-geologic-history.html

  97. Much Fail. So Sad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The mass changes distribution, which was the whole point of the article, ya maroon!

    Much Fail. So Sad.

  98. All humans are worse than Hitler and Satan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There, I just skipped all of the bullshit and blabber, and got to the point everyone seems to be trying to make.

  99. Why doesn't this ice loss show up on a graph? by rs79 · · Score: 1

    http://rs79.vrx.palo-alto.ca.u...

    Huh? Why? Where is it?

    --
    Need Mercedes parts ?
    1. Re:Why doesn't this ice loss show up on a graph? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The graph is for surface area, which is two dimensional.

      The volume of ice on Greenland, however, is a different matter entirely.

      The ice is thinning.

  100. How much ice in relation to total ice on Greenland by Jerry · · Score: 1

    The ice sheet on Greenland is, on average 7,005 ft thick. Greenland's ice sheet is 660,000 sq miles. Ice weighs 57.3 lbs/ft^3. A back of the envelope calculation shows that the 1.5 X 10^16 lbs of ice mentioned in the article amounts to about 2.62 X 10^14 cubic feet of ice, or a cube 63,970 feet on a side. Or, 4,092,160,900 sq ft X 9.13 = 37,369,811,959 sq ft, or 1,340 sq mi.

    0.20% of the total ice covering Greenland.

    WWII fighter aircraft crash landing on Iceland were found 46 years later buried 260 feet deep. That amounts to an average ice layer of 5.7 feet per year, which is 0.08% of the 7,005 feet of ice cover.

    --

    Running with Linux for over 20 years!

  101. It's a new conspiracy theory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They don't believe humans melted the ice with CO2 or anything else more than a few percent at most. The magnetic field around the planet is 90% of the issue. It's a fairly new conspiracy theory that's making the rounds of the internet and is related to the doomsday videos about pole shifts. These guys claim that z pinch zones in the magnetic fields cause air and water currents to move to new positions causing the climate shifts. Furthermore the specific z pinch areas, which have rotary motion, cause air systems to swirl which cause hurricanes, tornadoes, and arctic blasts in weird locations or with weird movement patterns. There's been a resurgence of legit scientific study regarding the mag field as a whole since we have better satellites, better sensors, and a pretty damned good map of the field. Since it's kind of frontier science (like plasma physics), crazies can make all kinds of assumptions and claims with little proof from actual studies to refute them.

  102. Re:Global warming by Local+ID10T · · Score: 1

    No way dude!

    This is Anthropogenic Global Wobbling!

    --
    "You want to know how to help your kids? Leave them the fuck alone." -George Carlin
  103. Re:How much ice in relation to total ice on Greenl by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not quire sure what point you're getting at.

    Were the melt rate remotely constant, it'd be safe to say that Greenland's glacier will take hundreds of years to melt. Unfortunately, the rate of glacier thinning is increasing rapidly.

    While I may never need to worry about the actual sea level rise, there are entire nations whose country will be gone within my grandchildren's lifetime. Thousands of cities will have to deal with the same problem.

    As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day. Civilizations that persist have one thing in common: They plan ahead and sacrifice the "now" for the sake of future generations.

  104. Re: Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Greed has a clear and concise definition: It is the desire for more than you need.

    Saying we need to reduce greed is not at all an arbitrary moral judgement, but rather a very rational one.

  105. Lame model by schure · · Score: 1

    The model has three parts, with the last one being the stuff unaccounted for by the first two. Let's add hype by labeling it "anthropocentric".

  106. Re: Global warming by Bongo · · Score: 1

    Ok, the definition is simple in words. In practice though, to decide what a human needs, one has to bring to mind an image of what a human is and what the potential of a human is. Does a human have potential to live a healthy life to 140? If that's the vision then all health preserving methods are a rational need. Is a human's value in life simply to make a contribution to society in knowledge and standards of living? Then a human has ZERO needs as soon as they stop being able to work productively. Does a human life have a right to happiness, and to freedom? Then their needs are again, going to be defined accordingly. So, as soon as we ask, what is a human being, we start making value choices and defining what is and isn't a real need. Were we living in a caste system two hundred years ago, our lives would be defined by the system and our opportunities "rationally" determined. My point isn't that all value judgements are arbitrary, rather, that they are complex and context dependent, and we still have to make them, and pretending they are simple actually undermines their significance, if you see what I mean.

  107. Re:Global warming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dude, the advice given by Frank Lutz to the Bush administration to avoid the term 'global warming' use 'climate change' instead, was leaked and published. Scientists may indeed have used both terms, but an infamous spin doctor was responsible for the shift from the former to the latter in public discourse. Don't be so damn naive!