What could possibly go wrong? - Climate scientists: it's time for 'Plan B'

[Lucille]

Climate scientists: it's time for 'Plan B' (http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-scientists-its-time-for-plan-b-1221092.html)


Injecting the air with particles to reflect sunlight

Volcanic eruptions release huge amounts of sulphate particles into the upper atmosphere, where they reflect sunlight. After Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, sulphates reflected enough sunlight to cool the Earth by 0.5C for a year or two. The Nobel Laureate Paul Crutzen suggested in 2006 that it may be possible to inject artificial sulphate particles into the upper atmosphere – the stratosphere. However, the idea does not address ocean acidification caused by rising CO2 levels. There may be side-effects such as acid rain and adverse effects on agriculture.

Creating low clouds over the oceans

Another variation on the theme of increasing the Earth's albedo, or reflectivity to sunlight, is to pump water vapour into the air to stimulate cloud formation over the sea. John Latham of the United States National Centre for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado is working with Stephen Salter of Edinburgh University and Mike Smith at Leeds to atomise seawater to produce tiny droplets to form low-level maritime clouds that cover part of the oceanic surface. The only raw material is seawater and the process can be quickly turned off. The cloud cover would only affect the oceans, but still lower global temperatures.

Fertilising the sea with iron filings

This idea arises from the fact that the limiting factor in the multiplication of phytoplankton – tiny marine plants – is the lack of iron salts in the sea. When scientists add iron to "dead" areas of the sea, the result is a phytoplankton bloom which absorbs CO2. The hope is that carbon taken up by the microscopic plants will sink to deep layers of the ocean, and be taken out of circulation. Experiments support the idea, but blooms may be eaten by animals so carbon returns to the atmosphere as CO2.

Mixing the deep water of the ocean

The Earth scientist James Lovelock, working with Chris Rapley of the Science Museum in London, devised a plan to put giant tubes into the seas to take surface water rich in dissolved CO2 to lower depths where it will not surface. The idea is to take CO2 out of the short-term carbon cycle, cutting the gas in the atmosphere. Critics say it may bring carbon locked away in the deep ocean to the surface.

Giant mirrors in space

Some scientists suggest it would be possible to deflect sunlight with a giant mirror or a fleet of small mirrors between the Earth and the Sun. The scheme would be costly and prompt debate over who controls it. Many scientists see it as contrary to the idea of working with the Earth's systems.

These people are certifiable. I swear, they want to kill us all.

[dannno]

I've seen global warming thoroughly debunked, but I've never seen the ocean acidification stuff debunked. I don't think that rising CO2 levels are necessarily devastatingly harmful to our earth in any way, but some scientists have proven them to be harmful to our ocean.

Are they right?

Is the abundance of life in the ocean, which helps to keep mankind fed, worth the CO2 pollution?

If the ocean is going to die because we pollute too much CO2, then I would be inclined to join the crucade against CO2 emissions as a property rights issue. Just because you own a piece of property doesn't mean you get to destroy the earth with it. That isn't your right.

Fertilizing the sea with iron filings seems interesting. I have a cast-iron skillet because it is much less toxic than all the new stick-free pans, and apparently eating food cooked on them is a good source of iron. Me being primarily vegetarian makes this option quite beneficial. The rest of those ideas seem pretty bad.

[Arklatex]

Although I'm a "global warming truther" I'm convinced the world as we know it is fucked by the end of this century. Silver Oil Gold Uranium coral reefs animal species humans... everything is on it's last legs this century.

Please Mother Nature prove me wrong and amaze us yet again.

[FreedomFighter8008]

Yeah, these guys are idiots. The only ones who come close to getting it right are Lovelock and Rapley. The issue here is that the CO2 content of the Earth's atmosphere has been escalating at an alarming rate for a long time now. The fact is that one volcanic eruption pumps more CO2 and other gasses into the atmosphere than the entire industrial age has from its beginning to today.

Trees and plants, as well as the algae in the oceans, convert the CO2 to oxygen. The problem is we've killed off a lot of the algae (the biggest factor) and we're mowing down trees so much that we've greatly crippled the planet's ability to process the CO2 (natural and man-made). As a result, the cycle of glacial -> interglacial ->glacial is being mucked with and we're accellerating the rate at which we will enter the next Ice Age. In other words, we go through periods where we're in an Ice Age and periods where we're not in an Ice Age. The fact is we're in the ramp up to the next Ice Age. We can stop it by devising a technology to reduce the CO2 content of the atmosphere, but these guys need to get with the program and get coordinated if we are to pull it off.

[SWATH]

They are going to fuck this planet up worse than it already is. I'm glad my brother bought me than 1 acre plot on Olympus Mons.

[Anti Federalist]

Although I'm a "global warming truther" I'm convinced the world as we know it is fucked by the end of this century. Silver Oil Gold Uranium coral reefs animal species humans... everything is on it's last legs this century.

Please Mother Nature prove me wrong and amaze us yet again.

Bah, the Malthusians were saying all this stuff 100 years ago.

Back in the '70s everything was going to be gone by 2000 and "climate change" would bring us a new ice age.

What will kill us all is government sponsored bioweapon research that is working on 100 percent mortality airborne pathogens, among other things.

[Agent CSL]

the result is a phytoplankton bloom which absorbs CO2
Are they fucking INSANE?

Let me tell you, from years of study and winning awards on ecology, that this is an idea that will backfire supremely. Here's the fundamental cycle. There is a small difference between a plant and phytoplankton. Phytoplankton does eat CO2, but phytoplankton is so small that they die quickly or are eaten by animals. A plant, however, continues to grow throughout the year and dies.

Causing a phytoplankton bloom would cause the nitrogen cycle to kickstart itself. Eventually the phytoplankton would start dying, sinking to the bottom and causing oxygen to be depleted at a record rate in the water. Fish and marine life would not have enough oxygen due to the breaking down of the plankton that the fish, too, would die. The end result is the body of water being depleted of oxygen and turned into a mucky mess. Has anyone seen an iron-rich pond or lake? I have, and the results are terrible. It smells, it's dead and it's mucky because everything died when the oxygen depleted. It breaks down, and the process of breaking down any organic matter takes oxygen. Only bacteria and CO2-loving insects survive.

Go try to dump iron in a body of water and see how long it takes before A) the dept. of ecology fines you millions or B) the lake/pond dies. It doesn't take long and I've seen it happen first-hand.

Nature is a delicate balance and it needs to be left alone.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1377/1296534141_33481bf4bb.jpg?v=0
^ What iron does to a pond. Kills it.

[dannno]

OK I take that part of my post back.

[SeanEdwards]

I swear, they want to kill us all.

You really think that's it? All these people crying about climate change are crying because THEY WANT TO KILL EVERYONE?

:rolleyes:

[tremendoustie]

Climate scientists: it's time for 'Plan B' (http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/climate-scientists-its-time-for-plan-b-1221092.html)



These people are certifiable. I swear, they want to kill us all.

Oh yes, because when we humans take drastic action to try to manipulate nature, it always turns out well. I mean, there are never unintended consequences!

*facepalm*

I swear these idiots are going to become the global destruction they fear.

[dannno]

You really think that's it? All these people crying about climate change are crying because THEY WANT TO KILL EVERYONE?

:rolleyes:

Most of the people crying out about climate change are brainwashed.

The rest want to kill everyone.

But that isn't what the poster was saying anyway. If you filled in the blanks in his statement, he really meant "They want to [perform these actions to try and save the planet which will] kill everyone!"

[tremendoustie]

Most of the people crying out about climate change are brainwashed.

The rest want to kill everyone.

Naw, the rest want the grant checks to keep on coming. A bunch of people with a vested interest, a few true believers, and a whole lot of people who just believe it because those smart people said so.

[Agent CSL]

OK I take that part of my post back.

Look up eutrophication (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutrophication) and the nitrogen cycle. Anything in small amounts isn't bad, but there's a balance.


In aquatic environments, enhanced growth of choking aquatic vegetation or phytoplankton (that is, an algal bloom) disrupts normal functioning of the ecosystem, causing a variety of problems such as a lack of oxygen in the water, needed for fish and shellfish to survive. The water then becomes cloudy, colored a shade of green, yellow, brown, or red.

[TastyWheat]

Hasn't the earth actually been cooling since 1998 or something? This year wasn't particularly hot and we had pretty bad freezing rain last year (as far as south Texas is concerned). I think they're just desperate to try some kind of "ecological rescue plan" so when the earth naturally cools off they can take the credit for it.

[tremendoustie]

Hasn't the earth actually been cooling since 1998 or something? This year wasn't particularly hot and we had pretty bad freezing rain last year (as far as south Texas is concerned). I think they're just desperate to try some kind of "ecological rescue plan" so when the earth naturally cools off they can take the credit for it.

That may be part of it.

[tggroo7]

We just need to create a huge plant to put into orbit since plants take in CO2 and give off oxygen.

I will now be by my phone awaiting a call about my nobel prize...

[torchbearer]

We need a giant parasol!!!

http://www.dobbies.co.uk/acatalog/suntime-3m-cantilever-parasol-10091.jpg

[tremendoustie]

We need a giant parasol!!!

http://www.dobbies.co.uk/acatalog/suntime-3m-cantilever-parasol-10091.jpg

Lol :D

[RonPaulVolunteer]

What I have to say on Global Warming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J93SW4xV0A8

Yes, that's me folks... :)

[torchbearer]

What I have to say on Global Warming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J93SW4xV0A8

Yes, that's me folks... :)

aussie?

[torchbearer]

What I have to say on Global Warming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J93SW4xV0A8

Yes, that's me folks... :)

oh, new findings... that the sun spots that also have the ejections.. are also releasing large amounts of hyrdogen.. its basically releasing hot sun atmosphere into the solar system.

[amonasro]

The problem I have with global warming is not whether it exists, but why government is so anxious to fund it. And they will, so long as people buy into it and politicians continue to... well, be themselves. Didn't you hear, Climate Science is the next big lucrative career!

[libertea]

CO2 is warming up Venus and Mars also! Man is going to destroy other planets as well.

[RonPaulVolunteer]

CO2 is warming up Venus and Mars also! Man is going to destroy other planets as well.

Yes. We must put a stop to the madness.

[tremendoustie]

CO2 is warming up Venus and Mars also! Man is going to destroy other planets as well.

No, it's those Martians and Venusians, driving their durn hummers. We need to send Al Gore over there before the Martian icecaps melt.

[tggroo7]

CO2 is warming up Venus and Mars also! Man is going to destroy other planets as well.

I have heard of this too that Mars's temperature is rising. Is there a good link you could point me to that provides evidence of that? I've heard that argument before, but I don't think I have ever seen an actual source of that information. I don't think it's false, but I want to know for sure.

[literatim]

I have heard of this too that Mars's temperature is rising. Is there a good link you could point me to that provides evidence of that? I've heard that argument before, but I don't think I have ever seen an actual source of that information. I don't think it's false, but I want to know for sure.

Search engine is your friend.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1720024.ece

[Agent CSL]

I had this lengthy chat with a friend about his undeniable proof of warming - it's hotter. So I went to debunk HIS findings. He's lived in a more inner-city part of Toronto, Canada for a long time and says it's been getting hotter, so I explained the "heat island" effect.

Heat Island effect
As cities grow and more concrete and buildings popup, the amount of trees and vegetation is reduced. The concrete and concrete buildings absorb sunlight and hold it in the city. This effectively heats up the inside of the city to 3-7 degrees warmer than it is a mile outside the city where there is more vegetation. Common temperature stations are usually located inside the city, and thus record the temperature of heat island city, and it's warmer than 80 years ago when there was not much concrete.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_heat_island <-- Be informed

[AJ Antimony]

I tend to treat the environment like a market; leave it alone and it'll be fine (see: last fucking billion years). Fuck with it with the best intentions and you will make it a million times worse.

[Scribbler de Stebbing]

RonPaulVolunteer is from New Zealand. Says that in his video.

They want to do to this ball we call Terra Firma what Bernanke has done to the economy. Let the earth handle its balance as it's been doing since the beginning of time. It cycles, just as the economy does without interference. Get in there and tweak it, and you'll overweight the correction, sending everything into a tailspin.

[Danke]

bump

[Lucille]

Most of the people crying out about climate change are brainwashed.

The rest want to kill everyone.

But that isn't what the poster was saying anyway. If you filled in the blanks in his statement, he really meant "They want to [perform these actions to try and save the planet which will] kill everyone!"

Thank you, that is what I meant. It was poorly worded.

[Lucille]

So the Dems spend a few years spreading fear and panic around the world and in the hearts of school children wrt the impending ecological apocalypse, win the election partly based on their fear-mongering, and only once they've secured their power is it safe to say it's all BS (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harold-ambler/mr-gore-apology-accepted_b_154982.html).

Quelle surprise!


Mr. Gore has stated, regarding climate change, that "the science is in." Well, he is absolutely right about that, except for one tiny thing. It is the biggest whopper ever sold to the public in the history of humankind.

[Malakai]

Suggestions like this lead me to the political ideas of intervention and unintended consequences.

The earth has been around awhile, I think the more we mess with it the worse it will get; at least at our current levels of understanding and the current mainstream science scene (is way too much politics and gov involved). Let's not do anything stupid that we end up regretting in a few years, haven't we all seen enough end of the world by our own hands movies?