Terra Daily/AFP: Natural Climate Change Periodically Wipes Out Mammal Species
Climate change, naturally induced by tiny shifts in Earth's rotational axis and orbit, periodically wipes out species of mammals, a study published on Thursday says. Palaeontologists have long puzzled over fossil records that, remarkably, suggest mammal species tend to last around two and a half million years before becoming extinct. Climate experts and biologists led by Jan van Dam at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, overlaid a picture of species emergence and extinction with changes that occur in Earth's orbit and axis.
The Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle ... shifts in Earth's pattern of movement are relatively minor compared with those of other planets. But they can greatly influence the amount of radiation -- heat and light -- which Earth receives from the Sun. ... Astronomical impact "provides a crucial missing piece in the puzzle" of regular species turnover, it says. Previous research has also established that Earth's climate system can be affected by massive volcanic eruptions or the impact of an asteroid or comet. These can kick up so much dust that the planet receives less sunlight, and in turn plant species suffer.
Letter to the GUARDIAN: Alarmism on global warming
The claim (Diary, October 3) that I am associated with the oil industry and the implication that this accounts for my view that global warming alarmism is unjustified. ... My own research has always been funded by the US government. My only remunerated position is as a professor at MIT. I have never received any funds from the oil industry. ... Frankly, my research leads me to conclude that this is not the case, and that current climate models are greatly exaggerating the impact of anthropogenic greenhouse gases.Anthropogenic global-warming is bunk. Leftist bunk invented to create a hysterical reason to justify more statism and higher taxes. REPEAT: Climate change is natural, so just keep on truckin'!
Richard S Lindzen
Professor of atmospheric sciences, MIT
6 comments:
You somehow managed to cut out the last part of your top article. I believe it was:
"In addition to natural factors, the world's climate system and its biodiversity are also being affected by the burning of fossil fuels.
Oil, gas and coal, and to a lesser degree agriculture, release carbon gases into the atmosphere, creating a 'greenhouse effect' that traps solar radiation and causes Earth's surface temperature to warm."
Amazing how you managed to stop quoting right before you got to that part. What are the odds of that? Actually, knowing you, incredibly high.
Also, this article is all about cycles in the earth's orbit that take between 100,000 and 400,000 years and about axis variations that have cycles in 21,000 ot 41,000 years. Cycles this long gradually change the climate. They don't have much effect over 50-100 years. Thanks for the opportunity, though. I appreciate coming over here and delivering a smack every so often. It was about time.
In case you think my response was too long to be tolerated, I've added it as a new post to my blog. Feel free to come comment there with as many words as you'd like.
quote: "... being affected by..." is not anthropogenesis, joe. nice try tho'!
also: have you any idea where we are in time - in relation to the cycles described by this NATURE article!?
you do not.
you are a dupe of the hysterical rants of the "green" left.
this MIT prof nows mopre than you.
all the best - and thanks for the linkage!
The article states (though you deleted): "Oil, gas and coal, and to a lesser degree agriculture, release carbon gases into the atmosphere, creating a 'greenhouse effect' that traps solar radiation and causes Earth's surface temperature to warm. I'd say that sums up anthropogenic global warming nicely in one sentence. Perhaps you think that the oil, gas, and coal are burning naturally, and man is not causing that.
"have you any idea where we are in time - in relation to the cycles described by this NATURE article!?"
I'm glad you asked. According to Van Dam's cycle research, we are 100,000 years overdue for a period of dramatic cooling. Feel even sillier now?
"this MIT prof nows mopre than you."
Since you believe that Lindzen knows (or "nows") more than I do, perhaps you would like to explain his theory of what is causing the current global warming.
er um... it's natural. like the article says. the sun, the earth's changing axis etc.
it has happended many times before. before there were man-made gases of any sort.
wake up, joe.
o: it borz me how u reiterate my typoze.
and it shows an importatnat side of you: petty.
er um... it's natural. like the article says. the sun, the earth's changing axis etc.
I'll assume that this wasn't an answer to what Lindzen believes, since his letter made no mention of the sun. The first article explicitly endorsed anthropogenic global warming. The cycles caused extinction based on global cooling in overall cycles of 2.4 million years. We're currently 100,000 years overdue for an ice age according to his research. So, this research shows the opposite of what you thought.
it has happended many times before. before there were man-made gases of any sort.
How many times do I have to refute this non-logical argument? Because something happened in the past for one reason does not mean that is the only reason it can happen.
Your typos show an important side of you: sloppy in word, thought, and research. I merely highlight that.
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