Flipper
New member
Flipper and Fool, I know this is crazy, but... I'm on record claiming that global warming comes from the sun. In addition to steady temps for the last 8 years, aren't we in for a 12-year period of calm on the sun? Man-made or not, scientists are moving away from fear over melting ice caps, warming-induced hurricanes (MIA last couple of years, man-made or not), rising oceans, etc.
I am more concerned about the consequences than I am the causes. Personally, I hope the man-made skeptics are right, but they're not in the majority yet.
What bugs me about the 22-year solar cycle theory is that we have been getting satellite observations from the arctic for nearly 30 years now (not to mention generations-worth of data on European and South American glaciers), and they all appear to show record melt-rates the trends of which indicate that they are melting faster than they are being replaced.
Also, it is my understanding that there is even less evidence linking solar cycle activity with weather changes than there is for man-made global warming.
What bugs me about the current ice pack melt rates is that, as I understand it, the change in planetary albedo caused by ice melts is likely to accelerate the process as more solar energy gets absorbed rather than reflected. So the process appears likely to accelerate as it continues.
Ignoring it seems like a dangerous gamble.