Re: Global warming

["High Plains Drifter" <magna1@jps.net>]

> Does anyone know how (if?) the Solar energy output measured on Earth

> varies over time? Could it be the global warming is just a result of

> increased Sun activity and all the rest has been talk?

> BTW, I am not  saying we don't have to reduce CO2 emissions - we are

> likely to need to breathe for some time to come - I just wonder if

> anyone would know these particular figures.

> Chris Hofmeyr provided some very interesting ones so far.

>



"Over time" is pretty relative!  Currently stats on global warming are being

disputed due to the methods being used to arrive at a definitive figure of

merit.  There are 500 years of surface measurements (Chinese, and the

world), 100+ years of balloon measurements, and a few years of satellite

measurements.  Surface measurements are questionable over time due to subtle

natural and manmade environmental changes at the point of measurement.



Try the following article for some information (there is a lot more on the

web about disagreements on methods and results be touted concerning global

warming: http://www.junkscience.com/sep98/spencer.htm



Another article is:



"In response to George Melloan's Sept. 22 Global View column concerning Al

Gore and global warming:



The earth has been warming for the past 10,000 to 15,000 years for reasons

that have nothing to do with man-made "greenhouse gasses." The cost to

reduce artificial emission of carbon dioxide could thus be a terrible waste.

Mr. Melloan correctly notes that we should look to the facts, not to

speculative computer models, to understand global climate change. The earth

is warming from the last ice age; industrial gas emission is insignificant

compared with greenhouse gasses from natural sources, and biologic and

geologic processes regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide.



The geologic record suggests Earth could stay warm for another 400,000

years, no matter what we put into the air. The latest ice age just ended

some 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. Warm periods that alternated with the ice

ages of the past two million years persisted for 100,000 to 400,000 years

each. A long warming trend unrelated to industrial gasses may have barely

started.



Industry contributes too little carbon dioxide to affect global climate.

Industrial carbon dioxide, six billion tons annually, is a small fraction of

the 700 billion tons per year from geologic and biologic processes.



Increasing atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide stimulates plant

life, which in turn consumes more carbon dioxide. Marine plants, such as

calcareous algae, and other reef-forming organisms can sequester vast

amounts of carbon dioxide in the calcium carbonate, or limestone, that they

produce. Extensive limestone deposits thousands of feet thick that occur

throughout the geologic record provide evidence of this process.



We accept our inability to prevent regional, transient, climatic

catastrophes such as floods, hurricanes and tornadoes, yet people whose

economic interest is vested in government grants to study greenhouse gasses

claim we can alter global climate change that spans thousands of lifetimes.



Victor H. Abadie III, Geologist, Montara, Calif. "



High Plains Drifter



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