| This winter (2007-2008) snow fall and snow cover has | | | | bringing warm tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico to |
| been at its greatest over North America, Siberia and | | | | the North Atlantic. But, there is another factor in all of |
| China since 1966. And the Arctic ice sheet, which for | | | | this which is getting climatologists and astronomers |
| so long has been all but doomed by modern climate | | | | reaching for the medicine cabinet. Sun Spots. |
| models, has had a resurgence. Of course, this is just | | | | Sun Spots are cooler patches on the surface of the |
| one winter and the next one could continue the | | | | sun, but they are magnetically very active and are |
| warming trend of the last 2 decades. However there | | | | associated with huge solar flares and coronal mass |
| are now two big reasons why it could be possible that | | | | ejections. That is, a whole load of heat and energy |
| we are on the brink of a new ice age. | | | | being pumped out towards us and all the other planets |
| Firstly there is the global circulation of the ocean | | | | in the solar system. However, sun spot activity is |
| currents which goes something like this. At the poles | | | | currently very low. The last time the sun was this |
| the sinking cold water dives rapidly downwards for | | | | inactive was back in the 500 years from the mid |
| thousands of feet and drive a cold water current at | | | | 1300's to the mid 1800's, commonly know as the little |
| the bottom of the ocean. Meanwhile as this cold water | | | | ice age. This global cooling of around 1-1.5 degrees |
| meets the tropics it warms and rises and gets driven | | | | Fahrenheit, caused livestock to die, crops to fail and |
| north by surface winds, redistributing the heat. The | | | | widespread famine and gnashing of teeth around the |
| more efficient this global ocean conveyor belt, the | | | | world. London's River Thames would freeze regularly |
| warmer the world. However as the the melting of the | | | | in the winters and little tykes would skate and chuck |
| Greenland ice sheet breaks all new records a huge | | | | snowballs at each other, so it wasn't all bad. |
| amount of fresh water is making its way into our | | | | So are we in for a cooler world, a new little ice age? |
| oceans. This water is less salty and doesn't sink as | | | | Well who knows really. The global warming doom |
| efficiently, disrupting the circulation of the ocean | | | | merchants are in the red corner, and the little ice age |
| currents, such as the gulf stream. As a consequence | | | | pessimists are in the blue corner. Who will be right? |
| less heat is transferred north and we are all left | | | | Only time will tell, but we will continue to get along with |
| reaching for our woolly hats and thermal pyjamas. | | | | our lives in the normal way whatever nature throws at |
| Okay, this process is quite well known now, and is just | | | | us. So get the sun block on in the summer, and two |
| another theoretical model (although there have been | | | | pairs of socks in the winter. It's being so cheerful that |
| signs recently of a slow down in the Gulf Stream | | | | keeps us going! |