Ice Age

[Queso]

Isn't the Earth getting warmer because we're still coming out of the ice age?

 

It doesn't really seem like that big of a deal.

 

I remember reading something, I think it was here on Hypography, that the Earth is expected to heat up by 2 or 3 degrees this century.

 

Any data to support this?

[Buffy]

No actually the argument is that we are *due* for another Ice Age, and that Global Warming is cancelling it out. The problem is that it might be way too much for the natural cycle to even it out, and we'll just keep getting hotter and hotter....

 

The last major Ice Age ended about 10,000 years ago. If you look at the graphs, the warm periods actually don't last very long....*normally*....just take a look at the left end of this graph (it goes backward in time to the right):

Source: Wikipedia

 

Its cold, :naughty:

Buffy

[pgrmdave]

What about the "little Ice Age", that affected the world from about 1500 - 1800? I know it's not nearly as cold as a normal ice age, but didn't it lower temperatures by a few degrees?

[Tormod]

I think that was way too short to be singled out as anything but an anomaly.

[Zythryn]

The "little ice age" appears to also have not affected the global average nearly as much as it affected regional areas (Europe and east coast of North America).

 

Causes of the little ice age may be a good seperate thread. I have always found it interesting but don't know a lot about the causes.