Support NeoGAF

[Insane Metal]

German meteorologists say that the start of 2013 is now the coldest in 208 years - and now German media has quoted Russian scientist Dr Habibullo Abdussamatov from the St. Petersburg Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory as showing it is proof as he said earlier that we are heading for a "Mini Ice Age."

Talking to German media the scientist who first made his prediction in 2005 said that after studying sunspots and their relationship with climate change on Earth, we are now on an "unavoidable advance towards a deep temperature drop."

Building on observations made by English astronomer Walter Maunder, Dr Abdussamatov, said he had found that the Earth cools and warms in a 200-year cycles.

The last big freeze known as the Little Ice Age was between 1650 and 1850 which he said coincided with Maunder’s findings that there had been no sunspots between 1645 and 1715.

More here http://germanherald.com/news/Germany_in_Focus/2013-03-31/2331/Prof_Warns_Mini_Ice_Age_has_Started



Uhm, how reliable is that?

 

[LaserBuddha]

Studying sunspots...

ancientaliens.jpg

 

[DrForester]

The Stark's were right!

 

[Sinatar]

Well it's 1 day away from May and it's snowing like crazy in Edmonton.

Then again it's Edmonton. The only month we haven't had a snowfall recorded (for as long as we've been recording such things) is July.

 

[wenis]

Chill.

 

[HammerOfThor]

Edit: damn!

 

[Foxy Fox 39]

Well it's 1 day away from May and it's snowing like crazy in Edmonton.

Then again it's Edmonton. The only month we haven't had a snowfall recorded (for as long as we've been recording such things) is July.

It snowed last week in michigan. Then it was 70 degrees. Then the temp dropped again. Then again its Michigan.

 

[sk3]

Eh, I remember something along the lines of this in geo class, that we are near the onset of an ice age. But these time spans are 20,000+ years and we'll all be long dead before anything huge happens. Can't remember much of "mini" ice ages.

 

[Ferrio]

Aren't we technically already in one?

 

[Tesseract]

208 years is a long time!

 

[Evlar]

We've been in an ice age for millions of years.

 

[LOCK]

We could be in a stadial (possible but doubtful), but we will stay in an interglacial period for the foreseeable future due to greenhouse gas emissions.

 

[Kinitari]

I'm no expert, but don't ice ages last tens of thousands of years, with build ups that take thousands? any experts in the house?

 

[LOCK]

I'm no expert, but don't ice ages last tens of thousands of years, with build ups that take thousands? any experts in the house?

Yes, me!

Ice Age ranges during the Pleistocene were about 90k years. 60k build-up with up to 30k full glacial. Interglacials are shorter usually from 10-20k years. We have been in an interglacial for ~18k years.

 

[lednerg]

The guy is full of shit and has been for quite some time.

 

[Learn2read]

Yes, me!

Ice Age ranges during the Pleistocene were about 90k years. 60k build-up with up to 30k full glacial. Interglacials are shorter usually from 10-20k years. We have been in an interglacial for ~18k years.

 

[les papillons sexuels]

but we haven't left the last iceage.

 

[Kinitari]

Yes, me!

Ice Age ranges during the Pleistocene were about 90k years. 60k build-up with up to 30k full glacial. Interglacials are shorter usually from 10-20k years. We have been in an interglacial for ~18k years.

Okay so

A) this guy is full of it
B) Even if he wasn't... eh, nothing to worry about for a while.

 

[thefro]

Geez, this is enough ammo for Fox News & Rush to deny climate change for the next 5 years.

 

[rrs]

Didn't this crap pop up during the 70's and 80's as well?

 

[eudaemonic]

Viral marketing for Snowpiercer?

 

[Skunkers]

I generally know better than to question modern science and stuff; if they say they can do it, they can probably do it...

But how does this guy know if and where there were sunspots hundreds of years ago? I kinda imagine there are no measurements from then, so what are they doing, checking geological record for some kind of remnant of solar radiation or what?

 

[alekth]

Can't say the reasoning in the article sounds convincing.

However cold water from the ice capes blocking the Gulf Stream has been known for a while, and thought to be the reason behind some unusually cold winters in Europe, maybe Russia as well.

 

[Third Strike]

Yes, me!

Ice Age ranges during the Pleistocene were about 90k years. 60k build-up with up to 30k full glacial. Interglacials are shorter usually from 10-20k years. We have been in an interglacial for ~18k years.

Hasn't this interglacial been about 11.4k years? I think the Pleistocene marked the end of the last ice age.

 

[LOCK]

Hasn't this interglacial been about 11.4k years? I think the Pleistocene marked the end of the last ice age.

True. But most in the field measure interglacial stages with the transitional stages since this is based on warming patterns, which would include the end of the Pleistocene and would push this to around 18k years.

The guy could be correct in that we could be heading into a stadial (cooler stage in a larger period) such as the Little Ice Age, but I doubt this.

 

[bistromathics]

Wtf are you guys even saying? What do you do (or study) to know about something like this? Or was it part of a recent Wikipedia spiral still fresh in the mind?

 

[lastplayed]

We've had an awesome summer the past few months. If this is caused by a mini ice age then bring it on.

 

[SkyOdin]

Wtf are you guys even saying? What do you do (or study) to know about something like this? Or was it part of a recent Wikipedia spiral still fresh in the mind?

My only knowledge comes from some Wikipedia spirals, but I can explain some of the terms.

Technically speaking, the Earth alternates between Icehouse and Greenhouse states, with Greenhouse states being much more common. We have been in a Icehouse Earth (also known as an ice age) for the last 2.6 million years. During a Greenhouse Earth period, there would be no permanent glaciers or icepacks on the planet, so we wouldn't even have polar ice or permanent mountaintop ice.

Within an ice age however, there are glacial periods and interglacial periods. During a glacial period, the polar glaciers spread and extend significantly further across the planet. During an interglacial period, the planet warms and the glaciers recede. We are currently in an interglacial period, which has gone on for the last 11,400 years. Typically, interglacial periods last for around 40,000 to 100,000 years.

Diving even further, within interglacial periods, there are alternating stadial and interstadial periods. A stadial period is a time of cooler temperatures, while an interstadial is a period of relatively warmer temperatures.

 

[LOCK]

Wtf are you guys even saying? What do you do (or study) to know about something like this? Or was it part of a recent Wikipedia spiral still fresh in the mind?

I'm a Paleobotanist.

My only knowledge comes from some Wikipedia spirals, but I can explain some of the terms.

Technically speaking, the Earth alternates between Icehouse and Greenhouse states, with Greenhouse states being much more common. We have been in a Icehouse Earth (also known as an ice age) for the last 2.6 million years. During a Greenhouse Earth period, there would be no permanent glaciers or icepacks on the planet, so we wouldn't even have polar ice or permanent mountaintop ice.

Within an ice age however, there are glacial periods and interglacial periods. During a glacial period, the polar glaciers spread and extend significantly further across the planet. During an interglacial period, the planet warms and the glaciers recede. We are currently in an interglacial period, which has gone on for the last 11,400 years. Typically, interglacial periods last for around 40,000 to 100,000 years.

Diving even further, within interglacial periods, there are alternating stadial and interstadial periods. A stadial period is a time of cooler temperatures, while an interstadial is a period of relatively warmer temperatures.

This is not true, especially when using the terms interglacial and glacial. It is important to remember that these are stages of temperature change that happens gradually.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

More ice means more margaritas. Right?

 

[Pachinko]

Well it's 1 day away from May and it's snowing like crazy in Edmonton.

Then again it's Edmonton. The only month we haven't had a snowfall recorded (for as long as we've been recording such things) is July.

Why do we stay .... seriously. Although at least it's supposed to warm up in a couple days.

 

[rocksteady1983]

Here in Oklahoma the past two years have been super hot and super dry in the spring and summer. I hope this cool weather is a sign of a cooler and wetter summer.

 

[Shadow of the BEAST]

global colding?

 

[Conor_Fool]

I don't necessarily understand what the professor is getting at, but even in Denver I never thought I would see snow on my birthday (we got like 3-5 inches today and it was hot as hell two days ago)