Thermohaline Circulation and Global Warming

As sea ice forms the salt water around it becomes both more saline (saltier) and consequently more dense. This in turn causes it to sink due to gravity. This runs the thermohaline circulation of the world's oceans. Where does this heavier water sink? The North Atlantic Ocean. As I said, this occurs as sea ice is forming.

So, what happens as both sea ice and land bound glacier ice melts? Simple. The ocean water decreases in salinity and density. It sinks more and more slowly as newly melted freshwater flows into the ocean. This also slows and may even stop altogether the thermohaline circulation. Whether it actually reverses entirely is a more extreme situation which is possible and unclear in its implications. Very likely this also forces the location of the sinking saltier water to shift away from the inflowing freshwater.

What can we expect from the slowing and stoppage of this thermohaline circulation? It will obviously alter this circulation of the ocean waters - at least the salt content. Desalination is also a consequence of this influx of freshwater. Harvesting of glacial ice and locating it into man-made reservoirs would have helped ease this problem and likely many others as well. But it seems that those who could most benefit from such a solution are more interested in other matters. I guess the global warming and its after effects is going to be a really big learning experience for us worldwide.

No Isostatic Rebound for Us

Isostatic rebound is unlikely to happen because the vast majority of the land bound ice is already melted in the Arctic. Sea ice is all that's left. I was under the impression that there was still a great deal of land bound ice. I was wrong. Other than permafrost and Greenland, we're literally going under. A great deal more of the remaining sea ice will likely melt away by the end of this summer. If there were still land glaciers up north putting pressure on the North American continental plate, then isostatic rebound might have been likely. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen.

Unexpected happenings are holding me back on much of my research and other scientific interests. At least I am getting some other necessary tasks done and out of the way while I wait for these happenings to pass. This will open up more free time later for further science stuff. Until my next post...Tally ho!

Nuclear Energy is NOT Green

I recently read an article about how many folks are arguing for nuclear power to fix the global warming issue. Since when is nuclear energy clean and Earth friendly?! It is hazardous to our health and deadly dangerous. I guess contaminating the planet with radioactive particles is preferable to upping the gas mileage on vehicles. The greenhouse gases are naturally occurring and the planet and its environment can compensate - though inconveniently for us. The earth cannot do the same with radioactive materials.

We can do a great deal of research and come up with other energy sources. In fact, the research is already being done. Wind power, solar power, geothermal, etc. Nobody can monopolize the wind, sun, or Earth. It all comes down to two things - laziness and greed. The people of Earth are too damn lazy to do what they KNOW will help alleviate the global warming problem. They just don't want to be bothered.

There are SUV's out there that are hybrids. Why don't I see more folks driving them - especially given the tax breaks we get for the extra cost?! More people could ride public transportation. Of course, except in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where greedy politicians cut the service. I'm sure they are getting some sort of kickback for stabbing their voters in the backs.

We vote jerks into office who care nothing about this planet and prove it. But still, we continue to renew their leases on their positions. They are public servants and they are not doing their jobs and can be fired - but we're too lazy to do that. We're too damn lazy to do what we know must be done. So we doom our future generations to live and die in a radioactive wasteland.