On Mon, 26 Sep 2005 12:59:06 -0400, Kirk Gordon
wrote:

Cliff wrote:
On Sat, 24 Sep 2005 13:25:35 -0400, Kirk Gordon
wrote:


Since about 8,000 BC, the world's oceans have gotten warmer by about
35 degrees Fahrenheit.


I rather doubt it.


Look it up, Cliff. 10,000 years ago was the beginning of the end of
the current ice age. Glaciation as far south as the Ohio River valley,
and substantial non-contiguous ice fields far south of that. Oceans in
total MUCH smaller than now, because of all the water containted in
glaciers. And average ocean temps 30 to 40 degrees F lower than at present.

Geologists and other "Earth science" types are often pretty good at
what they do, especially when they're working with something so
(relatively) recent. Where you live, what's under your feet is mostly
sand, put there when glaciers scraped out the basin of Lake Michigan.

My earlier statement wasn't politicallly motivated. I was just
making an observation that seems to be very well grounded in serious
science, and in mountains of (literally) rock-solid evidence.

Kirk,
I strongly doubt your 35 to 40 degree number.

http://calspace.ucsd.edu/virtualmuse...ge2/03_2.shtml
[
From time to time small changes in climate led to sudden surging of
large glaciers which covered much of the North Atlantic with icebergs.
]
[
In addition, the air trapped in the ice can be analyzed for trace
gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. This was done in
laboratories in France (in Grenoble, by the physicist Claude Lorius
and his co-workers) and in Switzerland (in Bern, by the physicist Hans
Oeschger and his team). Results show that the carbon dioxide content
of the atmosphere closely follows the ups and downs of temperature.
Whenever it was cold, carbon dioxide and methane were low in
concentration, whenever it was warm, they were both high.
]

It does not take huge changes to result in large effects.
Fairly small changes in ocean currents, as an example, can
have huge effects.

IIRC During the ice ages the tropics may even have
warmed up.

Any *good* cites for your 35 to 40 degree number? Not
just local ones ... you need global.
--
Cliff