In a time and place where the slightest mention of 'global warming' is likely to speak an all out brawl, one has to be careful with the research they present. That's not to say they have to lie or cover it up, but they have to be oh so very clear in what they're saying.
I found this story, among other places, in the social news site FARK.
Its heading ran thus: "NASA study confirms that Arctic ice fluctuations are part of a natural cycle. Tells Al Gore where to shove his Nobel Prize."
However, if you actually read the article, which is often one of the problems for those lacking in intelligence; you'll see that this report isn't actually a condemnation of global warming and climate change.
The link provided directs us to a NASA report notifying the world that a reversal to the Arctic Oceans circulatory direction is at the bottom of some of the climate changes in the North.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Washington's Polar Science Center Applied Physics Laboratory worked together under the leadership of James Morison, from UW. The team used NASA's earth-observing satellite, Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace), in conjunction with deep-sea gauges developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The team monitored the circulation of the Arctic Ocean between the years 2002 and 2006, and found a 10-millibar decrease in water pressure at the bottom of the ocean, underneath the North Pole. Such a decrease is equal to removing the weight of 10 centimeters of water from the ocean.
Such a decrease, in conjunction with the distribution suggested that the Arctic Ocean had reversed its direction, from the counterclockwise pattern it was known for in the 1990s to the clockwise pattern from before the 90s.
The study was published in Geophysical Research Letters, where the authors attributed the reversal in direction to a weakened Arctic Oscillation. The AO refers to opposing atmospheric pressure patterns in northern middle and high latitudes. Fairly stable until the 1970s, it then fluctuated on a decadal scale, showing an upward trend until the late 90s.
During the strong counterclockwise phase that occurred during the 1990s, the Arctic climate began to shift. Many scientists pinned this to the effects of manmade global warming, however some of the changes are now being rethought.
Even since the end of the official study in 2006, Morrison notices that there have been further changes. "The winter of 2006-2007 was another high Arctic Oscillation year and summer sea ice extent reached a new minimum," he said. "It is too early to say, but it looks as though the Arctic Ocean is ready to start swinging back to the counterclockwise circulation pattern of the 1990s again."
This all said, no one is quite sure just what can be laid at the feet of global warming, what effect an increased AO might have in a warmer world, and really, just what is going on.
Needless to say, to whoever authored the link in the FARK directory, please, read the story before jumping to any self-deluding conclusions.
Joshua Hill, a Geek’s-Geek from Melbourne, Australia, Josh is an aspiring author with dreams of publishing his epic fantasy, currently in the works, sometime in the next 5 years. A techie, nerd, sci-fi nut and bookworm.
