The most significant effect of global warming, whatever its genesis, will be
radical alterations in oceanic currents which will massively impact on
weather patterns.
For instance; the currents known as the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic
Drift, or Atlantic Conveyor System, run where they do for two main reasons:
firstly as a result of wind pressure magnified by Coriolis force caused by
the rotation of the planet. The second cause requires some explanation of
the operation of the current:
Warm, moderately salty water leaves the Gulf of Mexico and travels up the
Eastern Seaboard of the United States close to the surface of the sea
(because it is warm and less salty than the water further down, so less
dense), as it does so it is mixed with fresh water in the form of rainfall
and outflow from rivers. Because the Gulf Stream flows fast (30 million
cubic meters per second) the water is still warm when it leaves Cape
Hatteras and joins the North Atlantic Drift. Because of its low relative
density the water freezes quickly as it heads north, leaving most of its
salt in the unfrozen water, thus increasing its density and causing it to
sink to the sea bottom where it flows slowly back south and round Antarctica
into the Indian and Pacific Oceans. If the system slows or stops the
weather will be affected all over the world. There are numerous well
researched scientific studies which suggest that the North Atlantic Bottom
Waters are becoming less saline and that the flow of the current is slowing.
I refer interested parties to a quite good Wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Stream which also has some references.
Caroline
PS. Apologies for banging on about my pet subject again:-)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canals-list/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canals-list/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
