hmm, 52 mi^3/yr, about 400 km^3/yr By comparison the net fresh water flux into the oceans globally is about 1 Sv or about 3 km^3 per HOUR. So the amount is not huge on oceanic scales.
The flushing of Lake Agassiz (is this the GSA to which you refer?) released about 9500 km^3 of fresh water in an abrupt pulse 12,700 years ago according to http://cgrg.geog.uvic.ca/abstracts/PerkinsOnceDuring.html This was almost certainly the cause of very large climate changes through most of the northern hemisphere, known as the Younger Dryas. Realistic GCMs do not show a complete THC shutdown in response to even the largest foreseen melts, because Greenland and the Arctic will melt directly into the sea, rather than building up a huge lake behind an ice dam with an abrupt release. (Not finding a reference; something like this was presented at last year's CCSM meeting) There may yet be something to abrupt climate change in response to anthropogenic forcing, but the low salinity input from the retreat of the Arctic ice, once considered plausible, isn't likely to be the mechanism. On the other hand, a non-abrupt slowing of the THC does appear to be both plausible and consistemt with recent measurements. mt --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Global Change ("globalchange") newsgroup. Global Change is a public, moderated venue for discussion of science, technology, economics and policy dimensions of global environmental change. Posts will be admitted to the list if and only if any moderator finds the submission to be constructive and/or interesting, on topic, and not gratuitously rude. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/globalchange -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
