NationStates Jolt Archive

Yes it is (almost ;) ) inevitable there will be another ice age. the question is when? when do you think the next ice age will come?

poll coming...

Hmm. I hope it never happens to be exact.

Hmm. I hope it never happens to be exact.
i knew i forgot something. :headbang:

would a moderator be so kind as to add "never" to the poll? much thanks in advance :)

Nothing is inevitable except death and taxes.

It's ok to look ahead but we're still emerging from the current ice age.

A situation which gives rise to the "Global warming" myth.

Ask your question again when the polar ice caps have melted. :)

It's an interglacial period.

It's all just crap and lies that those science guys make up to mock us ordinary folk!

i would say i dont have a clue when its coming, but it will be soon, we are def near the end of an interglacial period, and long overdue for another ice age, its global warming that saving us to be honest. But we do need to be extremly careful and balance things out, otherwise it'll be huge ice age, covering all of earth, or it'll be all desert and barren wildernesss, ruined forever by pollution.

Next ice age? Not for a long time. My guess would be... in 10,000 years or so. I'm not even sure if the climax of the current interglacial has been reached (probably it will be prolonged artificially by global warming).

i would say i dont have a clue when its coming, but it will be soon, we are def near the end of an interglacial period, and long overdue for another ice age, its global warming that saving us to be honest. But we do need to be extremly careful and balance things out, otherwise it'll be huge ice age, covering all of earth, or it'll be all desert and barren wildernesss, ruined forever by pollution.

Hello? Against the common misconception, the last ice age did NOT cover all of the Earth. (Picture) (http://www.scotese.com/images/LGM.jpg)

Hello? Against the common misconception, the last ice age did NOT cover all of the Earth. (Picture) (http://www.scotese.com/images/LGM.jpg)
But it did at one point--billions of years ago when the sun was much cooler. Read it in "Scientific American" magazine.

wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowball_Earth

the last one was 3/4s of a billion years ago, if i remember correctly.

But it did at one point--billions of years ago when the sun was much cooler. Read it in "Scientific American" magazine.

wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowball_Earth

the last one was 3/4s of a billion years ago, if i remember correctly.

Right-right, the Varangerian glaciation. But that was *very* long ago. There actually have been several periods of glaciation, anyways:

2.3 billion years ago

Varangerian glaciation (750 million years ago)

Late Ordovician glaciation (440 million years ago)

Late Carboniferous Glaciation (http://www.scotese.com/images/306.jpg) (300 million years ago)

Recent glaciation phase (30 million years to present)

(note that none of the following were as bad as the Varangian, though)

Right-right, the Varangerian glaciation. But that was *very* long ago. There actually have been several periods of glaciation, anyways:

2.3 billion years ago

Varangerian glaciation (750 million years ago)

Late Ordovician glaciation (440 million years ago)

Late Carboniferous glaciation (300 million years ago)

Recent glaciation phase (30 million years to present)
Yep. and as someone stated above, we're still in an ice age right now, just recovering from one. I like a warm earth (espacially my body can't retain a whole lot of heat for itself in winter :( ), but I'll definitely miss the ice caps, 'cause they add to a planet's natural beauty, IMO.

Yep. and as someone stated above, we're still in an ice age right now, just recovering from one. I like a warm earth (espacially my body can't retain a whole lot of heat for itself in winter :( ), but I'll definitely miss the ice caps, 'cause they add to a planet's natural beauty, IMO.

Actually, i personally prefer the climate optimum during the Eocene, when palm trees were growing in Greenland and Patagonia. Maybe we're gonna have that again, soon. :D

Actually, i personally prefer the climate optimum during the Eocene, when palm trees were growing in Greenland and Patagonia. Maybe we're gonna have that again, soon. :D
Hey, maybe we'll get some in antartica soon! :D

still gotta worry about the ozone hole over there though :( oh well. at least we've got sunscreen :D

Either way guys. If it turns tropical we can laze about in the sun and surf. Or we canlaze about in the lodge and snowboard :p Either way works with me so long as my beer don't boil/freeze...

What bothers me is the fact that as deserts are expanding at an alarming rate, will ALL the Earth turn into a desert? remarkable really as 70% of this planet is water.... SURELY sea water can be filtered to irrigate the deserts and turn them fertile? I know it wouldnt be an overnight process but surely its do-able isnt it?

What bothers me is the fact that as deserts are expanding at an alarming rate, will ALL the Earth turn into a desert? remarkable really as 70% of this planet is water.... SURELY sea water can be filtered to irrigate the deserts and turn them fertile? I know it wouldnt be an overnight process but surely its do-able isnt it?
They tried that on Mars once, but apparently it didn't go so well. :D

What makes you say that then? :p

What makes you say that then? :p
The Martian canali's, of course! :D

Everyone knows there are canals on Mars! :D

Problem with the desert is it lack nutrients, and the desert regions are typically unable to afford expensive desalination plants..

It's ok to look ahead but we're still emerging from the current ice age.

A situation which gives rise to the "Global warming" myth.

You're right, we are emerging from an ice age and the next one won't hit for thousands of year but this warming isn't the cause of what we consider global warming.

After an ice age, the temperature will change up by probably no more than 10deg. Over 10 000 years, that's a pretty gradual change, a thousandth of a degree a year. We're currently looking at an increase faster than a tenth of a degree a year. That's the 'unnatural' part of the warming.

What bothers me is the fact that as deserts are expanding at an alarming rate, will ALL the Earth turn into a desert? remarkable really as 70% of this planet is water.... SURELY sea water can be filtered to irrigate the deserts and turn them fertile? I know it wouldnt be an overnight process but surely its do-able isnt it?
What and increase the salinity in the desert soil even more? Even if you were to filter out the salt in the water more salt from underneath the surface will be drawn up through capillary action.

Greetings, Pitiable Other Nations,

An Ice Age cannot come soon enough for the Happy, Non-Fearful of their-very-Lives citizens of the Opressed People of Crushuallistan. Let the merciless sheets of ice scour the world, that our Beloved MarshalWirrrn's horde of Trained Funnel-Web Spiders may have the blood of new peasantry to feast upon.

All Hail Marshall Wirrrn. Long May Seann William Scott's loins bring fire to his Belly!

Wirrrn! :sniper:

Right-right, the Varangerian glaciation. But that was *very* long ago. There actually have been several periods of glaciation, anyways:

2.3 billion years ago

Varangerian glaciation (750 million years ago)

Late Ordovician glaciation (440 million years ago)

Late Carboniferous Glaciation (http://www.scotese.com/images/306.jpg) (300 million years ago)

Recent glaciation phase (30 million years to present)

(note that none of the following were as bad as the Varangian, though)


There have also been mini ice ages. The beginning of the Middle Ages was marked by one such, glacial expansion with a global drop in temperature of 1 or 2 degrees C*, resulting in longer winters and significantly lower crop yields. This and barbarian raiders helped along the disintegration of the few cities the Romans had built in Western Europe and brought about the rise of the manour system.

You know... there is the argument that the last ice age didn't end at all, and we're only in a brief warm period... Similar ones happened in previous glacial periods.

And although Venus tells us what happens with global warming run rampant, I suspect most of the media frenzy over it is just that-- media frenzy combined with misinterpretation of normal temperature cycles.

*NOTE: If you think 1 or 2 degrees Celsius isn't a lot, just remember that all it would take for another glaciation period to start is a global drop of 5C.

In about 5,000 to 7,000 years, if the Earth is left to its own devices.

Global warming may change that, though. I think we should try to keep the weather in a reasonable range. Warm poles mean deserted almost everything else, and too cold isn't nice either.

Oh, and it's not how much water there is on Earth that determine the desertification, it's the rain patterns.

An ice age would let the human race finally prove that we are the most adapt organisms on the planet. The only problem is that the only ones who would be able to grow any crops would be your pygmies in the tropics. Europe, and most of N. America would have to find a way to build giant commercial greenhouses for agricultural use.

An ice age would let the human race finally prove that we are the most adapt organisms on the planet. The only problem is that the only ones who would be able to grow any crops would be your pygmies in the tropics. Europe, and most of N. America would have to find a way to build giant commercial greenhouses for agricultural use.
Well, one thing we could do would be to act as if we're on the planet mars and construct huge greenhouse domes over our cities....

I thought is just happened...damn...what a cold winter!

I thought is just happened...damn...what a cold winter!
lol. i heard that a scientist said the current warming trend could end in the next 20 years. i believe him. look at just how cold it was in minnesota just last week, lmao!

lol. i heard that a scientist said the current warming trend could end in the next 20 years. i believe him. look at just how cold it was in minnesota just last week, lmao!
There was a warming trend? Why wasn't Canada's Mother Nature informed?

And this global warming crap - why the hell am I still cold and being forced to wear a jacket? Why won't it come north?

There was a warming trend? Why wasn't Canada's Mother Nature informed?

And this global warming crap - why the hell am I still cold and being forced to wear a jacket? Why won't it come north?

Meh, this winter wasn't that bad. Last year we still had snow on the ground in early May. It was early April when the snow melt this time. It was only one week that the temperature dipped, and not even below freezing.

This weekend it's going to be 20°, last year it had barely broken 10°.

EDIT: Oh, and I've said it like a thousand times now: Global warming does not affect all local weathers the same.

Oh, and it's not how much water there is on Earth that determine the desertification, it's the rain patterns.
Actually desertification has more to do with human influences such as grazing cattle and whatnot.

So what exactly will happen to deserts because of global warming? Well I've just recently written a rough draft of a 25 page paper on that very subject. I'll try to summarize it later but right now I've got to go.

It's ok to look ahead but we're still emerging from the current ice age.

A situation which gives rise to the "Global warming" myth.

Ask your question again when the polar ice caps have melted. :)


Thousands of the world's best scientists dedicate their entire lives to the study of climate change and you simply dismiss their findings as a myth. :rolleyes:

Talk about wishful thinking...