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It is quite valid enough to educate you on what paleoclimatology is....I suppose that you ignore the other links I posted, either that or you just don't want to read anything that is contrary to your opinions...
Wiki is a great source ...
In the first three quarters of the Earth's history, only one major glaciation is to be found in the geological record. Since about 950 million years ago, the Earth's climate has varied regularly between large-scale or just polar cap wide glaciation and extensively tropical climates. The time scale for this variation is roughly 140 million years and may be related to Earth's motion into and out of galactic spiral arms and compared to the previous time, significantly reduced solar wind.[11]
The climate of the late Precambrian showed some major glaciation events spreading over much of the earth. At this time the continents were bunched up in the Rodinia supercontinent. Massive deposits of tillites are found and anomalous isotopic signatures are found, which gave rise to the Snowball Earth hypothesis. As the Proterozoic Eon drew to a close, the Earth started to warm up. By the dawn of the Cambrian and the Phanerozoic, life forms were abundant in the Cambrian explosion with average global temperatures of about 22 °C.
What do you have to say about record ice in the antarctic? Do you deny that is happening?
I don't know why it is so difficult for you folks to understand why Greenland was named Greenland. It's not because they found it covered in ice if you need a hint. And there were no SUV's or coal powered plans around back then either. Now see what wiki says about that to make sure I'm right.
Nobody is saying that there have never been other warming events in earth's history are they? This thread is about the Arctic ice melt, so why don't you address that? Meanwhile lets talk about the ice melting in the Antarctic...First of all it is winter there, and secondly you are mistaken that Antarctica is having a net gain of ice, and certainly not a record gain.
Antarctica is gaining sea ice but losing land ice at an accelerating rate which has implications for sea level rise. Arguments that Antarctica is gaining ice frequently hinge on an error of omission, namely ignoring the difference between land ice and sea ice.
A mile-deep rift valley that could rival the dramatic chasms of America’s Grand Canyon has been found hiding beneath the ice in West Antarctica. UK scientists behind the discovery believe it is contributing to ice loss. Antarctic ice melts into hidden
Think of Antarctica as the world's largest ice cube. Ninety percent of the world's ice is locked up down there. But Antarctica is also home to one of the fastest-warming spots on the planet, the Antarctic Peninsula. That's the tip that points towards South America.
See a problem here? What happens when the ice in Antarctica melts? That's what one of my next guests has been trying to figure out by studying glaciers and ice sheets as they slide into the southern ocean. Some of the speed - listen to this. The speed of one of them is a foot an hour. You can watch this glacier move... Melting The World's Biggest Ice Cube : NPR
Doesn't matter. We are too stupid to understand the complexities of climate change. Thus, it's far better to pretend that it is not a problem, that we have nothing to do with, and that we will never be affected by it.
Once we have major problems, we are going to desperately look for somebody to point our fingers at.
However, by that time most of the people who "yawn" at such developments will be long dead and later generations can only wonder how incredibly ignorant their forefathers were.
I am not sure what you are getting at, are you saying the loss of the ice in the arctic is somehow caused by man? You do realize this is not even remotely substantiated?
I've always lived below my means, which by most measures minimizes impact. I used BART when I was younger. Caltrain later. I'm a big walker. I'm closing in on 60 and still about 150# and could probably outlast half the young kids out there. In a big year I might drive 8,000 miles. My vice is the RV, which we use a few thousand miles a year. Consider it offset.
We didn't have AC for years. Heating was electric baseboard and only used occasionally. That's one advantage of living in Palo Alto. I'd put my carbon footprint up against just about anyone.
Just because I'm a greedy, rich white republican doesn't mean I don't understand the economic benefits of living responsibly. That's how lots of us got wealthy. How's that for weird irony?
See, that's fantastic. I don't think anyone is really asking for more. At least, I wouldn't. In actuality, what you wrote could have come from me - minus the greedy republican bit. Oh, and I sold my RV about ten years ago. I am quite skeptical of those who cry the loudest and keep wondering what, exactly, they do to have a smaller carbon footprint than me. Like you, I would happily put my footprint up against anyone else's. I KNOW that my lifestyle is quite energy efficient - my utility bills and average miles driven per year speak volumes. Part of is that I was able to retire at the age of 30 - no, not because of government aid - and that I simply don't have to go anywhere or have to do anything.
Yes, yes, I know it has that scary word 'scientists' in the title, but watch it anyway.
You can still drive your gas-guzzling truck/suv to work, come home to a beer and your dinner and watch some football or HBO which has all those nekkid women.
Meanwhile, stuff is happening that will affect your kids, most definitely your grandchildren. They'll remember your disinterest, I'm sure.
If human IQ's are ever restored to "survivable levels" after the massive dumbing down of the 20th century ... what our great great great grand children will painfully discover is that this snapshot in history will show today's population to be dumbest, most idiotic, brain dead group of humans ever to breath earth's air.
What they will be forced to conclude is that 20th Century science must have believed the earth to be "half a sphere", beginning at the equator, and ending at the north pole. They will wonder how science "missed" the other half of the sphere, from the equator, south. Why rational people can't ask that question now, eludes explanation.
The Antarctic is experiencing sea ice at record high levels, which scientists who are studying this missing portion of the earth located down under are apparently aware of, maybe because they are standing on it. To them, they are witnessing a "shrinking of the ocean" fearing this ice buildup is threatening the southern ocean levels to the point of threatening southern sea life. If only Apple could donate a couple of iPhones to the Northern and Southern Climate Scientists, one might give a ring to the other, and alleviate some of their anxieties.
Such a hypothetical phone call my go something like this:
Arctic Scientist - our ice is melting, our ice is melting!!! The Northern Coastlines are going to be overwhelmed and our cities flooded, and the world is going to come to an end!!!
Antarctic Scientist - Wow, glad you guys called ... down here, we're experiencing a major build up of sea ice, and were very worried about the oceans literally disappearing. We feel a lot better now, as eventually that warmer water will make it's way toward us, and balance things out a bit! Good thing you guys have some serious melting going on up there, or we'd be in some very big trouble ..... as in, NEW ICE AGE.
Antarctic Scientist - Nope ... It's cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey down here!
Arctic Scientist - How come we haven't heard about this before? We just assumed it was melting down there too?
Antarctic Scientist - Well, we just got these new phones ... land lines aren't working too well down here .. due to all the ice, you know? Couldn't afford them before ... since the budget has been used up on studying CO2 and Green House Gas for the past 10 years. These things are great! No cords ... can take them anywhere.
Arctic Scientist - Yeah .. we just got ours too.
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