Winter 2010-was it the the beginning of a new ice age?

People were freezing to death in India last winter. Now the world is facing another dose of the harshest winter weather ever and it may only be the beginning of a long cycle of colder winters to come. Research being done at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute indicates a possible repeat of the little ice age that occurred during the middle ages in Europe.

Korea, Japan and China face the heaviest winter snows since 1937 and Europe lies in the grip of the coldest winter in over 100 years. In the United States the picture is much the same. Record cold and snowfall grip the country from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic and as far south as Alabama and Georgia.

Are We on the Brink of a New Little Ice Age?

The map shows the weather for January 9, 2010. The temperature is at or below freezing from coast to coast and snow is falling from Seattle to Atlanta. Is this a picture of things to come?

Can global warming cause a new ice age?

Some climate scientists actually blame the harsh winter currently gripping the entire northern hemisphere on global climate change. The warmer air over the Arctic forces bitter cold air down over parts of the northern hemisphere. British meteorologists now say that this winter could very well be the coldest the UK has seen in 1000 years.[i]

It isn’t only Europe and America that are dealing with the harsh winter storms. The Sunday Times of London reports that China is experiencing heavy snows and record cold temperatures also. Temperatures plummeted to 26 degrees below zero Fahrenheit and massive snowfalls shut down highways, airports and thousands of schools in the Beijing area.

A little Ice Age
It Has Happened Before

The warm water current that moderates weather in the northern hemisphere is changing. If it shifts away from its current path or shuts down, the U.S. and Europe will face severe winter weather such as we have seen this year. Similar changes resulted in the little ice ages that occurred during the Dryas period 12,000 years ago and again during the Middle Ages in Europe.

The warm currents flow North bringing warm water and warmer air to the coasts of Europe and North America and when the current reaches Polar Regions it sinks down deep and flows back down South where it will pick up heat and begin the process all over again.

The melting of the glaciers and polar ice has released large amounts of fresh water into the seas. This fresh water is less dense than the salt water and can weaken or even shut down the Gulf Stream because the warm water will become less saline as it mixes with the melt water from the ice. The climate can change quickly just as the melting glaciers abruptly changed the earth’s climate 12,000 years ago to create the climate pattern we enjoy today. [iii]

Are we due for another ice age in the Northern hemisphere? There is considerable debate among the scientists and climate researchers. Regardless of what your political views on the subject of anthropomorphic climate change one fact is clear. It’s damn cold and getting colder.

if you would like to learn more about global climate change and the controversy surrounding the issue read my hub Climate Change Research-the science of everything.

Ice Age Facts and Warnings:

You are Being Warned
http://climatechange.imva.info/news/warned

[ii] Transport Paralyzed in Asia’s Worst Winter in 60 Years
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/weather/article6975215.ece

[iii] Abrupt Climate Change: Should We be Worried?
http://www.whoi.edu/cms/files/dfino/2006/1/Abruptclimatechange_7229.pdf