I have heard that decreased sun activity causes ice ages.
120264
Sun Spot Cycles, or Solar Cycles, Affect Earth’s Weather  \n\n \n\n\n \n\n\nSun spot cycles are being studied by various scientific organizations which publish regular reports on their findings: the Sun has cycles of activity and inactivity, characterised by more or less sun spots, flares and other signs, and these cycles have an effect on radio communications, power distribution and even the weather on Earth as well as on orbiting spacecraft.\n\nSun spots are relatively cooler areas on the Sun that are observed as dark patches. \nThe number of sun spots observed indicates the amount of activity and the length of the solar cycle under observation. A great deal of research focuses on trying to predict sun spot activity and recently, scientists at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre reviewed all the current methods. They recommended combining the two best methods, which both use disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field as an indication of ‘solar maxima’, when the Sun is most active. Magnetic activity that accompanies the sun spots produces changes in the ultra-violet and soft x-ray emissions from the Sun with consequences for the Earth’s upper atmosphere.\n\n\nIt was Galileo, in 1610, who made the first European observation of sun spot activity. Later that century there was a period of inactivity, with very few sun spots reported from about 1645 to 1715. This inactivity corresponded with a period of colder weather on earth, with year-long snow at lower than usual altitudes and rivers freezing over - out of character. \n\nDaily observation began at the Zurich Observatory in 1749. Details of observations of sun spots – their number, size and position – have been recorded by the Royal Greenwich Observatory since 1874. US Air Force data have been added to that observatory’s records since 1976. Daily updates on the sun spot cycle and monthly updates on sun spot cycle predictions are published on the internet. \n\nRegular observation of solar activity has shown that sun spots are concentrated in two bands around the Sun. Tracings of sun spot positions reveal a shape that is referred to in the name of a ‘butterfly diagram’ of activity. Sun spots group together in clumps of around 10 spots. Monthly data reveals that the number of spots visible waxes and wanes in a cycle of about 11 years. The more scientists can learn about sun spot cycles, and predicting them, the more we will know about how the Sun works. \n\nSolar cycles of activity and inactivity, characterised by more or less sun spots, flares and other signs, are important to us on Earth and regular reports on scientific findings of observations of sun spot cycles are published on the internet.
600629
We do not have enough scientific data to show that the current warming cycle is being adversely affected by man.  The sun is the source of global warming.  It always has been.  Weather, on our planet, has been changing for 5 billion years.  Scientists have at most 100 years of temperature data to look at.\nLook at the weather in Northwestern Pennsylvania from 1976 to 1978.  I was there.  During one winter, there were record snow falls.  During the next winter, there was record cold.  People were looking for the start of an ice age.  \nOur weather changes every day.  It will continue to change every day.  Until man has infinite knowledge, which will be never, man will never be able to factor in the endless number of possibilities that affect climate.  Several months ago, I watched a program on PBS wherein scientists were claiming that global warming was causing surface cooling.  I got a head ache and shut it off.
356760
As time goes on and the sun ages the power output of the sun (or Luminosity to use the technical term) is increasing.  The sun is now about 25% more powerful than it was when it was formed and in about a billion years will be putting out too much power for Earth to be inhabitable (unless we do something like move the Earth away from the sun).\n\nOn short scales most of the changes over the 11 year solar cycle is in the EUV and X-ray parts of the spectrum which are only a minor part of the sun's output (which peaks in the yellow) and are blocked by the upper atmosphere (which does get a lot hotter during solar maximum because of the higher incidence of EUV and X-rays).\n\nA 1% power reduction probably wouldn't do much, the Oceans of the Earth make a very good heatsink and make it very hard to change the temperature of the Earth (they are probably hiding a great deal of the effects of global warming from us).\n\nThe Sun is one of the more stable stars out there although no star is completely stable.
478153
The theory that the world was once ice that you are talking about is called snow ball earth. Off the top of my head i can not remember the names of the scientists that came up with the theory. The claimed that they found evidence of rocks deformed by ice in Africa (near the equator). Which was not disbuted. The problem is that once the earth was covered in ice how did it melt? There are several theories to this but i dont really believe them. One is that volcanics in areas of weak ice erupted masses of co2 which allowed for thew atmosphere to rapidly (a few hundred thousand years). But on the other hand the solar radiation (i.e heat) would have been reflected by the ice. For more informatio look it up on ther web. \n\nIn the earths history there have been  many phases of glacial (cold) and interglacial periods so what you are saying is theoretically correct. However there is undisbuted evidence that we have accelarated the proccess of global warming. Naturally these cycles of heating and cooling take thousands of years but we have seen increases of 1-2 degrees in a few decades which, according to records is unprecedented.
2819
Yes, earth is moving closer to sun every year, and eventually it will get destroyed one day. But still thousands of years are left for this to happen.
243948
Due to the tilt of the earth, the seasons are different.  When it is winter in the northern hemispheree, the earth has tilted away from the sun.  Even this little bit of a tilt is enough to drop the temperature.  That's why in the Arctic circle there is very little, if any, sunlight during this time, but the Antarctic has almost no night.\n\nWhen it is summer in the northern hemisphere, the earth has tilted back, bringing the northern hemisphere closer to the sun, and tilting the southern hemispher away.
174113
Because only 30 years ago, the same scientists were talking about the new ice age that was coming.\n\nAnd, historically, the Earth goes through hot and cold cycles. Greenland was once green. Ohio was once covered in glaciers.\n\nAnd right now, the sun is going through a cycle of increased activity. Mars is getting warmer, too. They don't have SUVs there.\n\nAs for whether there is any significant human activity contribution to the current increase in temperature, there is no data that suggests this.\n\nBut are you willing to cause civilization to collapse because of an unsubstantiated enviro-wanker scare tactic? The staggering cost of putting something like Kyoto into effect would cause a severe world depression worse than the Great Depression.\n\nDon't beleive the hype - someone is feeding you a load of bull.
24525
We will be entering the Age of Aquarius, as refered to in the song. This is determined by what constellation corresponds with where the sun rises on the vernal equinox. (We are currently in the Age of Pisces) Who knew that rock musicians were so aware of astronomy?\n\nPrecession changes the time of year when the earth reaches it's perihelion which is the point where the earth is closest to the sun during its orbit around the sun. Presently we reach perihelion on about Jan. 3, which is during northern hemisphere winter. This has an effect on climate and is likely to be increasing the solar warming during winter while reducing it for summer in the northern hemisphere. Eleven thousand years ago the reverse was true. There is no doubt we are in a long term climate cycle that we are just beginning to understand. \n\nI doubt that the effect will be any more remarkable than in any other year. The cycle is so long (~22,000 years) that the rate of change is likely to insignificant. The one factor that is still not well understood is how these changes may create feedback systems in our climate that may not show up until many years after the changes. We will be moving the perihelion in the direction of having it during  the northern fall season, and since it has been about 20,000 years since the earth has had that position we don't have much of an idea how that will affect climate dynamics between the northern and southern hemisphere or if we will continue to see effects that may be delayed reactions to the change of precession over the last 5,500 years.\n\nCheck out the diagram at NOAA:                  Good question!!
292217
Melting of polar ice caps\nOceanic temperature changes\nLimited oxygen; varied levels of gases, CO2, atoms\nUV Radiation\nExtreme climate changes
72866
no in my opinion is it doesn't exist. because think about it we are coming out of an ice age. it makes sense doesn't it? fact: there have been ice ages. fact: there is a lot of ice in ice ages. so if you know about water then you know the same amount of it is here that was here when the earth began so literally it is dinosaurs piss. well during an ice age lots of stuff is covered in water/ice ( i know i live in Minnesota and it is known that it was fully covered with ice.). so where is all the water? in ice bergs, glaciers, etc. so it would make sense that to leave an ice age most things would melt right? so they are still melting they will finish melting and cover parts of the world, then it will slowly freeze causing an ice age. why would humans make that big of a difference? we are insignificant to the world.(everyone in the world could fit in Texas and it would only be as densely populated as NY city). so our vehicles and combustible engines couldn't have that big of an effect. but you say "what about the ozone thinning?" well i am not saying it hasn't but it was because of the CFC's(chloral floral carbons) which broke up the ozone by attaching to ozone molecules. but the CFC's are no longer around. the ozone is healing itself as it is meant too. their was no real hole only a thinning which is also bad. but now it is closing up and returning to normal. if you think that the co2 we produced cant be good well think about it it isn't that much and while the earth was cooling after being created it released tons of co2. so what people will notice in the next 1-9000 years is it will warm up but in that time it will also cool down and eventually there will be an ice age. just because the great human race is here doesn't mean that the earth will stop having ice ages as it has done by its self for billions of years. think about it. am i a genius or what i mean i just looked at what has happened in history wow who would have thought history would repeat its self
563756
I think it's gonna be real cold.  Like Michigan (where i live).  But no, If it is in fact a ice age, that means that  huge amounts of water  are frozen into glaciers (and because we only have so much water on earth) sea levels will actually go down because water is locked in the glaciers.  Global warming causes glaciers to melt and hence rises sea level.  And by the way, we are still technically in an ice age (we still have huge ice sheets) we are in what's known as an inter-glacial period.  The last glacial maximum was about 22,000 years ago.  Sea levels were so low that humans could walk across dry land from Ireland to Britain then to the mainland of Europe! Check out a map!
1505
Though it may sound crazy, global warming can cause an Ice Age. You see, there's an underwater wall keeping the super-cold water of the Arctic Ocean out of the a lot warmer water of the Alantic Ocean. Global warming makes this wall dissolve, letting the cold water meet the warmer water, overall lowering the temperature of the oceans. Meanwhile, the glaciers start to melt and slide. Now that the oceans aren't as warm, the glacierscan continue to move south and cover a chunk of the Northern Hemisphere in ice. In short, an ice age.\n\nHowever, ice cores are showing that global warming isn't as bad as we thought. the ice cores show that the average global temperature 100,000 years ago would go up and down by 10 degrees in a matter of decades. In comparison, our global warming is warming at a rate of 1 degree per century. Is global warming going to cause the next Ice Age? Or are threats empty? YOu decide.
62409
It is Global Warming.  Geologically speaking we are still coming out of the last ice age.  We are on in a natural cycle which has been accerated by pollution.
422187
The main reason is simply that the temperature is too high to maintain them. Glaciers melt in warmer climes. Even the glaciers of Antarctica, the Arctic and the world's greatest mountain peaks are melting in the current warming climate. \n\nThe glaciers of ice-age Britain had no chance when the global temperature rose at the end of that period.
499295
Articles at end.\n\nCO2 is 30% higher than it has been for 650,000 years. Methane is 130% greater. These are two of the main pollutants humans put into the atmosphere in excess, and they are two of the primary greenhouse gases.\n\nLook at the 'hockeystick', which shows a dramatic warming since 1950 after a fairly stable climate for 1000 years. In fact, the 10 hottest years in recorded history have all happened since 1990, with 2005 being the hottest, and 2006 is shaping up to maybe break that record.\n(see links below)\n\nHow's that for proof of man's fault in this? There is ample proof, any real scientist will tell you that.\n\nThere has NEVER been an article doubting man's influence on global warming published in a peer-reviewed journal. A recent study of almost 1000 proved that.\n\nYes, the earth naturally heats and cools, but the rate and amount we are warming now is unprecedented in the recent geologic past. We are doing this, and we must stop it. This is not some political statement or rhetoric. This is science trying to educate a crass, ignorant public of the damage they are doing. The magnitude of temperature increase ALREADY is about 10x that of the 'little ice age' of the middle ages, and rate and amount are only going up. \n\nJust to be clear, glacial and interglacial cycles are mainly controlled by astronomical fluctuations, but we have a detailed record of the last 7 cycles, and what the climate and CO2 is doing now is way different and extreme. The rate of increase is much higher than in the past AND the value itself is much higher.\n\nHI CO2: \nhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4467420.stm\nHOCKEY STICK: \nhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5109188.stm\nGeneral climate stuff: \nhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3897061.stm
119885
AT THE RATE OF DECLINE OF OUR POLAR ICE REGION WELL THERE ARE SOME MOUNTAINS B4 TUSCALOOSIE
142213
There are theories about a new ice age created by a magnetic reversal of the poles. Polar ice caps melting is bad, but there is no impending doom. If you feel so strongly about this you should get started on your ark.