how do ice ages affect the climate around the world?
199313
an ice age increases the coverage of ice on the planet which obviously makes it colder.. but also means that radiation from the sun is reflected back into the atmosphere making it cooler again and perpetuating the ice age. precipitation also decreases, ie it rains and snows less (antartica is the driest continent in the world). wind is produced by air currents which are created by warm air rising in various patterns around the globe, so wind patterns would alter which would also affect the climate. additionally ocean currents would be altered by the increase of ice and colder waters, which would again alter the climates in maritime areas
279940
Humans have very little impact on the world as a whole. For example, the Al Gore's of the world would have you believe that we're heating the world up at an alarming rate... Well, global warming does exist, but we have little or no impact on it. If one looks at the geologic record of the Earth, they see that there are countless cycles of heating and cooling. Think of the last ice age? Does Al Gore think that early man caused the great North American ice sheets to melt by burning too much mammoth dung in their caves? In fact, a 1975 Newsweek article decries how mankind had caused the earth's mean temperature to actually DECREASE since records had started being kept in the late 1800's. From 1975 to 1998 the average temperatures rose again, but have FALLEN every year since then! (I'm sure you wont see those inconvenient truths in his new movie/fund raising infomercial)
175498
Is global warming to our benefit?  \n\nI say this because global levels of environmental Carbon(13), an isotope of Carbon(12), is used by us geologists as a way of identifying paleo-glacial maximums.  A high Carbon(13) level coincides with periods of high glaciation (i.e. ice-age).  \n\nRight now the levels of environmental Carbon(13) are at a level that should indicate the beginnings of an Ice age.  Clearly things are getting warmer, not cooler.  So the question is: is human Carbon Dioxide/Carbon Monoxide input actually holding back the impending Ice age?\n\nAlso, why do so many people think that the atmosphere should be static.  The global temperature is always increasing or decreasing.  It's never static.
109086
Based on basic science, observational sensitivity studies and the climate models referenced by the IPCC, temperatures may increase by 1.4 to 5.8 °C between 1990 and 2100 [2]. This is expected to result in other climate changes including rises in sea level and changes in the amount and pattern of precipitation. Such changes may increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, heat waves, and hurricanes, change agricultural yields, cause glacier retreat, reduced summer streamflows, or contribute to biological extinctions. Although warming is expected to affect the number and magnitude of these events, it is difficult to connect any particular event to global warming. Much of the evidence is statistical; a significant increase in certain events which is correlated with warming.
22568
Actually, the Earth does move ever so slightly closer and farther from the sun at different times of the year. However, this is not what causes the change in temperature. The change in temperature is mainly caused by the tilt of the earth towards or away from the sun. So, for us in the Northern Hemisphere....during the winter, the northern axis of the earth is tilted slightly away from the sun. This means that the suns rays during the day are less direct on this part of the world. It's also why the sun seems to always be in your eyes during winter driving. It never rises far above the horizon.
581596
The ice pack has been getting thicker but that has slowed down or stopped.  Antartica is not getting colder, and large pieces of ice are breaking away indicating that it is warming.  The snow pack depends on precipitation, not the temperature, and itself could be a sign of warming.\n\nSome regions of the earth will actually get colder due to global warming (at least for a while), as the cold water from melting ice is carried by ocean currents.
203167
Climate is more of a long-term, permanent state. For example, a rain forest climate would be wet and warm year-round. Weather is constantly changing; weather includes temporary states like rain or cloudiness. Weather is affected by winds, temperature and humidity.
34939
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
673827
despite the idea of the earth changing drastically - this is still over millions of years .... in your life time, there will be no ice path from Russia to wherever.\n\nWhatever is going to happen with Mother Earth... well there is the general understanding that it will happen over time, a long time - though the oceans have increased two degrees over the past decade - thus the storms in the US of A have become stronger... but to the extent of total chaos due to Mother Nature - not likely going to happen in our life times .... though very cold winters and droughts, and large amountys of percipitaiton, and warm winters, hot summers, cold summers ... these are a part of the changes that are just normal.\n\nThere are some that say because of the rise in water temperature, that the ocean current may change drastically - making Europ very cold, and America very hot... some say there is already a 30% reduction in water that is in the current - bringing cold water to the warmer zones and vise versa - this caused by fossil fuel emmissions - in which case, yes this could be a very fast change, but this is man, not mother nature's doing.  Storms in America would then be ten times as strong, and climate in Europ - prevent a lot of crops from growing... yes this would be chaos, but not the chaos that you think of concerning an ice age.
407145
That's a lot of questions...\n\nThe land wouldn't be completely covered but the sea level would rise about 200ft so just about all coastal areas would be completely flooded. Obviously everything above that altitude would still be ok but the population would be squeezed into a much smaller area.\n\nMillions of years ago the climate was much warmer and warm ocean currents circled Antarctica which meant that it was totally ice-free and inhabited by rich plant and animal life. At this time the sea level was generally much higher than it is today. At other times, during Ice Ages, much more water was locked up as ice at the Poles and the sea level was much lower than at present.\n\nNo-one knows what is under every part of the Antarctic ice but people have drilled down to the rock in a number of places. Any remains of lost civilisations or other such surface features are likely to have been crushed and ground to dust by the weight of millions of tons of ice. It is known that there are large coal deposits left over from the compacted remains of the plants that once thrived there and there are other mineral deposits as well. At least one prehistoric lake has also been found - frozen solid, of course beneath hundreds of feet of ice and snow.\n\nThe magnetic poles are gradually shifting all the time and many maps such as UK Ordnance Survey maps indicate the rate of variation... on the most recent map I have it states that Magnetic North is moving by 09' East each year. Historically a number of "polar reversals" have been recorded where basically the magnetic north and south poles swap places (282 times in the last 10 million years).  This seems to happen quite suddenly and probably when the gradual shift reaches a critical balance point.\n\nThe main evidence comes from rocks produced from mid-ocean ridges which erupt as liquid magma and rapidly solidify retaining the magnetic field that they were subjected to as they hardened. From this it is possible to see that the North and South Poles have "flipped" and quite regular intervals for millions of years - and in fact in geological terms we seem about due for another such an event.\n\nIt appears that when the poles swap in this way there are often several rapid exchanges before the new arrangement is reached so that the North Pole may go N-S-N-S-N-S in a short space of time before sticking at the new reversed state. This would probably cause all sorts of temporary problems such as disruption to navigation and possibly interference with radio signals and so forth. As some of the rocks of the Earth contain a certain amount of iron which is susceptible to magnetic influences there may also be earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
671738
we would notice a change right away, the direction and position of where the sun's rays hit are what cause our temperature differences. if we had a drastic 90 degree turn in our axis it would throw off our global climate over the course of a few decades. changes would happen drastically however, and until things settled down over those decades or even centuries we would be in a state of climate-chaos
254201
Yes, it is still possible. Infact, what you are describing are the beginning stages of an ice age. For more information I suggest you look up the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. For a brief picture:\nAs global temperatures rise, polar ice melts and ocean temperatures rise. As the ocean temperatures rise the North Atlantic and North Pacific drifts cease to flow, which helps maintain uniform salinity (as both are actually FRESH WATER streams in the ocean). When this happens, the northern most latitudes are no longer warmed and rapid cooling begins, which in turn leads us through an ice age. When the reverse happens, we come out of an ice age and the cycle begins anew.
62293
The earth has been warming since the last ice age around 60,000 years ago.  I don't think President Bush has been around that long.  And if he is responsible for thawing the earth from an ice age, what a great accomplishment!
348142
Ice cores:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleoclimatology
190330
Local phenomena don't really form evidence for global changes.  Despite global warming, the recent winter has been one of the coldest in years for the last fourty years I have experienced.\n\nWeather changes have a much greater amplitude than the small changes caused by global warming. You need to consult statistics to measure those changes, like number and strength of hurricanes in a 10 year interval (to give an example that can be counted rather than tediously measured).
172209
Aalexart put the case extremely well, and has obviously like me read several books that have no bias.\nThe site below will help you, the presumptiousness of man that we can influence the weather. King Canute had more success with the tide.\nYes we are gradually returning to the climate pre the mini ice age, but we still have a long way to go.
291083
they stabilize dust, control erosion, entrap air polluting gases, conserving water and harboring wildlife. Climate control is obtained by moderating the effects of sun, wind, and rain. Radiant energy from the sun is absorbed or deflected by leaves on deciduous trees in the summer and is filtered by their branches in winter. We are cooler when we stand in the shade of trees and are not exposed to direct sunlight. In winter, we value the sun's radiant energy; Wind speed and direction can be affected by trees.\n\nThere are many and many more , hope i could cover the gist.