Arctic Discovery –Ancient Connections & the Global Climate
At the Galaxy, we find ourselves more and more intrigued by what is happening environmentally these days; and I mean in a broader scope than just railing against the governments for not fighting global-warming and climate-change fiercely enough.
One such topic of intrigue is that of our oceans, and the part that they play in our lives. It covers an astronomical 71% of our earth’s surface, with 97% of that water being held in our salt-water oceans. There is no getting away from it; water is a big part of our lives. The lack of it forces populations to migrate and sometimes die; the abundance of it similarly creates problems.
So when we receive information such as is being revealed thanks to a new sediment core retrieved from the Arctic’s deep-sea floor I am naturally engaged.
A team of ACEX researchers are now reporting the lifespan of the Arctic Ocean, with data that has hitherto been hidden from scientists. They believe that the Arctic changed from a landlocked body of water (ie, a really big lake!) through a poorly oxygenated ‘estuarine sea’ phase to a fully oxygenated ocean at 17.5 million years ago during the latter part of the early Miocene era.
The authors of the study attribute the change in the Arctic Lake/Sea/Ocean to the development and evolution of what is now known as the Fram Strait. The narrow region between Greenland and Svalbard (Spitsbergen, Norway) conducts a tremendous amount of water with an inflow of warm North Atlantic water and an outflow of Arctic water and sea-ice.
Scientists believe that the deepwater connection between the two contradicting oceans is a key factor in the circulation patterns of the world’s oceans and the change in the global climate. This latest discovery could very well be able to lead researchers and scientists to greater understand of what is really happening with our oceans and climate.
Co-chief scientist Jan Backman, Stockholm University says, “If we can learn what has happened in the geological past, we can begin to use that knowledge to look into the future. Scientists engaged in climate change studies are advancing an important area of knowledge about the planet we live on.”
Related Posts:
Bigger Threat than Global Warming -Mass Species Extinction
A "Flat World" Solution to Climate Change
Monitoring Climate Change -Experts Say We Need Lunar Observatories
Dear Casey:
This is quite a minor stylistic comment, I realize. Nevertheless. The adjective "astronomical" should really not be used for such ordinary figures as 71%. It refers to numbers so incredibly large they typically only occur in astronomy, such as the distance in miles of even the nearest star, or the mass of the sun in kilograms. 71% is the ratio of 71/100, and while it is a large percentage, we come across numbers like that all the time without needing to call in astronomy.
Jack: My thanks, again! Will correct. Do wish you'd do a post for us soonest...My best, Casey
Posted by: Jack Butler | June 21, 2007 at 09:56 AM