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Hydrogen Economy, Geothermal and Ocean Power, and Climate Change
Published in Roy L. Nersesian, Energy Economics, 2016
Another group of cooling adherents are pointing in another direction, taking a paleoclimate view covering hundreds of thousands of years. During these long stretches of time, in rough numbers, ice ages last about 100,000 years with interglacial periods of about 12,000 years. This rhythm of climate stems from three Milankovitch cycles of variation in the shape of the Earth’s orbit that has a period of 100,000 years, variation in the tilt of the Earth that has a period of 41,000 years, and the precession of the equinoxes, the Earth’s wobble, that has a period of 26,000 years. These three periods, working together, are responsible for variation in the degree of solar radiation falling on the northern hemisphere, resulting in 100,000-year cycles of ice ages interspersed with 12,000-year periods of interglacial warming. Paleoclimate advocates criticize the anthropogenic global warming view of focusing on a timeline measured in decades, not tens of thousands of years. To a lesser extent, this same criticism can be applied to those who believe in solar cycles having a strong effect on climate. The real risk is that we may be at the end of the Holocene period of interglacial warming and about to plunge into the next ice age (a view, by the way, that was as popular in the 1970s as global warming is today). In fact a few of the leading alarmists of climate change/global warming had their teeth cut as ice age alarmists 40 years ago.76 If paleoclimate or solar cycle advocates are correct and cool weather is about to descend on us, then pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere may turn out to be a virtue rather than a vice.
Global Warming or Global Cooling: Challenges and Future Prospects
Published in Moonisa Aslam Dervash, Akhlaq Amin Wani, Climate Change Alleviation for Sustainable Progression, 2022
The last ice age began about 110, and ended 13 thousand years ago. Approximately 5-7 thousand years ago, the climate was somewhat warmer and wetter than it is now – the peak of the interglacial period (the so-called Holocene optimum) was passed. Probably, such conditions were favourable for ancient man and the development of civilisation, but now man has different economic conditions, different numbers and settlements on the planet, different life expectancy and standards. Therefore, it would be a mistake to think that a ‘similar’ warming of a couple of degrees will be a boon for our modern civilisation. Then, about 5 thousand years ago, the climate gradually cooled and became close to the modern one.
Ύ The Vanishing of Hampton Roads
Published in Frank R. Spellman, Land Subsidence Mitigation, 2017
Speculation aside, what are the most probable causes of ice ages on Earth? According to the Milankovitch hypothesis, ice age occurrences are governed by a combination of factors: (1) the Earth’s change of altitude in relation to the Sun (the way it tilts in a 41,000-year cycle and at the same time wobbles on its axis in a 22,000-year cycle), making the time of its closest approach to the Sun come at dif- ferent seasons; and (2) the 92,000-year cycle of eccentricity in its orbit around the sun, changing it from an elliptical to a near circular orbit, the most severe period of an ice age coinciding with the approach to circularity.
The Holocene of Sweden – a review
Published in GFF, 2022
It is generally assumed that Swedish glaciers reached their maximum Holocene positions during the Little Ice Age (Denton & Karlén 1973; Karlén 1988), but glacier advances have also been described at 4400, 3000, 2000 and after 1200 cal a BP (Rosqvist et al. 2004). Warmer conditions, favourable for soil formation in frontal moraines, have been dated to 2450–2000 and 1170–740 cal a BP, respectively (Table 6; Hormes et al. 2004). One of the best studied glaciers in Sweden is the Kårsa glacier in northern Sweden (Fig. 4). A multiproxy study of lake sediment in the Kårsa valley suggests a complete disappearance of the Kårsa glacier during the Early and Middle Holocene, and that the glacier started to reform at c. 3200 cal a BP (Snowball & Sandgren 1996). In his extensive survey of Holocene glacier advances in Scandinavia, (Karlén 1988) described significant glacier advances at c. 8300, 5900–5200, 3400–2900, 2200–1800 and 1500–1000 cal a BP. Many records, however, were based only on one glacier, or one glacier-fed lake, and may reflect local conditions rather than the regional climate.
Piezocone/cone penetration test-based pile capacity analysis: calibration, evaluation, and implication of geological conditions
Published in International Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 2022
Chung R. Song, Binyam Bekele, Alex Silvey, Mark Lindemann, Lucas Ripa
Although the textural compositions of the soils share a similarity, there is a slight difference in the formation of the surficial geology of east Nebraska and Louisiana. The parent materials for the soils in east Nebraska have mainly resulted from glacial and wind deposition (Lucas, Ross, and Swaby 2015a). The soils are composed of softer and fine-grained materials. Glacial tills which are heterogeneous mixture of clay, silt, and sand particles were accumulated by the receding continental ice sheet (Laurentide ice sheet) that formed during the last ice age (Fullerton, Bush, and Pennell 2004). Glacial tills provide fertile soils for agricultural use. Loess materials containing predominatly silt-sized particles are also common. These materials were transported and deposited by the action of wind. Loess soils are susceptible to collapse upon moisture variations (Parsons et al. 2009). On the other hand, the parent materials for soils in Louisiana are predominantly from alluvial sediments and deltaic deposits which contain silt and clay-sized particles. These alluvial deposits are mostly the result of melting of glaciers from the north and subsequent transportation by Missouri and Mississippi rivers (Lucas, Ross, and Swaby 2015a). This suggests that parent materials are likely similar to east Nebraska surficial materials in spite of difference in the process of deposition. Predominantly silt-sized loess soils are also apparent in either side of Mississippi river which are formed by redeposition of till sheets and glacial outwash by the action of wind (Heinrich 2008).
Quantum Geographic Information System (Q-GIS) based study on emerging energy scenario in Hilly Terrain
Published in Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2021
Kamal Sapkota, Karma Sonam Sherpa
Due to fast melting of snow in the high mountainous belt, sometimes it may be catastrophic as there could be a huge influx of river water level by more than 10 feet that comes from the outburst of glaciers. Heating of earth atmosphere due to global warming is the serious threat for this climate change and sudden outburst of river flow endangered all forms of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem (Human Development Report 2001). Due to climate change, several glaciers are receded like the Little Ice Age, the Onglokthang glacier and Rathong Chu glacier had receded by about 500 m and 600 m, respectively. Zamu Glacier which is the largest glacier in Sikkim is also retreated almost by 4 km. If the retreating of these glaciers continued at this present rate, it could be catastrophic to the people residing on the river belt due to devastating floods and may impact rivers due to permanent dryness in near future (Human Development Report 2001). As the glaciers after melting are the primary sources of river water for hydro power generation hence the hydro power generation will severely be affected if the current rate of melting of glaciers continues. The hydro electricity generation may decline in the next few years say after 35–40 years and the state has to look for other alternate sources of energy to support the declining large hydro-power generation to meet the ever increasing energy demand (Himalayan Glaciers: Climate Change, Water Resources, and Water Security 2012).