Please review the attached climate articles and then answer the following questi

Question

Please review the attached climate articles and then answer the following questions for next class 5/30:

1. What "surprising" discoveries have been made in the Arctic and Antarctic regions and why is this significant?

2. Do these excavations testify to a constant climate on Earth similar to today or something else?

3. Does the evidence point to a slow and gradual change or a sudden and dramatic event?

--give supporting info to back up these assessments.

See attached articles (3 of them on one attached Word document). You will need to be thoroughly familiar with the information found therein and how it ties in to the bigger picture and what it helps to shed light on during the final exam.

In particular as you review them please remember the relevant points mentioned and pondered in class:

Despite the seeming certainty of the dates suggested for the time periods under critique and investigation the reality is those numbers are probably some of the most inaccurate information presented there, as we briefly discussed and as can be seen by a cursory comparison between each of the three articles. -- Remember, think "Butterfly Effect" and the relevant points revealed there:

-A tiny change in initial conditions or an extra variable at some point down the line will lead to a huge effect and a drastic change of outcome (think weather forecasting and the impossibility of good predictions beyond the short-term window, and even that is a stretch sometimes).

-Furthermore, all of the data must be known at each point along the way for an accurate and linear extrapolation. Any unknown or unaccounted for piece of information during data computation will lead to a loss of extrapolation potential and undermine the final result.

How do these findings challenge the notions and assumed norms of the current earth climate system? Are there more answers given or more questions raised with the availability of these discoveries? Have these discoveries been made widely known to the "mainstream"? Why or why not and again why does it matter?

Do these findings point to a gradual and predictable change on earth or a sudden and dramatic one? What is the evidence? Was this change local, regional or global? Why does it matter?

BS"D Science News from universities, journals, and other research organizations aSave EmailPrint Share Tropical Climate in the Antarctic: Palm Trees Once Thrived On Today's Icy Coasts 52 Million Years Ago Aug. 1, 2012-Given the predicted rise in global temperatures in the coming decades, climate scientists are particularly interested in warm periods that occurred in the geological past. Knowledge of past episodes of global warmth can be used to better understand the relationship between climate change, variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide and the reaction of Earth's biosphere. An international team led by scientists from the Goethe University and the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt, Germany, has discovered an intense warming phase around 52 million years ago in drill cores obtained from the seafloor near Antarctica-a region that is especially important in climate research Share This: 95 The study published in the journal Nature shows that tropical vegetation, including palms and relatives of today's tropical Baobab trees, was growing on the coast of Antarctica 52 million years ago. These results highlight the extreme contrast between modern and past climatic conditions on Antarctica and the extent of global warmth during periods of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Around 52 million years ago, the concentration of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere was more than twice as high as today. "If the current CO, emissions continue unabated due to the burning of fossil fuels, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, as they existed in the distant past, are likely to be achieved within a few hundred years" explains Prof. Jörg Pross, a paleoclimatologist at the Goethe University and member of the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) in Frankfurt, Germany. "By studying naturally occurring climate warming periods in the geological past, our knowledge of the mechanisms and processes in the climate system increases. This co ntributes enormously to improving our understanding of current human-induced global warming." Computer models indicate that future climate warming will be particularly pronounced in high-latitude regions, 1.e., near the poles. Until now, however, it has been unclear how Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems responded in the geological past to a

Explanation / Answer

1) It is given that the predicted rice in the Global temperature in the coming decades has been greatly increased the climate scientist are particularly interested in one period that occurred in the geological past the variation in the temperature is caused due to the changes and the atmospheric gas concentration and releasing of some pollutant components in the atmosphere .the following components are carbon dioxide and the reactions of atmosphere gases.an International team lead by scientist from the geothe university and the biodiversity and climate research centre and Frankfurt has discovered and intense warming phase around 52 millions years ago and its core is obtained from the Sea floor near Antarctica. this is a region that is especially important and climatic researches.
Evolution general nature shows that tropical vegetation including palm and relatives of today's tropical baobab tree was growing on the coast of Antarctica 52 millions years ago. this result in highlight the extreme contrast between modern and past climatic conditions on Antarctica and the extent of global warming during periods of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide level. the greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was more than twice as high as today if the CO2 emissions contineuous unbated due to the burning of fossil fuels concentration in the atmosphere as the excited in distant past allowed to be achieved within a few hundred years.

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2) no the climatic conditions were not same as that of today. it is because to the fact that in the years which were 52 millions years ago the climatic and the phases of extreme temperature follows a unbated pattern of rise and the falls. this means they dont possed the constant climatic conditions and due to this the changes takes place in the biodiversity of the earth. from that time to the present time which is about 52 millions years the situation changed too much but at a slow rates and due to which we see it as constant. but before 52 millions years ago the climatic chnages takes placed abruptly and responsible for developement as well as destructions of the earth's ecosystem and it's biodiversity.

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3) as we have already described this above that the changes take place abruptly at the time of 52 millions years ago but since it have been a very long period of time which is 52 millions years ago. the thing gone changed gradually and slowly not sudden and the dramatic event could takes place there. the biodiversity of the earth is thus have greatly influnce by the gradual rates and not by sudden effect. this made a lot changes. the all the continents were a single land mass but now it got divided into the 7 continents. this all happens due to chnages of climatic and the weathering conditions of the earth elements and the atmospheric compositions variations.

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