Disprove Global Warming!!!

[Inka4040]

The Sahara desert was once rain forest, and during the time of man

Just cause Timmy's mom buys him two candies...

The sahara is still growing, even to this day. Who knows exactly how much involvement man in that area too. Care to elaborate on your point, cuz I don't really see it.

 

[Draal5]

You are joking! right man is responsible for the deserts of the world

 

[Wycco]

Man is absolutely responsible for the growth of the Sahara desert- and many other deserts!!!!!!!!!!! Even if you discount global climate change.

To me it seems more and more that those who discount man's impact on the environment seem to get their "science" from political sources instead of scientific sources.

Deforestation- and changing existing land land into pastoral grazing land has led to errosion of soil surfaces and the eventual spread of desert like conditions all over the world. The same thing is happening in the Amazon. Where there are fewer trees there is now less rain and bad errosion problems. The Amazon has a very thin layer of fertile soil (which incidentally makes it bad for sustained farming- which is why it is being cut primarily). Errosion and lack of surrounding rain forest causes an area to quick become unfertile and barren.

With errosion comes a lack of plants that will grow. With a lack of plants comes lack of water retention and a lack of humidity.

It is very likely by the end of the century there will be desert in part of the area that was until recently the Amazon rain forest.

 

[Que]

Man is absolutely responsible for the growth of the Sahara desert- and many other deserts!!!!!!!!!!! Even if you discount global climate change.

To me it seems more and more that those who discount man's impact on the environment seem to get their "science" from political sources instead of scientific sources.

Deforestation- and changing existing land land into pastoral grazing land has led to errosion of soil surfaces and the eventual spread of desert like conditions all over the world. The same thing is happening in the Amazon. Where there are fewer trees there is now less rain and bad errosion problems. The Amazon has a very thin layer of fertile soil (which incidentally makes it bad for sustained farming- which is why it is being cut primarily). Errosion and lack of surrounding rain forest causes an area to quick become unfertile and barren.

With errosion comes a lack of plants that will grow. With a lack of plants comes lack of water retention and a lack of humidity.

It is very likely by the end of the century there will be desert in part of the area that was until recently the Amazon rain forest.

What are your sources for the above?

Q

 

[Wycco]

Which part?

Overgrazing as a major cause of desertification, and conversion of land in to pastoral land should be something everyone learns in middle school geography!

I'm sure if you google "human causes of desertification" you'll find hundreds of sources. It's rather common knowledge.


There have been a number of articles in various pop-science magazines in recent months check out Sci-Am, Discover, etc as to the ability of rain forests to draw in water and moisture and maintain atmospheric conditions- sorry I'm not going to go to a library and look up issue numbers for you.

Even in places like Chilie that has very low rainfall there are pockets of temperate rainforest that despite much of Chilie getting little to no rainfall each year- the plants in these systems are able to "concentrate water" within these ecosystems and keep the water retained and reused with the eco system.

As these mini rainforests have been cut down, the land has returned to arid conditions and even after human interference has ended have not returned to rainforest conditions.

 

[Que]

Man is absolutely responsible for the growth of the Sahara desert- and many other deserts!!!!!!!!!!! Even if you discount global climate change.

Do you have any sources for this one specifically? Sorry if I was too general in my last post.

The reason I ask is because from what I have read just today is that the Sahara is a widely changing desert. Between the 1980s and the 1990s the Sahara grew, shrank and then grew again. Even if one blade of grass is removed by a human from the Sahara one could say the Sahara grew because of man. What I would like to know from you is what is a significant amount of growth of the Sahara desert (percentage) in your opinion. I would also like to know how one figures out just how much is caused by man.

Q

 

[Wycco]

I would absolutely not say that man alone is responsible for deserts being formed and expanded! And indeed deserts grow and shrink naturally.

From what I recall of history- wasn't one of Egypt's dynasties presiding over a period of time when the North African deserts became quite lush? (or am I remembering history that didn't happen).

What I would like to know from you is what is a significant amount of growth of the Sahara desert (percentage) in your opinion. I would also like to know how one figures out just how much is caused by man.

I have absolutely no clue what percent is caused by man- and I don't know how one could quantify this. I suspect mankind has a very large part to play- but guessing a percentage- would be just that a guess.

We put millions of animals on an ecosystem that is already stressed by lack of rain- Cut down trees and shrubs that help prevent errosion and trap moisture. I don't know how that can do anything but serious harm.

Incidentally- I've read they are trying to reverse desertification by planting drought tolerant trees and that in areas it has been tested it seems to help.




Anyhow a quick google on "desertification", "sahara" and "grazing" came up with this:

http://alliance.la.asu.edu/model/geoliteracyCD/LessonFiles/Stout/StoutDesertArticle.pdf

Overgrazing
occurs when nomadic herders allow too many animals to graze
on the land for an extended period of time. This causes the
natural grasses to die out. Without plant life, there is nothing left
to hold down the precious topsoil, the layer of nutrient-rich soil
that enables plants to grow. Dry winds then blow away the
naked topsoil and sand from the Sahara’s fringes overtakes the
land. This “spreading of deserts” into once productive grasslands
is called desertification and it is occurring at an alarming rate in
the Sahel.
Grazing livestock also pose another problem for the Sahel. As nomadic herders travel from place to
place with their livestock, the animals’ hooves pound and compact the soil, making it more difficult for
water to percolate down to the plants’ roots. In addition, the herds trample and kill the grass. Without
plant life, the topsoil is exposed to the natural elements of wind and rain. Thus erosion occurs, degrading
yet another patch of the Sahel to barren rock or sheets of sand.
Droughts alone do not cause desertification. It is natural that some semi-arid regions, like the Sahel,
may experience long periods of time without adequate rain. In fact, well-managed lands can recover
from drought when the rains return. However the needs of an increased population, combined with land
abuse practices (such as cutting down trees and shrubs for fuel), does contribute to desertification,
especially in drought-stricken areas. The Sahel of West Africa has suffered from drought since 1968.
By 1973, the drought and poor land-use practices resulted in the deaths of 100,000 people and 12
million cattle, the loss of farmland, and the disruption of millions of lives. It was the combination of
drought, overgrazing, and poor land management that resulted in this disaster. Although the
environmental plight of the Sahel has received a lot of publicity, the desertification process is occurring
on almost every continent. Often the desertification process has advanced too far to prevent some of the​

destructive cause and effect sequences, but there are some remedies to reverse the trend of advancing

I'm sure there are many more such articles/papers out there.

 

[Star_Rider]

well ya, but this threads about global warming, not space rocks

yup , you are right...
space rocks would cause global cooling..which, depending on the theory global warming does too????

oh wait.. it's theory



personally I think we all are just biding time on this rock we call earth.


global warming, it's theories and facts are all just a blip in the history of Earth.

:evil_lol:

 

[hydrophyte]

i was under the impression that since global warming involved the physical properties of matter it is in fact a political issue. i am lead to believe that it has to do with the physical properties of matter because scientists with devices that are called thermometers, used to measure temperature, have documented gradual rises in mean annual temperature all over the globe, which in turn conform to the established explanations of warming triggered by human-caused changes in composition of atmospheric gasses.

so, doesn't this thread violate the forum rule about thread topics such as inertia, gravitational attraction, and electromagnetism, which are political in nature?

 

[jpappy789]

I would hardly call the definition of political as anything dealing with "physical properties of matter," at least that is not the conventional use of the world.