Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: Milestones in Climate Science columbia.edu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from columbia.edu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Zealandia Switch : Missing Link in Big Natural Climate Shifts?
The Southern Hemisphere may be the missing link in answering longstanding questions about how ice ages wax and wane, according to a new study. There, say researchers, complex interactions among the westerly wind system, the Southern Ocean and the tropical Pacific can trigger rapid global changes in atmospheric temperature. The mechanism, dubbed the Zealandia Switch, relates to the position of the Southern Hemisphere westerly wind belt the strongest wind system on Earth and the continental masses of the southwest Pacific Ocean around New Zealand. The researchers suggest it could again play a role, though not necessarily a predictable one, as humans push the planet into a warmer state.
Environmental News Network - Zealandia Switch May Be the Missing Link in Understanding Ice Age Climates enn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from enn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Science Daily, Stuff, Eurasia Review, The Earth Institute, Phys.org and Futura reported that a study led by George Denton, Libra Professor in the University of Maine School of Earth and Climate Sciences, and Aaron Putnam, assistant professor, suggests that ice age climate change may be driven by the westerly winds of the Southern Hemisphere which facilitate the release of energy from tropical ocean waters.
Share this:
The Zealandia Switch : Missing Link in Big Natural Climate Shifts? | Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory columbia.edu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from columbia.edu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.