Is this one of the "snowball earth" periods? I find ancient earth history absolutely fascinating - we're constantly learning more about ourselves and our origins and it continues to make me marvel...
Is this one of the "snowball earth" periods?
I find ancient earth history absolutely fascinating - we're constantly learning more about ourselves and our origins and it continues to make me marvel at how extraordinary our existence is, and how singularly fortunate I am to get to experience this moment in cosmic time.
I know we're likely not unique to this universe, but does that truly matter at our own, human scale of things?
Side note - if there's any good ancient earth YouTube videos I can dive into, I'd love to see them!
Nah, the most common times when the Earth may have been in a snowball state are some hundred(s) of millions of years earlier, but it's worth noting there's still a fair amount of dispute as to...
Nah, the most common times when the Earth may have been in a snowball state are some hundred(s) of millions of years earlier, but it's worth noting there's still a fair amount of dispute as to whether Earth ever fully hit snowball.
This does line up with the second largest mass extinction event though.
Time to advertise my favourite YouTube creator: History of the Earth Personally I may enjoy History of the Universe slightly more.. both are excellent though. Also see History of Humankind!
Around 466 million years ago, during a period known as the Ordovician, Earth was pummeled by an unusually high number of meteorites. The evidence is scattered across the globe in the form of impact craters and layers of debris, most of which are curiously concentrated near the equator. This anomaly has long puzzled scientists.
In a recent paper published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, a research team, led by Professor Andy Tomkins from Monash University, proposed an intriguing explanation: Earth may briefly have resembled Saturn. Earth could have had its own ring system.
[..]
The researchers speculate that the ring may have acted like a giant sunshade, blocking sunlight and causing a gradual cooling effect. This would have lowered temperatures, possibly triggering or contributing to the ice age.
“While we can’t say for certain that the ring caused the ice age, the timing and the evidence are intriguing,” said Professor Tomkins. “It’s a hypothesis that deserves further investigation.”
If the ring could cause an ice period, would there be a way to figure out how to use that knowledge to find a way to shade the earth/cool it off and counter climate change? I mean I am guessing...
If the ring could cause an ice period, would there be a way to figure out how to use that knowledge to find a way to shade the earth/cool it off and counter climate change? I mean I am guessing the problem would be both being able to get enough in space (and do we have the resources to bring that much) to have an effect and also if you can get a small amount to stay around earth that doesn't over do it to the point of just creating the opposite problem and having the earth go too cool. I'm guessing the latter problem is easier overcome by figuring out the math/physics of what exactly you'd need to get the temps you want than the problem of being able to get enough material and enough fuel/resources to get it there to actually have an effect.
Yes, this is a “working” theory in geo-engineering. Proposed ideas include: Spreading a salt- or acid-based material into basically the cloud layer so as to block more sunlight (stratospheric...
The issues for these, as far as I know from my limited reading, are mostly:
The scale at which one would have to operate for any of those approaches to be effective.
The “unknowns” in terms of consequences, in part because of the point above. What if you “overshot” while deploying something non-robotic (non-steerable) into the atmosphere and cause a global ice age with basically no more natural-growing crops, for example?
The “unknowns” in terms of consequences, in part because of the point above. What if you “overshot” while deploying something non-robotic (non-steerable) into the atmosphere and cause a global ice age with basically no more natural-growing crops, for example?
The plot of Highlander 2 is that they are aliens and that Highlander 2 never happened. A better comparison is that is the plot of Snowpiercer. Source: My real name is Macleod, and I was named...
The plot of Highlander 2 is that they are aliens and that Highlander 2 never happened. A better comparison is that is the plot of Snowpiercer.
Source: My real name is Macleod, and I was named after Connor Macleod.
Is this one of the "snowball earth" periods?
I find ancient earth history absolutely fascinating - we're constantly learning more about ourselves and our origins and it continues to make me marvel at how extraordinary our existence is, and how singularly fortunate I am to get to experience this moment in cosmic time.
I know we're likely not unique to this universe, but does that truly matter at our own, human scale of things?
Side note - if there's any good ancient earth YouTube videos I can dive into, I'd love to see them!
Nah, the most common times when the Earth may have been in a snowball state are some hundred(s) of millions of years earlier, but it's worth noting there's still a fair amount of dispute as to whether Earth ever fully hit snowball.
This does line up with the second largest mass extinction event though.
Time to advertise my favourite YouTube creator:
History of the Earth
Personally I may enjoy History of the Universe slightly more.. both are excellent though. Also see History of Humankind!
If the ring could cause an ice period, would there be a way to figure out how to use that knowledge to find a way to shade the earth/cool it off and counter climate change? I mean I am guessing the problem would be both being able to get enough in space (and do we have the resources to bring that much) to have an effect and also if you can get a small amount to stay around earth that doesn't over do it to the point of just creating the opposite problem and having the earth go too cool. I'm guessing the latter problem is easier overcome by figuring out the math/physics of what exactly you'd need to get the temps you want than the problem of being able to get enough material and enough fuel/resources to get it there to actually have an effect.
As I understand it, some very wealthy people have been experimenting with this technology, though it's highly localized.
Yes, this is a “working” theory in geo-engineering.
Proposed ideas include:
The issues for these, as far as I know from my limited reading, are mostly:
Fortunately(?) we can always trade in overaggressive solar mirrors for a kessler cascade.
That is the plot of Highlander 2.
The plot of Highlander 2 is that they are aliens and that Highlander 2 never happened. A better comparison is that is the plot of Snowpiercer.
Source: My real name is Macleod, and I was named after Connor Macleod.
Anyone who knows this must always end up making the same joke, cause yknow.... There can only be one (joke, that is).