[Coral-List] Climate talks in the 1970s

[Alan Strong]

It was more likely to be a discussion about the next ice ager that some 
claimed was "not that far off"....with Ewing & Donn's theory of shifting 
circulations in the N. Atlantic that would set the stage for an open 
Arctic = more clouds and snows = glaciers advancing south, etc.  If I 
remember correctly it was an effort called CLIMAP under IDOE that began 
at Brown & Cornell [??] that got folks to make better use of developing 
computer power [e.g. finally accepting the ocean as more than just a 
"swamp"!] to extend our understanding of all the relationships/feedbacks 
of both the atmosphere and the oceans that eventually overcame those 
concerned about cooling and began other examinations that led us to 
understanding what Keeling's results of increasing CO2 was going to do....

Cheers,
Al


"emeritus Professor"

Pam Hallock-Muller wrote:
> Ben:
>
>  From this old scientist's perspective, you are absolutely right.  I was 
> a graduate student in the early-middle1970s and though we were 
> discussing the "new" theory of plate tectonics (my undergrad geology 
> professors were still at the polar wandering stage), ecological 
> energetics, island biogeography, Acanthaster outbreaks, emerging 
> understanding of El Nino as a global phenomenon, and the environmental 
> disaster that could be unleashed by a sea level Panama Canal, I only 
> vaguely recall some mention of global cooling.  Actually, I don't recall 
> it being discussed then nearly as much as I have heard it discussed 
> recently.
>
> I wasn't much of a television watcher then (or now for that matter).  
> However, our grad student groups were always discussing things over a 
> brew (or other conversation enhancers), and I don't recall global 
> cooling ever being a conversation topic.
>
> Pamela Hallock Muller, Ph.D., Professor
> College of Marine Science
> University of South Florida
> 140 Seventh Ave. S.
> St.Petersburg, FL 33701-5016
> Phone: 727-553-1567
> FAX: 727-553-1189
> e-mail: pmuller at marine.usf.edu
> Website: http://www.marine.usf.edu/reefslab
>
>
> Ben Richards wrote:
>   
>> To answer a subsequent question raised by Dr. Shinn's YouTube videos, I would be interested to hear from "older" coral-listers if the level of scientific consensus on global cooling in the 1970s was anywhere near the current level of consensus on climate change?  The YouTube videos of History channel retrospectives on Discovery Channel-style TV shows from the 1970s are interesting, but certainly do not carry as much weight as a similar body of peer-reviewed papers in reputable journals.  My impression, though it may be false, is that the ice-age predictions of the 1970s did not have nearly the level of scientific backing as do current hypotheses?  Am I correct?
>>
>>
>> ~ben
>>
>> <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
>> Benjamin L. Richards
>> Graduate Student
>> Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
>> 46-007 Lilipuna Rd
>> Kaneohe, HI 96744
>>
>> work: (808) 236-7440
>> cell: (808) 782-1734
>> fax: (808) 236-7443
>>
>> email: br at hawaii.edu
>> AIM: reefben
>>
>> http://www.hawaii.edu/HIMB/welcome.html
>> 								               
>>
>> "Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought."  
>> 				- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi -
>>
>>
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>>   
>>     
>
>   

-- 
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Alan E. Strong, Ph.D.  
NOAA Coral Reef Watch, Consultant  
Strong Research, Inc. & AJH Environmental Services  
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  
NOAA Coral Reef Watch Program  
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