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Friday, February 17, 2012

Large Belt That Threatened to Stop

Extreme weather currently sweeping most parts of the world. In mainland Europe reported the temperature dropped to minus 38 degrees Celsius and the lowest in six years.

Ukraine is the country most affected by extreme weather, the last death toll reached over 131 people described as hypothermia and at least 250 people experienced the same in all parts of Europe. Similarly, Japan, Asia's northernmost state is also mentioned at least 50 people were killed by the snow storm that hit the country and over 600 injured residents.

What happened in Europe and Asia recalls the sci-fi film a few years ago playing in theaters, "The Day After Tomorrow". The film tells an atmosphere that occurred prior to "the earth stopped breathing." Confused birds fly because their migration path loss, extreme wind and snow storms causing destruction in the various joints of human life in the world.

What is feared inhabitants of the earth because he saw some signs of extreme weather events, it becomes an interesting subject of conversation experts. In fact, an important issue that most anticipated the public debate United States presidential election.

Experts believe the phenomenon of climate change in Earth's dramatic weather-related disruption in the global circulation of currents called the great ocean conveyor belt, a belt that regulate Earth's temperature to remain stable. If there is no belt, the air temperature in various parts of the world will have the same value according to latitude.
The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt. (Picture from: http://www.wunderground.com/)

These currents are driven by a belt thermohaline circulation (thermo = temperature; haline = salinity), the movement of water masses due to differences in bulk density is influenced by temperature and water salinity between waters with other waters. As it is known that the earth receives heat from the sun's intensity is dependent on latitude and land distribution. Tropical region is the largest recipient of solar energy into the warm water mass formation and more salty, while the ocean would store solar thermal energy much longer than the mainland. Character arising from this process is the mass density difference of water between the ocean and the other sea areas.

In the tropical Atlantic Ocean, the high intensity of sunlight throughout the year and evaporate some water, stir the mass of ocean water becomes warmer and more salty. Water mass is then moved west to the east coast of the United States, turned northeast toward Europe has established a strong current of the bay called the Gulf Stream.

Warm, salty Atlantic water mass inaugurates warm tropical atmosphere over the North Atlantic region (approximately-Norwegian waters) which is cool. As a result, heat loss is the mass of water it contains is absorbed from the atmosphere above it, becoming colder and the density increases. This water mass then sinks to the bottom of the ocean and move south. Therefore, this place is known as the "Suppliers of Heat into the Atmosphere" and as "the formation of water masses in the region."

Water masses in the North Atlantic current flowing eastward into the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans. In the ocean, the mass of moving water to the surface and back again to the Atlantic into the source of the mass of warm surface water and more salt in the water mass formation in the North Atlantic.

This process can be imagined as well as fountain pumps that spray water and then pump it back to be a source of water. This sirkluasi pattern of current flow to form a series of uninterrupted called the great ocean conveyor belt. It took approximately 1,000 years to make one complete circuit of this water mass back into place.

Belt of the current series is that during these extreme conditions to keep the earth from the earth's climate, distribute heat (thermal energy) from the region of high concentration to low concentration regions other, maintaining the temperature of the earth to keep it comfortable for human life.

Meteorological and marine experts believe that the causes of climate change as a result of this sudden disruption in the flow equilibrium of this system. As part of the large current flow, the meridional overtuning circulation (MOC) is touted as the beginning of the occurrence of extreme weather phenomena.

The scenario mentioned, the MOC to supply heat in an enormous amount to the north, maintaining a temperature stability of the North Atlantic region, and most of mainland Europe to keep warm until the temperature is higher than 5 degrees Celsius, especially during the winter.

Now, is the equilibrium shocks due to changes in ocean-atmosphere system equilibrium (ocean-atmosphere coupling) due to global warming that drives change in the stability of ocean currents and changes in wind trajectories in the atmosphere. Various studies of the North Atlantic seabed sediments show the MOC system have been repeatedly stopped and woke up again in different times, have in common with the events of extreme climate change that was detected in traces of ancient ice sheets in Greenland.

In the North Atlantic region, where the formation of water masses in, the melting of Arctic ice continent due to global warming affects the amount of heat released into the atmosphere, plus the supply of fresh water supply make the formation of ice that melts in the water mass becomes disturbed. Mass density of water resources in a more mild and the water mass is not capable of sinking due to the increasing density of light.

We recall that the mass of water with specific gravity (density) is higher if it will sink in water mass environment which kind lighter weight. When the intensity of this dilution are constantly up to the conditions do not exist in the water mass is formed, the MOC system will stop. Gulf Stream currents that maintain the stability during these warmer temperatures on Earth would cease and the earth will return to the ice age.

These signs are now in sight. With extreme weather temperatures, strengthening the intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones and crop failures led to the global food crisis. Thawing of polar ice sheets will continue to increase the supply of fresh water in the ocean currents disturb the equilibrium of the circulatory system until the end "of the earth's temperature regulator" is to stop working. What has been portrayed in the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" is a concern worthy of all the inhabitants of the earth today.

Global warming has made the rhythms of climate and weather changes drastically, as well as other impacts. If the rivers in the tropics overflowed causing flooding, in the subtropical region of the river discharge is decreasing due to reduced rainfall. The result is very clear, that the threat of a water crisis. *** [GENTIO HARSONO | PIKIRAN RAKYAT 16022012]
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