John Fernbach wrote: > Maybe I should just address this question to Michael and not to the > Global Change Group, even though Michael moderates the group ... but > as a somewhat bright lay person, but as a layperson rather than a > climate scientist, I don't understand the big deal about > distinguishing between the THC* and the Gulf Stream. > I confess I've sometimes confused the two in discussing the risks of > climate change. Why is it important to distinguish between the THC > and the Gulf Stream, and why does a shutdown in one not imply a > shutdown in the other? I'd love a reply either online or by email. > - John Fernbach
The THC is a physical mechanism. The Gulf Stream is an ocean current, whose existence results from more processes than the THC. It's the western boundary current of the North Atlantic large-scale gyre, which is in large part wind-driven. Here's a nice primer: http://sam.ucsd.edu/sio210/lect_5/lecture_5.html Ray --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Global Change ("globalchange") newsgroup. Global Change is a public, moderated venue for discussion of science, technology, economics and policy dimensions of global environmental change. Posts will be admitted to the list if and only if any moderator finds the submission to be constructive and/or interesting, on topic, and not gratuitously rude. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/globalchange -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
