To link into the environmental thread, the earth's system of ocean currents is apparently run by a block of ice sticking out the southern tip of Greenland called Odin's tongue. This is melting at a dramatic rate. If it disappears and causes the earths system of ocean currents to break down...no gulf stream and icebergs in Hoy Sound. Robert PS This is from a memory of something I read ages ago, so if you actually know something about the subject and I'm talking rubbish, then please let me know. On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 19:42:16 -0000, "Mike Clouston" wrote: > > KJEMEM@aol.com wrote: > > > The other mystery of the world I've been trying to solve today, is why is > > it 24º F, which I think is about -5ºC, at 10:30am in Memphis, while at > > 10:30 > > this morning in Kirkwall it was said to be 43ºF/6ºC???? > > > > Stay warm all, wherever you are. > > > > Karen > > > > For that phenomenon we are all grateful to the North Atlantic Drift, a > branch of the Gulf Stream that brings warm water all the way from the > Caribbean to the north of Norway, keeping our winters comparatively mild and > our coasts free of ice. It is worthwhile reminding ourselves that Orkney is > on the same latitude as the north of Labrador, and Shetland some 60 miles > further north is on the same latitude as the southern tip of Greenland but > our weather is entirely different, and it is all due to the warm currents > coming up from the Caribbean. > -- > Mike Clouston >

You may well be right, Robert, according to several articles in Science Daily. If the warming trend is strong enough and susstained long enough, there is a real possibility Orkney could freeze and not just in centuries, but in decades. Of course onecould say taht the loss of land due to the rise in sea level may be ofset by ice mass, but hardly a likable trade. North America could be covered in ice also, which, I guess would be a sort of poetic justice. Kathy --- robert@scarth.net wrote: > To link into the environmental thread, the earth's > system of ocean currents > is apparently run by a block of ice sticking out the > southern tip of > Greenland called Odin's tongue. This is melting at a > dramatic rate. If it > disappears and causes the earths system of ocean > currents to break > down...no gulf stream and icebergs in Hoy Sound. > > Robert > > PS This is from a memory of something I read ages > ago, so if you actually > know something about the subject and I'm talking > rubbish, then please let > me know. > > > On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 19:42:16 -0000, "Mike Clouston" > wrote: > > > > > KJEMEM@aol.com wrote: > > > > > The other mystery of the world I've been trying > to solve today, is why > is > > > it 24� F, which I think is about -5�C, at > 10:30am in Memphis, while at > > > 10:30 > > > this morning in Kirkwall it was said to be > 43�F/6�C???? > > > > > > Stay warm all, wherever you are. > > > > > > Karen > > > > > > > For that phenomenon we are all grateful to the > North Atlantic Drift, a > > branch of the Gulf Stream that brings warm water > all the way from the > > Caribbean to the north of Norway, keeping our > winters comparatively mild > and > > our coasts free of ice. It is worthwhile reminding > ourselves that Orkney > is > > on the same latitude as the north of Labrador, and > Shetland some 60 miles > > further north is on the same latitude as the > southern tip of Greenland but > > our weather is entirely different, and it is all > due to the warm currents > > coming up from the Caribbean. > > -- > > Mike Clouston > > > > > ==== ORCADIA Mailing List ==== > To unsubscribe from the Orcadia mailing list, send > an e-mail with the word > 'unsubscribe' in the message body to > orcadia-l-request@rootsweb.com > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus