Climate Science You Should Know

By John Clark Matthews

Yes, the climate is changing. With all of the concern about climate change, it’s surprising how few know even basic weather science.

Climate is influenced by many factors – not just greenhouse gases. The current climate narrative completely ignores the amazing web of influences that determine our climate.

Below, facts you never knew you didn’t know – and should know.

When in geological history did Earth start having ice caps?

Through most of Earth’s geologic history, the planet was too warm for polar caps. About 50 million years ago, Earth began to cool. Starting about 34 million years ago, ice caps began to build on the poles.

Considering Earth is 4.54 billion years old, in geologic time, ice caps have only been around for an extremely short period of time. [1]

What geologic period are we in?

Currently we are in the Quaternary Period which is broken into two different epochs:

* The Pleistocene Epoch - 2.5 million years ago to 11,700 years ago. This period is known for its cyclical ice ages.

* The Holocene Epoch - 12,000 years ago to the present day. During this recent period the glaciers have retreated, and the planet has seen a relatively stable and warm climate.

We are at the tail end of an ice age where glaciers melt, and it gets warmer. We are living in what’s technically called an “interglacial period”. [2]

Something strange is happening

Late in 2006, there was a dramatic spike in methane, but there was no dramatic shift in human activity to blame. Scientists are scratching their heads about what is happening. One thing for certain, it looks like a big, new methane source has turned on.

Historically, sudden increases in methane, released by natural cycles, have triggered Ice Age Termination Events. These events happen about every 100,000 years. The last termination event happened 12,000 years ago at the start of the Holocene Epoch (and the current Interglacial Period).

So why is this happening so soon? Scientists are not sure what’s happening. [3]

Why is this situation never mentioned when atmospheric gains in methane are sited?

What causes ice age cycles?

About a century ago, a Serbian scientist, Milutin Milankovitch, hypothesized how the predictable, periodic changes in Earth’s orbit and axial tilt could influence the planet’s climate over long periods of time. [4]

The Milankovitch Cycles have three cycles

eccentricity orbit milankovitch — Eccentricity:
*How the Earth*
*orbits*
*the Sun*

Over time, the pull of gravity from planets in our solar system causes the shape of Earth’s orbit to vary from nearly circular to slightly elliptical. These variations affect the distance between Earth and the Sun - and how much solar radiation reaches this planet. This, of course, causes warming and cooling of the planet.

Currently, Earth’s eccentricity is slowly decreasing and is approaching its least elliptic (most circular) orbit. This cycle spans about 100,000 years.

This is why there is an ice age roughly every 100,000 years.

obliquity axis milankovitch — Obliquity:
*How the angle of Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted*

During the Milankovitch Cycles, the Earth’s axis tilt varies from 22.1° to 24.5°. It takes about 41,000 years to complete a full cycle.

When the tilt is at its maximum, a larger polar region is exposed to more solar radiation during the summer which leads to more rapid melting of the ice sheets. These maximum tilts have a huge amount of correlation with the start of Ice Age Termination events.

Important fact: currently, the axial tilt is decreasing from its maximum value – which has more polar ice melting - towards the lower end of the range, which should reduce the amount of melting of the ice caps.

At this time in the Milankovitch Cycles - even if there wasn’t a single human on this planet - the ice caps would now be melting.

precession earth wobble — Precession:
*How Earth’s axis of rotation wobbles*

As Earth rotates, it wobbles slightly upon its rotational axis. This wobble is due to tidal forces caused by the gravitational influences of the Sun and Moon that cause Earth to bulge at the equator. This affects the planet’s rotation. This precession wobble cycle spans about 25,000 years.

This axial wobble makes seasonal contrasts more extreme in one hemisphere and less extreme in the other.

The Milankovitch Cycles have a huge impact on the variations of Earth’s climate as they affect the distribution of solar radiation received on the planet’s surface.

There are even more factors that influence our climate.

Solar cycles and climate change

Our Sun is a huge ball of electrically charged hot gas with a powerful magnetic field. Approximately every 11 years, this magnetic field goes through a cycle where it flips. This is called a Solar Cycle. [5]

solar maximum + minimum — Source: NASA/SDO

During these cycles, solar activity creates sunspots which are magnetic disturbances. During the cycle’s Maximum, there are many sunspots. During the cycle’s Minimum, there are very few if any sunspots.

How solar cycles affect Earth’s climate is a complicated subject. Different scientists have different opinions about how this happens.

Solar Minimums, with unusually low sunspot activity, correlate to unusually cold climatic events

One example: from 1650 to 1710 temperatures across much of the Northern Hemisphere plunged when the Sun entered a very quiet phase now called the “Maunder Minimum”. During this period, there is evidence that sunspot activity was virtually absent for about 70 years. This colder-than-average period is called the “Little Ice Age”. [6]

Historical records show that growing seasons became shorter, the number of snowy days increased, and the ground froze to several feet. Sea ports were blocked by ice for about 20 miles out to sea. Crops failed leading to mass famine. Humans suffered greatly during this extended cold period.

Solar Cycle 24, the Sun’s previous cycle, had the lowest sunspot count in over 100 years. At first, scientists feared that this cycle might bring on an event similar to the Maunder Minimum which would have caused the death of millions by starvation. Luckily this didn’t happen.

However, some scientists think there could be a Grand Solar Minimum similar to the Maunder Minimum by 2053. [7]

How ironic: we could have an “Ice Age Termination Event” or we could have a “Little Ice Age”.

What effect do clouds have on our climate?

cloud albedo NASA — Stratocumulus clouds - NASA

Nobel laureate, John Clauser, has some revealing thoughts about clouds and climate change. [8]

Prominent climate reports emphasize the role of CO2 but completely ignore the critical role of clouds in the climate system, according to Mr. Clauser.

His curiosity about clouds began when he was a sailboat racer. He noticed that the output of his solar panels dropped by 50% every time he sailed under a cloud – and when he came out from under the cloud the power instantly went back up.

He quickly realized that cloud cover has a profound effect on Earth’s heat input. Clouds are reflecting a massive amount of light back out into space. He also found out that previous research done on clouds was very weak and that clouds were not well understood.

Virtually all of the current climate studies focused on the effects of human-produced CO2, but these models completely ignore the significance of cloud dynamics.

Earth’s natural thermostat

Clouds play a significant role in regulating the Earth’s temperature, serving as a “cloud-sunlight-reflectivity thermostat” that stabilizes the climate and temperature of the Earth, according to Mr. Clauser.

All clouds appear bright white when viewed from the direction of the sun. They reflect around 80 to 90 percent of incoming sunlight. The reflectivity fraction is referred to as “albedo”. This albedo effect has been completely ignored in the various climate studies.

Oceans make up two-thirds of the Earth's surface and are instrumental in cloud formation.

Minimal clouds result in heightened sunlight exposure to the ocean, triggering increased evaporation resulting in more clouds.

Abundant clouds reduce the sunlight and create cooling, thus curbing evaporation rates and resulting in fewer clouds. The cycles shift back and forth between more sunlight exposure and then less.

This balance acts like a natural thermostat for the Earth’s temperature.

Mr. Clauser contends that this “thermostat” mechanism has a vastly greater influence on Earth’s temperature than the effect of CO2 or methane. He finds it baffling that these significant variations produced by cloud cover have been completely overlooked in climate change research.

“You can’t have weather without having clouds.”

Do volcanoes affect Earth’s climate?

volcano climate change — Three-Shots - Pixabay

Surprisingly, according to the USGS (United States Geological Survey), there are 1,350 active volcanoes on Earth at this time. There are typically 40-50 continuing eruptions.

According to the USGS, volcanoes release between 180 to 440 million tons of CO2 a year. [9]

Iceland’s Eyjafjoell volcano is currently emitting between 150,000 and 300,000 tons per day – a figure placing this single volcano in the same emissions league as a small-to-medium European economy.

Because of the current climate change narrative and the biases associated with it, it is difficult to determine how much currently active volcanoes are affecting our climate.

Below, one historical example of a volcano having a very dramatic effect on climate:

In 1816, Mount Tambora a volcano in Indonesia, exploded - causing the largest volcanic explosion in recorded history. This volcano spewed 24 cubic miles of CO2, sulfur dioxide, dust, and rock into the atmosphere blocking the Sun from view. It is believed this cooled Earth’s temperature by nearly 5.4°F.

This eruption has been linked to a three-year-long weather disaster across the globe. Crops failed due to cold weather and limited sunlight. The eruption brought drought, famine, and very cold weather to many regions.

Volcanoes can most certainly affect climate.

How much CO2 is in our atmosphere?

Currently, CO2 is about 0.04%. At the start of the Industrial Revolution, it was at 0.03%, which means CO2 has risen a little more than 1/100th of one percent since the preindustrial era. [10]

We constantly see this warning:

This 50% translates to a little over 1/100th of one percent.

Another fact: it wasn’t until 1958 when David Keeling of Scripps Institution of Oceanography initiated monitoring CO2. [11]

So how did they determine the CO2 levels going back to the start of the Industrial Revolution (around 1750)?

CO2 levels are approximated by studying ice core samples, corals, tree rings, ancient pollen, and sediment deposits.

This technique works okay when dealing with general conditions millions or billions of years ago, but it’s not very accurate if you’re spouting numbers down to hundredths of a decimal. Also, there should be plus-minus numbers for margin of error.

CO2 is not a poison - plants need CO2 to live – just like humans need oxygen. Over most of Earth’s known climate history, CO2 levels have been approximately four to sixteen times higher than now. [12]

Without CO2, there would not be life on Earth, simply because there wouldn’t be any plants. Nor would there be animals which require the oxygen released by plants during photosynthesis.

Without greenhouse gases like CO2, our planet would be too cold to support life. For instance, Mars has no atmosphere, and consequently the average temperature is negative 64 degrees Fahrenheit.

carboniferous CO2 levels — Alan Frijns - Pixabay

Interesting fact: Currently our CO2 levels are 419 ppm (parts per million).

During the Early Carboniferous period, global atmospheric CO2 levels were around 1,500 ppm. By the Middle Carboniferous period, carbon dioxide levels decreased to 350 ppm.

How did this happen? Earth was covered pole-to-pole with plants and trees that “ate up” the CO2 – releasing oxygen in the process. (There were no ice caps at this time.)

Instead of expensive “Carbon Capture” systems, we should simply plant trees and plants.

What is the most prevalent greenhouse gas?

Surprisingly, the most abundant greenhouse gas is water vapor. It's responsible for about half of Earth's greenhouse effect. [13]

How much warmer is planet Earth?

The Earth is generally regarded as having warmed about 1.8° Fahrenheit since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (around 1750). [14]

Considering that we are in the midst of an interglacial ice age period, I personally think this rise in temperature could have been greater. It’s normal to get warmer during this part of the interglacial cycle.

Back in the early days of the Industrial Revolution, people weren’t in the habit of recording temperatures. It just didn’t matter back then so there aren’t many records of temperatures for those early years.

So how did scientists determine the historical temperature statistics we see today? The same way CO2 levels were determined: by studying ice core samples, corals, tree rings, ancient pollen, and sediment deposits. [15]

Based on what I’ve read, the validity of a number down to a tenth of a decimal using this system is questionable. Also, there should be plus–minus numbers for margin of error. [16]

One thing for certain: If the average temperature today was the same as when George Washington was living, it would be outright supernatural. Earth’s climate is constantly changing.

Many dare to disagree about a climate emergency

Recently, Mr. Clauser (mentioned earlier) joined another Nobel Laureate and more than 1,800 scientists and professionals in signing the World Climate Declaration (WCD). [17]

This declaration asserts that there’s no “climate emergency”, that climate change science isn’t conclusive, and that the Earth’s history over thousands of years shows a constantly changing climate.

One of the reasons this group has emerged is the fear that the government is going to declare a climate emergency and seize powers like the U.S. and other governments did during the COVID pandemic.

The WCD is also concerned about the rise of expensive, corrupt programs with solutions that are worse than the problems.

Facts Matter

“Half the truth is often a great lie”

- Benjamin Franklin

There is a lot of relevant scientific information that has not been brought to the public’s attention. If people don’t have all the facts, how can they possibly know what’s true?

Love is all we need but, unfortunately, it’s fear that drives our world. A great part of fear is caused by ignorance.

With fear and ignorance comes tyranny.

Conclusion

The start of the Holocene Epoch, around 12,00 years ago, marks the start of the current interglacial period. Temperatures rise and ice caps melt during this part of the cycle.

The current narrative insists that it’s human-produced CO2 and methane that’s causing climate change. Meanwhile, galactic cycles such as Earth’s orbit, axis tilt, solar cycles, cloud albedo, and all of the other forces affecting our planet’s climate are never considered in climate studies or even mentioned to the public.

It is my sincere belief that there are people in power, using fear tactics to exploit the public’s ignorance of climate science with the intent to take away our freedom “for the greater good” and make trillions of dollars in the process.