Joint Meeting with the Coast Geological Society
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Location: The Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall, 3801 Market Street, Ventura, CA
Time: 6:00 p.m.-Social Hour; 7:00 p.m.-Dinner; 8:00 p.m.-Presentation
Cost: $15 per person with reservations, $18 at the door, $8 for students (with a valid Student ID) and K-12 Teachers.
Reservations: Email reservations@coastgeologicalsociety.org by 5 pm, June 17 or
Call Dave Brown at (805) 653-7975 by 3 pm, June 17 or Fax to (805) 653-7452 by 3 pm, June 17.
PRESENTER: Dale S. Kunitomi
TOPIC: Climate Change: The Paradox of Global Warming Causing A New Ice Age
ABSTRACT
Climate is regional while Weather is local.
Although still controversial, the past 30 years have documented climatic warming, especially in the northern hemisphere from many varied sources. If the trend continues well into this century the result could be the imitation of a new Ice Age. Rapid changes in climate both warm and cold are seen in ice cores and suspected from geologic evidence during the Pleistocene.
Most projections of future climate change fail to consider the geologic time scale. It may be of little consolation to humans that climatic changes are commonly seen in the geologic record. Of the many factors affecting the short term climate (4th Order), human activity is only one but probably the most accurately measured but not fully understood.
The three primary forces affecting climate are atmospheric wind patterns, ocean currents and solar variability or Milankovitch Cycles. Atmospheric movement is created by temperature and moisture differences. Oceanic current movement is caused by salinity and temperature differences. The conjunction of the 3 Milankovitch Cycles is about every 200,000 years, roughly coincidence with Pleistocene glacial and interglacial cycles.
The increase in Green House Gases (GHG) that may be contributing to the warming will continue despite present concerns and puny efforts to reduce GHG. Whether man-caused or not, warming of the Arctic is occurring and eventually, the exposed Arctic sea will furnish moisture to the Polar Easterly Winds increasing snow accumulation at the Sub-Polar Convergence (600 latitude). The snow becomes glaciers and the increased freshwater runoff partially blocks the Great Conveyor Belt Current, stopping the warming of northern European and North American latitudes!
The Great Conveyor Belt Current is re-established when the extreme (cool) Milankovitch Cycles coincide. The Arctic icecap and Greenland glaciers are re-established and atmospheric moisture is cut off from the Sub-Polar Convergence and glaciers retreat or melt completely and the climate warms.
Global climate change has occurred throughout Geologic Time and will continue to do so in the future. The factors causing climate change are beyond human control and occur on varying time scales and varying magnitude.
The data for this presentation was graciously provided by Dr. James Reynolds, Brevard College, Brevard, North Carolina.
BIO
Dale Kunitomi is a consulting petroleum geologist, practicing locally in of Camarillo, California. He attended UCLA and after graduation he worked and lived Long Beach, California where the easterly extension of the giant Wilmington field had just begun. Included during that time were four years of night classes at USC in an attempt to absorb the huge volume of literature documenting the emerging Plate Tectonics Revolution. This education at UCLA and USC has resulted in episodes of schizophrenia during the fall football season. From Long Beach his oil career has taken him back to Los Angeles, to Santa Barbara, Ventura and Bakersfield working for various small oil companies and concentrating on oil and gas in California. He has been a consultant since 1988. The very first presentation Dale ever made was to CGS in the mid-1970's on transforming the Honor Rancho oilfield to a gas storage field. Dale has been a CGS member for over 25 years. Within CGS he proudly holds the position of Assistant BBQ Chief under the tutelage of Dr. Iron Chef Eugene Fritsche.
Directions
NORTHBOUND Highway 101-Take the Main St. Off Ramp, Go West to Callens Rd., Turn Left, Go to Market St, Turn Right to the VFW Hall
SOUTHBOUND Highway 101-Take the Main St. Off Ramp, Go East to Callens Rd., Turn Right to Market St. Turn Left to the VFW Hall
For additional information please visit the CGS website at http://www.coastgeologicalsociety.org/index.html
