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Fossil forest may sprout again as the Arctic warms
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Leroy N. Soetoro
Oct 20, 2012, 4:25:57 PM10/20/12
to
http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/fossil-forest-may-sprout-again-
as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
The paleo-scene won't sprout up overnight, of course, said Alexandre
Guertin-Pasquier of the University of Montreal, who will present his
research at the Canadian Paleontology Conference in Toronto this week.
Rather, he said, climate forecasts suggest that, by 2100, the now-
uninhabited Bylot Island where the fossilized forest was discovered will
support temperatures similar to those prevalent when the forest thrived.
"The fossil forest found in Bylot Island probably looked like the ones
actually found in the [present-day] south of Alaska, where tree-line
boreal forest grows near some glacier margins," Guertin-Pasquier wrote in
an email. "The main plant diversity also seems to be similar between these
two environments," which both include willow, pine and spruce trees. [See
Photos of the Fossil Forest Site]
He and his colleagues analyzed samples of wood that had been preserved in
the area's peat and permafrost. They specifically looked for pollen, which
would reveal the types of trees growing in the area at the time.
To help nail down a specific date when growth occurred, the researchers
analyzed the sediments laid down at the time the forest lived. They
specifically looked at magnetic particles found in the soil, particularly
magnetite. This works because, throughout our planet's history, the
orientation of the magnetic north pole changed several times, a well-
documented phenomenon. Since these "magnetic sediments" line up with
Earth's magnetic orientation, scientists can use this to date the sediment
layers.
They estimate the forest thrived between 2.6 million and 3 million years
ago.
The trees in the ancient forest, as interpreted from the pollen samples,
usually grew in areas with a yearly average temperature of about 32
degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), Guertin-Pasquier said. Currently,
average temperatures on Bylot Island hover around 5 degrees F (minus-15
degrees C), he added.
Will our grandchildren actually see this forest come to life?
"I think it's very possible we might see forest compositions of the past
returning with warming," Larisa R. G. DeSantis who was not involved in the
study told LiveScience. "The question is whether those trees will be able
to make it up there," DeSantis said, adding that in some ways it's a lot
easier for animals to migrate to different conditions.
"But trees have another whole level of difficulty, their potential for
movement is based on their dispersal of seeds and that sort of thing, so
their movement is constrained," said DeSantis, who studies, among other
topics, the reconstruction of ancient environments, at Vanderbilt
University in Nashville, Tenn.
Fossil forests of a similar age have also been found on Ellesmere Island
in the Canadian Arctic, where so-called "mummy trees" were uncovered in
the wake of a melting glacier. The spindly, mummified trees showed signs
of stress, likely the result of a changing climate (from a greenhouse to
an icehouse, of sorts) as well as the seasonal darkness occurring at the
top of the world.
That, in fact, is one of the mysteries surrounding these Arctic forests,
"how these trees managed to survive the relentless dark of the Arctic
winter," Guertin-Pasquier said.
Next, the researchers plan to look more closely at other plant remains
from Bylot Island to get a better idea of the possibly diverse flora.
--
Obama's black racist USAG appointee.
Eric Holder, racist black United States Attorney General drops voter
intimidation charges against the Black Panthers, "You are about to be
ruled by the black man, cracker!"
Eric Holder, prejudiced black United States Attorney General settles the
hate crime debate, "Whites Not Protected by Hate Crime Laws."
Nancy Pelosi, Democrat criminal, accessory before and after the fact, to
former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel of New
York's million dollar tax evasion.
Barack Obama and Eric Holder, committed treason by knowingly and
deliberately arming enemies of the United States of America through
Operation Fast and Furious. Complicit in the murder of Federal employees
during the execution of their duties.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---
as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
The paleo-scene won't sprout up overnight, of course, said Alexandre
Guertin-Pasquier of the University of Montreal, who will present his
research at the Canadian Paleontology Conference in Toronto this week.
Rather, he said, climate forecasts suggest that, by 2100, the now-
uninhabited Bylot Island where the fossilized forest was discovered will
support temperatures similar to those prevalent when the forest thrived.
"The fossil forest found in Bylot Island probably looked like the ones
actually found in the [present-day] south of Alaska, where tree-line
boreal forest grows near some glacier margins," Guertin-Pasquier wrote in
an email. "The main plant diversity also seems to be similar between these
two environments," which both include willow, pine and spruce trees. [See
Photos of the Fossil Forest Site]
He and his colleagues analyzed samples of wood that had been preserved in
the area's peat and permafrost. They specifically looked for pollen, which
would reveal the types of trees growing in the area at the time.
To help nail down a specific date when growth occurred, the researchers
analyzed the sediments laid down at the time the forest lived. They
specifically looked at magnetic particles found in the soil, particularly
magnetite. This works because, throughout our planet's history, the
orientation of the magnetic north pole changed several times, a well-
documented phenomenon. Since these "magnetic sediments" line up with
Earth's magnetic orientation, scientists can use this to date the sediment
layers.
They estimate the forest thrived between 2.6 million and 3 million years
ago.
The trees in the ancient forest, as interpreted from the pollen samples,
usually grew in areas with a yearly average temperature of about 32
degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), Guertin-Pasquier said. Currently,
average temperatures on Bylot Island hover around 5 degrees F (minus-15
degrees C), he added.
Will our grandchildren actually see this forest come to life?
"I think it's very possible we might see forest compositions of the past
returning with warming," Larisa R. G. DeSantis who was not involved in the
study told LiveScience. "The question is whether those trees will be able
to make it up there," DeSantis said, adding that in some ways it's a lot
easier for animals to migrate to different conditions.
"But trees have another whole level of difficulty, their potential for
movement is based on their dispersal of seeds and that sort of thing, so
their movement is constrained," said DeSantis, who studies, among other
topics, the reconstruction of ancient environments, at Vanderbilt
University in Nashville, Tenn.
Fossil forests of a similar age have also been found on Ellesmere Island
in the Canadian Arctic, where so-called "mummy trees" were uncovered in
the wake of a melting glacier. The spindly, mummified trees showed signs
of stress, likely the result of a changing climate (from a greenhouse to
an icehouse, of sorts) as well as the seasonal darkness occurring at the
top of the world.
That, in fact, is one of the mysteries surrounding these Arctic forests,
"how these trees managed to survive the relentless dark of the Arctic
winter," Guertin-Pasquier said.
Next, the researchers plan to look more closely at other plant remains
from Bylot Island to get a better idea of the possibly diverse flora.
--
Obama's black racist USAG appointee.
Eric Holder, racist black United States Attorney General drops voter
intimidation charges against the Black Panthers, "You are about to be
ruled by the black man, cracker!"
Eric Holder, prejudiced black United States Attorney General settles the
hate crime debate, "Whites Not Protected by Hate Crime Laws."
Nancy Pelosi, Democrat criminal, accessory before and after the fact, to
former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel of New
York's million dollar tax evasion.
Barack Obama and Eric Holder, committed treason by knowingly and
deliberately arming enemies of the United States of America through
Operation Fast and Furious. Complicit in the murder of Federal employees
during the execution of their duties.
--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ne...@netfront.net ---
Desertphile
Oct 21, 2012, 9:31:50 AM10/21/12
to
On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:25:57 +0000 (UTC), "Leroy N. Soetoro"
<leroys...@usurper.org> wrote:
> http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/fossil-forest-may-sprout-again-
> as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
>
> A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
> return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
Ooops! The Republican Party has been claiming Earth isn't warming, and
<leroys...@usurper.org> wrote:
> http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/fossil-forest-may-sprout-again-
> as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
>
> A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
> return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
now they posted an article that said it has and is?
--
"You were supposed to name one item in the universe that
has no function. Not be one."
emoneyjoe
Oct 21, 2012, 11:25:51 AM10/21/12
to
On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 07:31:50 -0600, Desertphile
<Deser...@spammegmail.com> wrote:
>On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:25:57 +0000 (UTC), "Leroy N. Soetoro"
><leroys...@usurper.org> wrote:
>
>> http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/fossil-forest-may-sprout-again-
>> as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
>>
>> A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
>> return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
>
>Ooops! The Republican Party has been claiming Earth isn't warming, and
>now they posted an article that said it has and is?
18,000 years ago the US and Europe were
<Deser...@spammegmail.com> wrote:
>On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:25:57 +0000 (UTC), "Leroy N. Soetoro"
><leroys...@usurper.org> wrote:
>
>> http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/fossil-forest-may-sprout-again-
>> as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
>>
>> A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
>> return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
>
>Ooops! The Republican Party has been claiming Earth isn't warming, and
>now they posted an article that said it has and is?
covered by thick ice, so the fact that the Earth
has warmed in the last 18,000 years is quite
evident.
But it was warmer 6,000 years ago, and
at least as warm 60 years ago, 100 years ago,
and a few hundred years ago.
And I am spending money to heat the
house.
Desertphile
Oct 25, 2012, 7:27:13 PM10/25/12
to
On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 10:25:51 -0500, emoneyjoe <emon...@iglou.com>
wrote:
> On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 07:31:50 -0600, Desertphile
> <Deser...@spammegmail.com> wrote:
>
> >On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:25:57 +0000 (UTC), "Leroy N. Soetoro"
> ><leroys...@usurper.org> wrote:
> >
> >> http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/fossil-forest-may-sprout-again-
> >> as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
> >>
> >> A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
> >> return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
> >
> >Ooops! The Republican Party has been claiming Earth isn't warming, and
> >now they posted an article that said it has and is?
> 18,000 years ago the US and Europe were
> covered by thick ice, so the fact that the Earth
The subject is the current global temperature anomaly,
Shit-for-brains.
--
"I haven't seen any defensible explanation of any errors by Miskolczi." --- Bill Ward
wrote:
> On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 07:31:50 -0600, Desertphile
> <Deser...@spammegmail.com> wrote:
>
> >On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:25:57 +0000 (UTC), "Leroy N. Soetoro"
> ><leroys...@usurper.org> wrote:
> >
> >> http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/fossil-forest-may-sprout-again-
> >> as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
> >>
> >> A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
> >> return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
> >
> >Ooops! The Republican Party has been claiming Earth isn't warming, and
> >now they posted an article that said it has and is?
> 18,000 years ago the US and Europe were
> covered by thick ice, so the fact that the Earth
Shit-for-brains.
--
"I haven't seen any defensible explanation of any errors by Miskolczi." --- Bill Ward
emoneyjoe
Oct 25, 2012, 10:28:09 PM10/25/12
to
On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:27:13 -0600, Desertphile
temperature world wide should always stay
exactly the same?
This weekend the temperature in the
eastern US will be below normal, is that
just weather and not global cooling?
<Deser...@spammegmail.com> wrote:
>On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 10:25:51 -0500, emoneyjoe <emon...@iglou.com>
>wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 07:31:50 -0600, Desertphile
>> <Deser...@spammegmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:25:57 +0000 (UTC), "Leroy N. Soetoro"
>> ><leroys...@usurper.org> wrote:
>> >
>> >> http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/fossil-forest-may-sprout-again-
>> >> as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
>> >>
>> >> A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
>> >> return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
>> >
>> >Ooops! The Republican Party has been claiming Earth isn't warming, and
>> >now they posted an article that said it has and is?
>
>> 18,000 years ago the US and Europe were
>> covered by thick ice, so the fact that the Earth
>
>The subject is the current global temperature anomaly,
What does that mean, that the average
>On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 10:25:51 -0500, emoneyjoe <emon...@iglou.com>
>wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 07:31:50 -0600, Desertphile
>> <Deser...@spammegmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:25:57 +0000 (UTC), "Leroy N. Soetoro"
>> ><leroys...@usurper.org> wrote:
>> >
>> >> http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/fossil-forest-may-sprout-again-
>> >> as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
>> >>
>> >> A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
>> >> return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
>> >
>> >Ooops! The Republican Party has been claiming Earth isn't warming, and
>> >now they posted an article that said it has and is?
>
>> 18,000 years ago the US and Europe were
>> covered by thick ice, so the fact that the Earth
>
>The subject is the current global temperature anomaly,
temperature world wide should always stay
exactly the same?
This weekend the temperature in the
eastern US will be below normal, is that
just weather and not global cooling?
Desertphile
Oct 26, 2012, 2:27:20 PM10/26/12
to
On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 21:28:09 -0500, emoneyjoe <emon...@iglou.com>
> What does that mean, that the average
> temperature world wide should always stay
> exactly the same?
No.
wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:27:13 -0600, Desertphile <Deser...@spammegmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 10:25:51 -0500, emoneyjoe <emon...@iglou.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 07:31:50 -0600, Desertphile
> > > <Deser...@spammegmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > >On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:25:57 +0000 (UTC), "Leroy N. Soetoro"
> > > ><leroys...@usurper.org> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/fossil-forest-may-sprout-again-
> > > >> as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
> > > >>
> > > >> A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
> > > >> return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
> > > >
> > > >Ooops! The Republican Party has been claiming Earth isn't warming, and
> > > >now they posted an article that said it has and is?
> >
> > > 18,000 years ago the US and Europe were
> > > covered by thick ice, so the fact that the Earth
> >
> > The subject is the current global temperature anomaly,
> > Shit-for-brains.
> On Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:27:13 -0600, Desertphile <Deser...@spammegmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 10:25:51 -0500, emoneyjoe <emon...@iglou.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > On Sun, 21 Oct 2012 07:31:50 -0600, Desertphile
> > > <Deser...@spammegmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > >On Sat, 20 Oct 2012 20:25:57 +0000 (UTC), "Leroy N. Soetoro"
> > > ><leroys...@usurper.org> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> http://www.foxnews.com/science/2012/09/24/fossil-forest-may-sprout-again-
> > > >> as-arctic-warms/?intcmp=obnetwork
> > > >>
> > > >> A fossilized forest that flourished more than 2.5 million years ago could
> > > >> return to life thanks to a warming planet, scientists say.
> > > >
> > > >Ooops! The Republican Party has been claiming Earth isn't warming, and
> > > >now they posted an article that said it has and is?
> >
> > > 18,000 years ago the US and Europe were
> > > covered by thick ice, so the fact that the Earth
> >
> > The subject is the current global temperature anomaly,
> What does that mean, that the average
> temperature world wide should always stay
> exactly the same?
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