• Question: will there ever be another ice age

    Asked by 10ssmith to Anna, Jonathan, Samantha, Sam on 3 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 3 Jul 2012:

      It’s impossible to be sure long term as the temperature of the globe has fluctuated in the past. However thanks to our burning of fossil fuels and the increase in CO2 emissions the chances of an ice age are becoming more remote.
      Recently there has been a suggestion that the UK could become colder over time – this is because the gulf stream, which is responsible for our relatively warm climate, could shut down. This idea was used in the Hollywood film “the day after tomorrow”. No data has been produced to back the claim that the gulf stream could disappear as yet.

    • Photo: Sam Chilka

      Sam Chilka answered on 3 Jul 2012:

      There have been at least 5 major ice ages in the past, the most recent one being around 20 thousand years ago. Scientists studying this area think there would be another ice age some thousands of years in the future, but as Michael says, increased greenhouse gases and global warning may make another ice age unlikely. No-one really knows at the moment.

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