TPO 27 #1

The article provides three causes of forming the Little Ice age, a period of unusually cold temperature in many parts of the world that lasted from 1350 to 1900CE. the professor opposes these causes and says that these arguments are a little out of date and non of the ideas could account for the real cause of Little Ice age.

First, the reading states the disrupting the Gulf stream currents may have caused the cooling because it was warmer before the little Ice Age which resulted in melting of the glaciers. The professor counters this point and explains that the disruptive ocean happened in Europe and North America and not in south atmosphere areas such as in Newzeland where there was cooling occurred. Therefore, if it the disruption doesn't explain the cooling occurred in southern areas , it is unlikely to be the real cause of cooling.

Second, the author points out that volcanic eruption could have caused the Little Ice Age because the produced large dark dust and sulfur gas air. The professor casts doubt this point and demonstrates that it is true that the volcanic eruption can put dust on the atmosphere but there is no report to show striking visual effects like colorful sunset of gray snow that could appear with the great volcanic eruption. That means that the this eruption was not strong enough to send dark dust to the atmosphere.

Third, the reading claims that the significant reduction in human population might cause the cooling because they left more trees with carbon dioxide, so Earth became cooler. Although the professor illustrates that there was no enough time of long population decline. People increases in numbers quickly and cut the tress for crops resulting in increase in carbon dioxide gas . plus the trees were not long enough to cause the global cooling