Surprisingly, this AP article doesn't take a "man is causing global warming" position, which is very wise
Using fire scars on nearly 5,000 tree stumps dating back 450 years, scientists have found that extended periods of major wildfires in the West occurred when the North Atlantic Ocean was going through periodic warming.
With the North Atlantic at the start of a recurring warming period that typically lasts 20 to 60 years, the West could be in for an extended period of multiple fires on the scale of those seen in 2002 and 2006, said Thomas W. Swetnam. He's the director of the Laboratory of Tree Ring Research at the University of Arizona and a co-author of the study published in the Dec. 26 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
There you have it. More proof that global warming has happened not just in the past, but the recent past. It is the hight of hubris to believe that global warming is simply caused by mankind, and, yes, Man was around 450 years ago, but, we did not have trains, planes, and automobiles. We did not burn fossil fuels. We did not have coal powered power generators. And we did not have wacko's who think that only Man can cause global warming.
Scientists have long seen a relationship between weather in the United States and El Nino, a warming of water in the South Pacific.
When El Nino is strong, the Northwest typically has drought and severe fire seasons, and the Southwest has rain. When the cycle reverses, known as La Nina, the South Pacific cools, the Northwest has more rain, and the Southwest has drought and fires.
Less well understood are two other climate drivers, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, known as the PDO, centered in the North Pacific, which typically changes every 10 to 20 years, and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, or AMO, which is marked by warming and cooling periods of 20 to 60 years in the North Atlantic.
Scientists know this information. They aren't quite sure what causes these events to happen, but they know what happens when they do, and the relative frequency. They know that the certainly pre-date the invention of the combustion engine. And they know there is nothing that humans can do to stop them.
Belief in global warming as caused by Man is a fad, just like it was a fad to believe in global cooling during the late 1970's. It is also a means to raise enormous amounts of cash and prestige. Perhaps those who are so passionate should direct their focus' towards things they can affect, such as land, sea, and air pollution, which are real problems that are caused by Man.
