[nafex] Vikings and the Gulf Stream

[PermacultureNo1@aol.com]

Reference to the Vikings in greenland and eastern Canada relate more to 
fluctuations of the gulf stream, I suspect, than overall climate changes, 
though they may well be correlated.  Such currents, which are fairly closed 
convection loops, almost certainly shift when the temperature DIFFERENCE 
between low and high latitudes changes.  An increase in temperature at either 
end, compared to the other, will affect the flow.  So in such regions, we 
have zero information about global climate if all that we know is that one 
place that could have been in the path of the gulf stream was abandoned, we 
know nothing about overall patterns.  Regarding "Vinland," Europleans have a 
long and dishonorable history of naming places where colonists were wanted 
with names that suggest properties that don't exist.  Place names, especially 
place names in the Americas that were coined by Europeans, often are outright 
lies.  They can be considered as evidence of nothing, except maybe human 
venaltiy.

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In a message dated 1/16/01 10:54:29 PM, Nikolai@v-wave.com writes:

<< Before we claim "modern man's greed", the industrial revolution, escape of
greenhouse gasses, or whatever, is causing a warming of the climate, lets
consider the Vikings, yes the Vikings.

It is an undeniable historical fact that the Vikings had colonies in west
central Greenland from about 1100 AD to about 1410 AD.  During this time
they grazed sheep and cattle, and even grew barley!  Currently the deserted
Viking settlements are in a very harsh arctic zone 0 climate that would not
support barley growing or the grazing of sheep or cattle.  The Viking
records show the climate suddenly started to get very much colder the last
20 or so years, and the last of 5000 or so colonists left for Iceland and
Scandinavia around 1400 AD.  I'd guess they had a zone 2 climate for 200 or
so years, and this was well before greenhouse gasses and the industrial
revolution.

Also they called the only known Viking settlement in North America, at
L'anse Aux Meadows (sp?) in northern Newfoundland "Vineland" because of the
grapes that were growing there in abundance.  Currently this is a zone 3
climate and grapes do not grow there.  You have to go a lot farther south,
to the Cape Cod area, to find wild grapes in any kind of abundance, at least
a zone 5.  So clearly to my thinking the climate was at least 2 full climate
zones warmer, perhaps 3, in relatively recent history, without any kind of
greenhouse gasses escaping into the atmosphere.  My guess is we are seeing
normal variations in climate swing over a longer, say 1000 year cycle.  I
can attest to the fact that all Canadians stuck on the frozen prairies are
secretly cheering for global warming :)
Bernie Nikolai
Edmonton Alberta
 >>