Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffC
an increase in CO2 may be a by-product of an increase in vegetation. but vegetation also tends to thrive in an increased CO2 atmosphere - but as with everything else in the atmospheric heat engine - there's feedback mechanisms and many other that are not fully understood - never mind correctly modelled in computer simulations.
more time is needed before we can be sure; but can we afford to wait that long?
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The graphs of these ice cores indicate that CO2 was stable (stable enough to indicate 'normal' levels) , then there was a warm period, then the CO2 went up (quite drastically).
I don't understand most of the complexities, but I doubt there will be some kind of 'feedback mechanism' that can span -60 years or so.
It's easier to believe that as the sea gets warmer (due to global warming), it is unable to hold as much CO2 and therefore it is released into the atmosphere. Plants thrive on this, leading to more vegetation. This still makes CO2 a product instead of a cause of warming.