TPO 27

In this set of materials, the reading passage and the lecturer discuss the possible reasons for the little ice age. Although the reading provides three theories about the possible reasons for little ice age, the speaker refutes this idea through several reasons which I will describe in this reporter.

First, the reading argues that because of the warming weather, glaciers were melted, and the fresh cold water sent into the Gulf Stream. And, it would a reason for cooling weather. However, the lecturer believes that the Gulf Stream only effected on the Europen and North America, but we know that the southern hemisphere such as Newzeland had a little ice age. So, the fresh cold weather cannot the main reason for occurring little ice age.

Second, the reading says that the eruption of the volcanos was the main reason for little ice age. After volcano eruption, the dark clouds of dust and sulfur gas send into the atmosphere. It caused that the sunlight could not reach the earth and became it cooler But, the professor argues that the amount of dust was not enough to block the sunlight. Because we don't have a reporter about the effects of dust such as the colorful sunlight or dark snow and rain. So it is not the reason for cooling climate.

Finally, although the passage says that increase in trees grow due to decreases in the human population may have caused a reduction of carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect and made the earth cooler, the speaker disagrees by mentioning that human population grew rapidly after a short time, and people cut trees out for making lands appropriate for agriculture very soon. Thus there was not enough time for the forests to have any effect on the climate and cause the little ice age.