Goodby Sunshine?

May 13, 2004 12:48 PM

Global Dimming?!? In the second half of the 20th century, the world became, quite literally, a darker place. Defying expectation and easy explanation, hundreds of instruments around the world recorded a drop in sunshine reaching the surface of Earth, as much as 10 percent from the late 1950's to the early 90's, or 2 percent to 3 percent a decade. Has anyone been following this? Heat I might do without for a while, but I've grown very fond of light.
posted by ahimsakid (18 comments total)

ahimsakid, sorry, but I think this post has been scooped !

Global Dimming (stbalbach, December 13, 2003)
posted by troutfishing at 1:06 PM on May 13, 2004

You mean the thread that spawned this thread, troutfishing?
Whew.
posted by Kwantsar at 1:41 PM on May 13, 2004

well as the article says, "you'll see a lot more people referring to it." Oddly though not much else has come out since December.
posted by stbalbach at 2:02 PM on May 13, 2004

actually this is one of the "new" fads rediscovered by the newspapers. It seems it started on May 7th with an article by Robert S. Boyd.

If it does not get connected to the new movie, it is going to be a wasted opportunity!!
posted by MzB at 2:23 PM on May 13, 2004

This is funny. LexisNexis indicates the last "wave" of interest was last month, in Canada.

In Europe it was last seen in December, as the Guardian article shows.

Australia briefly pick it up in February, and now in May.
posted by MzB at 2:41 PM on May 13, 2004

"The first reaction has always been that the effect is much too big, I don't believe it and if it's true then why has nobody reported it before."

I think you'll find that old people have been reporting that things were a lot sunnier back in their childhood for years.
posted by rory at 2:43 PM on May 13, 2004

This old person recalls a sunnier childhood time -- and obviously has trouble doing comprehensive searchs in the archive.
Apologies to all for the retread post.
posted by ahimsakid at 8:24 PM on May 13, 2004

Kwantsar - "spawned" is the right verb for it. y6y6y6 and I have more or less made up since, although I haven't noticed boaz around these parts in a bit. Beware Metatalk, it will devour your soul. It's best just ignored - like many types of itch, it only gets worse if you scratch.

stbalbach - oddest thing, I was reading something last month and came across the fact that "Global Dimming" had been noted ( though not proven ) about 3 decades ago.

I thought to myself, "that's weird, I should tell stbalbach", and then I went to bed and promptly forgot the whole affair - until now. But, I digress, and I'm sleepy..
posted by troutfishing at 8:35 PM on May 13, 2004

but isn't skin cancer up? how can that be? (is it more diagnosis or recognition?)
posted by amberglow at 8:39 PM on May 13, 2004

ahimsakid - I hardly think anyone was offended. Don't worry about it. For myself, I've had almost as many posts axed as successfully posted. Post more, please.

amberglow - I think that 1) The Ozone Layer has declined faster than "Global Dimming' has blocked sunlight, 2) UV is blocked less by haze and pollution (a big factor in "Global Dimming") than is visible spectrum sunlight, 3) Deaths from sun-worship behavior (sunburn), on the part of light-skinned Europeans living in Southern climates, are still peaking. (The dangers of UV have on very recently intruded into popular consciousness), and 4) your recognition/diagnosis factor is very likely too.

And, I'm an obnoxious knowitall.
posted by troutfishing at 8:52 PM on May 13, 2004

ahh...thanks trout (and good post, even if it's a double or triple) : >
posted by amberglow at 8:57 PM on May 13, 2004

good post, ahimsakid : >
posted by amberglow at 8:59 PM on May 13, 2004

amberglow, you're welcome - so, I hope that means you're opting for a fake tan and slathering on the SPF 36 ? You too, ahimsakid. ; }
posted by troutfishing at 9:12 PM on May 13, 2004

i only burn (and already spent my childhood burning), so my damage is done--i use block all the time nowadays, when i'm going to be outside for more than a few minutes (and i've had doctors tell me to watch my freckles already). : <

I wouldn't mind a little bit less light in summer, but could use more of it in winter.
posted by amberglow at 9:40 PM on May 13, 2004

ahimsakid, I hope you didn't think I was having a dig at you - just joking about that line in the article. Thanks for the link, interesting/mysterious/somewhat disturbing stuff.
posted by rory at 2:23 AM on May 14, 2004

rory--not at all. I was just picking up on the thought. I do remember different light conditions half a century ago. . . but I always chalked it up to geography or aging photo-receptors

Troutfishing & Amberglow -- thank you for your kind words and, especially, for continuing the verbal fight against the seemingly ever-expanding darkness . . . I look for your stuff first.
posted by ahimsakid at 12:00 PM on May 14, 2004

it's funny--as i get older, the light seems to be getting brighter (especially when it's hot out)--maybe my eyes take longer to adjust?
posted by amberglow at 1:22 PM on May 14, 2004

I'm looking very forward to my Morlock brethren doing a little "meet, greet, and eat" among the Eloi soon...
posted by FormlessOne at 4:58 PM on May 16, 2004