YES
It is theoretically possible that global warming could cause more earthquakes, due to the melting of the polar ice caps, and the redistribution of weight worldwide. Back when the three gorges dam was starting to be built, some scientists warned that the weight of the water being held behind the dam could cause earthquakes in the region.
Likewise, the melting of the ice caps is going to relieve some of the weight that is now stored in the form of millions of tons of ice. In turn, due to the centrifugal forces created by the earths rotation, this water will be redistributed to the equatorial region which will increase the pressure on the sea floors around the world.
This accompanied with lunar influences could lead to an increase of seismic events worldwide. All of this will be slow to occur of course, but with the polar ice caps melting at a faster rate than scientists predicted, we could theoretically see this beginning by time the sea level raises fifteen feet.
That much water weight would increase stress on faults on the ocean floor, especially in subduction zones like the Cascadia Subduction Zone located off the coast of Oregon, Washington, and Canada. These earthquakes would be devastating to large cities even hundreds of miles away from the ruptured area, and seaside communities would be endangered by massive tsunami's all along the pacific rim.
This subject will have to be studied more by geologists over the coming years to decide just how much of a threat this could be.
NO
I fear that the effects of global warming are far over-hyped by the media and others such as Al Gore. On that note, I investigated global warming and it is true that global warming is occuring, which can be verified on the NASA website. However the major cause of global warming is arguably from our sun and not automobiles or cow's farting. If you have seen "An Inconvenient Truth," I suggest you also check out, "The Great Global Warming Swindle" on youtube, so an informed decision can be made. Twelve errors, only on the basic premises of Al Gores movie have been found to be incorrect or questionable by the magistrate of England such that the movie cannot be shown in schools as a non-fiction movie. Albeit, I agree we should conserve energy as well as limit our consumption of meat as a health and planetary friendly issue. Unfortunately, we do not have a large affect on the environment as the media would propose.
Earthquakes are not likely to be affected by global warming. The earths core is the prominent heat affecting the likelihood of earthquakes and volcanoes. The atmospheric temperature change, less than 1 degree Farenheit in the last 100 years, will have little to no effect on that temperature, especially comparing it to the extreme cold of space when not warmed by the sun, which is half of the time anually. I have an engineering degree and the definition of heat is: The transfer of thermal energy through a system boundary. In our case the boundary is our atmosphere and generally the heat from our planet transfers out of that boundary. Due to the sun's recent activities and some minor greenhouse affects we have netted a positive thermal engergy recently. In the long run the earth will cool down and lose all of it's thermal energy.
Scientists have been studying the effect of melting permafrost in Canada. They have noticed that the additional CO2(Carbon Dioxide) produced has resulted in an increase in plant growth which resulted in less CO2 and more O2 oxygen in the areas. That is a benifit to us humans.
The melting of the polar ice caps will not change the mass distribution of water on the planet. The ice caps have varied amounts of melting each year. As noted in, "The Great Global Warming Swindle," a scientist who has been studying this for over twenty years does not see a significant change compared to what has been noted historically. The hypothesis that the water will be redistributed to the equatorial regions is erroneous, unless there is some reason the earth will be spinning faster due to global warming(not), which I think we all would notice. The 'mass' of the water at or near the poles will remain about the same even if it melts. Remember, ice is not as dense as water. If the ice caps melted significantly, there would be some increase of sea levels in some geographic areas. I would not choose to live in an area that is technically below sea level for this reason.
Lunar influences will not change significantly. Even if global warming continues and we have significant polar cap melting it will be a slow process. Plenty of time to relocate where necessary. The geographic position of the water on the earth will not change the moons orbit, since the 'mass' of the earth will not change even due to manmade global warming. The warming of the moon by the sun will also not change the moons mass. Therefore the Force(F) between the moon and the earth will remain constant, F = G*(Mass*Mass/r squared.) This is simply Newton's law of gravitation.
As a matter of fact, I propose, by a more homogeneous dispersal of the water on the planet there would be less likelihood of earthquakes on the planet affected by lunar orbits. That being said, the current model supports plate techtonics as the cause of earthquakes. Assuming this model is correct, the relieving of stresses by water re-distribution which is the most elastic mass of our planet may result in some earthquakes happening. The basis of my argument is that less earthquakes will happen by the relieving of the stresses due to the water redistribution than would occur if this change did not occur.
One final point. If earthquakes were to occur in the Cascadia Subduction Zone as a proponent of the opposing opinion suggests. The waves in the Pacific rim would be minimal compared to the possible Tsunami's which would occur much farther away. Tsunami's, although caused by undersea earthquakes carry the brunt of the force thousands of miles away by allowing the swell to develop and wreak much havoc on far distant shores.
Finally, there is a possibility of a change in the dipole of the planet in the latter part of 2012. The Mayan calendar ends then, and they were quite the astronomers. It is during this time when the earth passes through the galactic plane. If the poles flip, the position of magnetic north and south may not change to equally opposite sides of the planet, depending on the makeup of the earth and the distance from the core. This may indeed cause great earth changes, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis or may not happen at all. It is still heatedly debated. Much like 'Global Warming,' we do not have anything to say or do about it.
The best advice is to live each day like it is your last. Enjoy life, Love your loved ones and seek your own agnostic or spiritual peace.
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