Many of you will remember our pioneering discussion of the Sheep-albedo hypothesis, where we suggested that increasing numbers of sheep would cause a cooling climate because of their impact on the ground reflectivity. Well, new observations have now added significantly more complexity to this seemingly understood situation. It has just been reported that as well as the original sheep-albedo effect, there is now evidence of a second sheep-albedo effect (smaller sheep as the world warms). That would be a amplifying effect in general, but the actual population of sheep concerned come in many colours, so the overall affect is uncertain. (There is even speculation about a third effect (the sheep lifetime albedo impact), which could go either way depending the Lamb Marketing Board advertising campaign).
Yet more evidence that the science is very woolly.
*Title taken from a comment from glen
I think we’ve definitely uncovered some more known unknowns here. The theories flying around our office include a spectacular debate about blondes vs brunettes.
There’s so much potential for further research here. For example, what has been the impact on surface albedo during the summer months with Scouts and Guides moving away from green canvas ridge tents, to white bell tents?
So many hypotheses, so little time…
Great. The wife already accuses me of wool gathering when I read this site.
I don’t know, this sounds like it could lead to the “wool ball” effect.”
If more sheep impact the albedo enough to cause a cooling effect, wouldn’t more solar panels (which absorb light–especially in high albedo deserts) cause a global warming impact.
I did some really back of the envelope math on this before (e.g. Ast 101 level greenhouse effect model),and converting all of the u.s.’s electricity production to solar, and assuming all panels were placed in the desert, would cause a small, but significant increase in equilibrium temperature.
Does this have any chance of being considered in the cap and trade legislation? Could I maybe acquire a herd or three and sell credits?
Again, we are not taking a holistic approach on this. What about other species?? Like the Arctic wolf spider, which is getting bigger in a warming climate (at least the females) — see: http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2009/05/08/rsbl.2009.0169.abstract (below)
And they might be getting more numerous — see: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090505-spiders-bigger-global-warming.html
This may mean a positive feedback, since they appear somewhat darker (than white snow or sheep), or at least they might cause an arctic amplification effect, and this might overwhelm the negative feedback of shrinking sheep.
And we’re not talking arctic wolf spiders in sheep’s clothing.
Ah, it’s truly summer …
Don’t you know that the Vikings had tiny sheep about 3 inches high when they colonised Greenland. Therefore it is impossible that sheep are getting any smaller today.
#48 EL
What the sheep are you talking about?
Okay, follow the links:
https://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/01/cnn-is-spun-right-round-baby-right-round/
http://www.ossfoundation.us/projects/environment/global-warming/myths/station-drop-out
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GISSTemperature/
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GISSTemperature/giss_temperature2.php
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GISSTemperature/giss_temperature3.php
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GISSTemperature/giss_temperature4.php
#51 Vicky I
“So many hypotheses, so little time…”
I’m all for further study of both blondes and brunettes. This is an area of scientific interest.
The examination of species differences and potentials regarding atmospheric/climate heating and cooling based on short and long term environmental changes combined with internal natural variation and external forcing could net important discoveries.
EL writes:
The average in a given grid square would remain about the same.
Ha! And you people keep saying that wethers is not climate. ;-)
To quote a popular SF franchise:
Re: #48
El, there is a new angle on this. A retraction is being published in the J. Irreprod. Results, Vol. 243, in press.
The wool is being pulled over your eyes…
Suggest that everyone paint their roofs white starting with the folks in North America.
Great post–but from the title, I expected a serious treatment of the denialosphere’s latest. Of course, this was a lot more fun–even if it hardly qualifies as a “maunder minimum.”
Apparently Norstrilian several-ton legless sheep will evolve from Australian sheep as the climate warms….
Baaah!
I _really_ miss the previous blog comment layout in which the FIRST THING at the top of each comment was the commenter’s name and timestamp.
It used to look like this:
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# raypierre Says:
28 April 2006 at 7:10 AM
What’s at issue is not just a matter of making mistakes…..
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