Have Nerd, Will Travel

The older I get, the more nerd-like I seem to get. As I was trying to fall asleep last night I started considering the effects of Plate Tectonics on Climate Change. Or rather, what plate tectonics have to do with climate change. I wondered if anyone had actually taken a look at that theory. I suppose it was on my mind due to the massive earthquake in Japan and the following environmental changes that have taken place since.

I chuckled to myself a little bit as I tried to wrap my head around the concept that the continents are still moving across the globe and they might not be in the same place they were 100 years ago. So I supposed that the weather conditions could have changed for certain places on the globe because the continent isn’t where it used to be when weather records were first being kept. 

I, of course, marveled at my own stunning intellect and internally confirmed my own genius. Then I felt embarrassed for being so self-aggrandizing.  I’m not sure if my incredible scientific discovery wore me out or what but I fell asleep soundly and had dreams about a friend of mine and I in a hotel room. I found it odd because it had nothing to do with science or plate tectonics. Well, there may have been some Earth moving however.  I woke thinking that it was such a nerd dream. I mean come on, nerds always dream about the hot chicks.

I was still thinking about it when I got to work this morning and I had to look it up and I found out all about it. http://www.geo.umass.edu/climate/papers2/deconto_tectonics&climate.pdf

This is a very interesting article but it’s more about the “ancient climate change over geological timescales”; essentially climate change over a very long time, millions of years of geologic time. This of course is not exactly what I was thinking about but it was pretty darn close. The plates on the Earth’s surface move about three centimeters a year, which isn’t all that much and its actual effect on the climate is minimal, but when there’s a violent act, like a volcano or earthquake, then the effects on the environment become more obvious. When a volcano erupts it increases the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere thus increasing some of the Greenhouse effects of climate change.

“Whoa, slow down nerdlinger”, said the reader.

“What, I get excited about this stuff”, I replied.

“Yeah, but go back to talking about how drunk Friday got and how she spilled that drink all down the front of her blouse and everyone could see all her naughty bits”.

“Is that was you really want?”

“Duh”.

Naughty bits. Fine.