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![]() Sept. 19, 2007 Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas. So if the processes occurring at Cobham were widespread, then the increase in methane emissions could have caused further warming, amplifying the climate change at this time. However, as Professor Andrew Scott of Royal Holloway cautions, "We can not use this section as an exact model for interpreting future global warming as the climate 55 million years ago was very much warmer than that of today." Dr Pancost added, "Although we must be careful not to over interpret the data obtained from a single site, this does provide insight into how some ecosystems could respond to rapid warming-induced changes in climate, and therefore, how they could respond to warming in the future." In such a scenario, not only will warming occur due to the carbon pumped into the atmosphere by our burning of oil and coal, but also due to the biological response of some ecosystems. ## Recommend this Article to a Friend Back to: News |
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