[The *San Diego Union-Tribune* reported last month on a briefing given to the press in the course of the February meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.[1] -- At the briefing, Tim Barnett, a marine physicist, said: "It's really undeniable that global warming is going on, whether you see it in the ocean or in the ecosystems," he said. "There's really a gazillion places to look for it." -- One concern scientists are expressing is this: "Melting snow and ice in the Arctic are adding fresh water to the North Atlantic, a situation that could disrupt the flow of warm water from the tropics to the north," journalist Bruce Lieberman wrote in the *Union-Tribune*. "This 'conveyer belt' brings cold and salty water from the Arctic to the south and moves warm water from the tropics to the north. A slowdown or shutdown of this circulation could drastically change the world's climate. For the U.S. Northeast and northern Europe, continued global warming could lead to a deep freeze." -- You may have heard that some are drawing even more alarming conclusions, citing evidence that global climate change can occur quite abruptly, in ways that would have an enormous and sudden impact upon human societies. -- How worrisome are such claims? -- You'll be better able to judge after you participate in Digging Deeper IV, a study circle on climate change and global warming facilitated by United for Peace of Pierce County. -- Among the books that will be discussed (available for borrowing or for purchase from UFPPC) are *High Tide: The Truth about Our Climate Crisis*, by Mark Lynas (Picador, 2004); *The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization*, by Brian M. Fagan (Basic Books, 2004); *Meltdown: The Predictable Distortion of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians, and the Media*, by Patrick J. Michaels (Cato Institute, 2004); and *The Two-Mile Time Machine: Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future*, by Richard B. Alley (Princeton University Press, 2002). -- Digging Deeper IV will meet Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. at the Mandolin Cafe, 3923 S. 12th St., Tacoma. -- For more information, see here: http://www.ufppc.org/content/view/2449/ --Mark]

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