|Date:||Saturday - May 29, 2004|
During Saturday night's show, researcher Robert Felix declared that another ice age is on the way, and it could begin very soon.
Felix believes underwater volcanoes heating the ocean play a crucial role in the ice age. He cited a recent expedition to Gakkel ridge in which scientists discovered an unusual amount of hydrothermal activity in the depths of the Arctic Ocean (see related article). He also said that the oceans have warmed by 2-3 degrees since the 1950s. The warmer water, according to Felix, increases the rate at which the oceans evaporate, which in turn increases the amount of moisture in the air. If global temperatures were cold enough, massive amounts of snow could fall around the world.
Continuing his scenario, Felix warned that Yellowstone is preparing to explode -- a massive volcanic eruption there could lower the temperature of the entire planet. He said scientists theorize that lava from Yellowstone could shoot up to 30 miles into the sky and kill everyone within a 600 mile radius. The ash produced from such an eruption would fill the atmosphere and drop global temperatures by 20 degrees, he concluded. Unfortunately, Felix doesn't think we can do much about our situation, and worries that nations will be fighting each other for food and resources long before the ice age is in full swing.