I think that all the info I've read of the gulf stream being messed up or just stopping period seems to make sense... But I have a question.
This "mini ice-age"... what does it mean? As in the definition of "mini ice-age"?

Does it mean that Europe is going to have a winter as long and harsh as Canada's?

Does it mean winter will just be longer than usual... or will last all year long?

Does it mean we will see glaciers forming? (i.e., no snow melting).

When I hear the word "ice-age", I think of the entire northern hemisphere being covered by glaciers for thousands of years. So understand why I am confused at this term "mini ice-age, and if possible OP, could you provide me with a definition, or at least an explanation of what this means for European, or Global weather in the near-foreseeable future?

Originally posted by Monts
I think that all the info I've read of the gulf stream being messed up or just stopping period seems to make sense... But I have a question.
This "mini ice-age"... what does it mean? As in the definition of "mini ice-age"?

Does it mean that Europe is going to have a winter as long and harsh as Canada's?

Does it mean winter will just be longer than usual... or will last all year long?

Does it mean we will see glaciers forming? (i.e., no snow melting).

When I hear the word "ice-age", I think of the entire northern hemisphere being covered by glaciers for thousands of years. So understand why I am confused at this term "mini ice-age, and if possible OP, could you provide me with a definition, or at least an explanation of what this means for European, or Global weather in the near-foreseeable future?

I'll do my best to answer your questions but I'm by no means an "expert" so...here goes:

Mini Ice Age - The name is derived from an actual event that took place around 1250 A.D lasting until approximately 1650 A.D. The reason why this was called a "mini" or "little" ice age was based on the fact that it only lasted about 400 years, it's been theorized that a "full" ice age could last thousands of years.
Here's what Wiki has to say on the subject:

The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of cooling that occurred after the Medieval Warm Period. While not a true ice age, the term was introduced into scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939.[1] It is conventionally defined as a period extending from the 16th to the 19th centuries,[2][3][4] though climatologists and historians working with local records no longer expect to agree on either the start or end dates of this period, which varied according to local conditions. It is generally agreed that there were three minima, beginning about 1650, about 1770, and 1850, each separated by intervals of slight warming.[5] The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) describes areas affected by the LIA:
Evidence from mountain glaciers does suggest increased glaciation in a number of widely spread regions outside Europe prior to the 20th century, including Alaska, New Zealand and Patagonia. However, the timing of maximum glacial advances in these regions differs considerably, suggesting that they may represent largely independent regional climate changes, not a globally-synchronous increased glaciation. Thus current evidence does not support globally synchronous periods of anomalous cold or warmth over this time frame, and the conventional terms of "Little Ice Age" and "Medieval Warm Period" appear to have limited utility in describing trends in hemispheric or global mean temperature changes in past centuries... [Viewed] hemispherically, the "Little Ice Age" can only be considered as a modest cooling of the Northern Hemisphere during this period of less than 1°C relative to late 20th century levels.[6]
Several causes have been proposed: cyclical lows in solar radiation, heightened volcanic activity, changes in the ocean circulation, or an inherent variability in global climate.

From what I understand it's pretty much a full blown ice age though much shorter in length. If the facts reign true, the implications are still quite alarming. I would assume the Northern Hemisphere would end up pretty much uninhabitable although I wouldn't pack my bags quite yet Much more research needs to be completed on this subject IMHO.

There is no doubt that there will be people much more knowledgeable on this subject than I that will certainly contribute to my response if I have missed anything. I hope this helps...

well, this last year in Wisconsin was rather normal.
just a bit rainy in the early months
winter came a little earlier temps hung around 14
and the last three weeks have been in the upper 20s.
nothing odd here

Well, it looks like the OIL spill worked... They did say the oil would 'disperse' into the Atlantic conveyor.. (or IMO slow it down) oil would pull all the salt that keeps it moving down to the floor, thus slowing the current.

If this is true, and the conveyor stopped or even slowed 5%, we are looking at brutal winters for many years, and a possible mini-iceage.

Makes me wonder if the oil spill was on purpose....

I wonder if Eyjafjallajokull had any cause in this too.. all the ash mixing with the ocean. Could also slow down the current. its like dumping a million bags of powder cement all over the ocean. (over its flight pattern the ash took) I'm sure it affected something, even if temporarily.

Right now it's 17 F and really nice and sunny. We're going to have a heat wave by the end of the week, it'll be in the thirties and forties. My carbon footprint will go down a little. A friend of mine who's about 12 years older than me thinks a mini ice age is starting.I'm still kind of up in the air about it myself. I really don't believe in global warming. We both agree that the weather were having, is normal for this time of year. About 4 inches of snow on the ground. Go 80 miles east and they've got a foot and a half of recent snow. I live in the St. Lawrence valley, storms used to converge over us, now they're everywhere else. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out.

When I hear "mini ice age" I think of the 1700's in the United States. Florida was closer in weather to what the Northeast sees now, the Mid-Atlantic and NorthEast regions were closer to Canadian weather. General Washington's troops at Valley Forge got the worst of it. Stories in Florida from the time period indicate 4 seasons, and a temperate climate with very cold winters.

I think it is probably about time for a "mini ice age" that shifts climate patterns southward and lasts 100 to 200 years.

I think all the "experts" will be caught up trying to blame the North Atlantic Current, or Man-made "climate shift," or Low Sun Activity, but in my opinion it doesn't matter what the cause is! The only thing that matters is that we prepare for a bunch of very hard winters!