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Read science articles on the ice age, glaciation and climatology. Discover the connection between ice ages and global warming.
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Stalagmites as key witnesses of the monsoon
Researchers have now reconstructed how the Indian summer monsoon responded to meltwater pulses into the North Atlantic at the end of the penultimate cold period.
Climate changed abruptly at tipping points in past
Climate scientists identify abrupt transitions in climate records that may have been caused by the climate system crossing a tipping point. They devised a statistical method to determine whether these transitions are simply noise or evidence of a more significant change. Their method is less error-prone than previous methods, since it doesn't rely on human determination. It also allows comparing different records consistently and can identify important events that may have been overlooked in older studies.
Researchers find repeated link between volcanic eruptions and dynastic collapse in China's Imperial Era
Volcanic eruptions may have triggered abrupt climate changes contributing to the repeated collapse of Chinese dynasties over the past 2,000 years, according to new research. The study also illustrates how volcanic eruptions can profoundly impact vulnerable or unstable regions and highlights the need to prepare for future eruptions.
Volcanic eruptions contributed to collapse of China dynasties
Volcanic eruptions contributed to the collapse of dynasties in China in the last 2,000 years by temporarily cooling the climate and affecting agriculture, according to a new study. Large eruptions create a cloud that blocks some sunlight for a year or two. That reduces warming of the land in Asia in the summer and leads to a weaker monsoon and less rainfall, reducing crop harvests.
Humans hastened the extinction of the woolly mammoth
New research shows that humans had a significant role in the extinction of woolly mammoths in Eurasia, occurring thousands of years later than previously thought. An international team of scientists has revealed a 20,000-year pathway to extinction for the woolly mammoth.
Global temperatures over last 24,000 years show today's warming 'unprecedented'
An effort to reconstruct Earth's climate since the last ice age, about 24,000 years ago, highlights the main drivers of climate change and how far out of bounds human activity has pushed the climate system.
Why did glacial cycles intensify a million years ago?
A study says the Mid-Pleistocene Transition may have been linked to previous erosion of continental soils that subsequently allowed glaciers to stick to the underlying hard bedrock more efficiently.
Save the planet (and your health) by steering clear of sweets and pastries
Need another reason to cut back on sugary foods and drinks, apart from an expanding waistline? They're not helping the environment, contributing to a higher cropland, water scarcity and ecological footprint, according to a new review.
Black carbon aerosols heating Arctic: Large contribution from mid-latitude biomass burning
Researchers have revealed that the year-to-year spring variation in Arctic black carbon aerosol abundance is strongly correlated with biomass burning in the mid-latitudes. Moreover, current models underestimate the contribution of BC from biomass burning by a factor of three.
1,000 years of glacial ice reveal 'prosperity and peril' in Europe
Europe's past prosperity and failure, driven by climate changes, has been revealed using thousand-year-old pollen, spores and charcoal particles fossilized in glacial ice. This first analysis of microfossils preserved in European glaciers unveils earlier-than-expected evidence of air pollution and the roots of modern invasive species problems.
Is ski tourism heading downhill due to climate change?
Is ski tourism on a downward slope or can winter holiday resorts weather the ongoing impact of climate change? Researchers investigated the impacts of melting snow and ice on the future of tourism.
Increased frequency of extreme ice melting in Greenland raises global flood risk
Global warming has caused extreme ice melting events in Greenland to become more frequent and more intense over the past 40 years according to new research, raising sea levels and flood risk worldwide.
Runoff, sediment flux in High Mountain Asia could limit food, energy for millions
Rivers flowing from the Tibetan Plateau and the surrounding high Asian mountains which support one-third of the world's population have experienced rapid increases in annual water and sediment runoff since the 1990s, and the volume of sediment washed downstream could more than double by 2050 under the worst-case scenario, a team of scientists has found.
Polar bear diet may indicate prey distribution changes due to climate shifts
How are warming temperatures and a loss of sea ice affecting polar bears and their marine mammal prey in the Arctic? A York University-led research team used a novel approach to the question by monitoring what polar bears eat across Nunavut and where they are catching their prey.
Clues from the ancient past can help predict abrupt climate change
Climate 'tipping points' can be better understood and predicted using climate change data taken from the ancient past, new research shows.
Northern lakes warming six times faster in the past 25 years
Lakes in the Northern Hemisphere are warming six times faster since 1992 than any other time period in the last 100 years, new research has found.
Some of the world’s oldest rubies linked to early life
While analyzing some of the world's oldest colored gemstones, researchers discovered carbon residue that was once ancient life, encased in a 2.5 billion-year-old ruby.
Changing ocean currents are driving extreme winter weather
Slower ocean circulation as the result of climate change could intensify extreme cold weather in the U.S., according to new research.
Ancient driftwood tracks 500 years of Arctic warming and sea ice
A new study reconstructs the path of frozen trees as they made their way across the Arctic Ocean over 500 years, giving scientists a unique look into changes in sea ice and currents over the last half millennium. By dating and tracing pieces of driftwood on beaches in Svalbard, Norway's archipelago in the Arctic Circle, scientists have determined where these fallen trees floated.
Lakes are changing worldwide: Human activities to blame
Worldwide, lake temperatures are rising and seasonal ice cover is shorter and thiner. This effects lake ecosystems, drinking water supply and fishing. International research now shows that these global changes in lake temperature and ice cover are not due to natural climate variability. They can only be explained by massive greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Revolution. To demonstrate this, the team has developed multiple computer simulations with models of lakes on a global scale, on which they ran a series of climate models. The researchers found clear similarities between the observed changes in lakes and model simulations of lakes in a climate influenced by greenhouse gas emissions. Besides measuring the historical impact of climate change, the team also analyzed various future climate scenarios.