Staggering through the ice ages
Because the steady orbital cycles of earth, thought to control the ice ages, cannot easily account for the evidence of repeated rapid climatic shifts during the last ice age. Without knowing what made the iceage climate so in temperate, scientists cannot tell whether today's interglacial period is immune to the sudden swings. Information about climate instability has emerged from two drilling projects in the middle of Greenland where crews bored through the 3-kilometer think glacial cap. This paper describes the discoveries and the evidence for rapid climatic shifts, including conflicting results from different sites. The concerns about global warming are making questions about these shifts of increased interest. The possibility exists that modern climate harbors an inherently unstable element that could trigger wild wings in response to the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gases. On the other hand sudden climatic shifts might have been unique to the ice-age Earth.
- OSTI ID:
- 6856085
- Journal Information:
- Science News (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Vol. 146:5; ISSN 0036-8423
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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