Article Abstract:
An understanding of how climate events in the Northern and Southern hemispheres are related is one of the main issues of climate dynamics. A new study uses the atmospheric methane concentrations of air bubbles trapped in ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica to determine the timing of temperature change in the two regions. It is found that, on average, climate change in Greenland lagged that of the Antarctic by 1000-2500 years during the last interglacial period. Such a time delay suggests that the oceans play an important part in transmitting climate changes.
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Article Abstract:
Analysis of an ice core from Greenland indicates that interglacial periods do not normally have as stable a climate as the current Holocene period displays. The stable-isotope record indicates that climate can change drastically within as little as a few decades. This implies that the current climate may not stay stable as pollutants and greenhouse gasses are added. The last interglacial may also have lasted longer than previously thought.
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Article Abstract:
The unexpectedly large temperature differences between the new record from northern Greenland and the undistributed sections of the cores from central Greenland that suggests that the extent of ice in the Northern Hemisphere modulated the latitudinal temperature gradients in Greenland is investigated. The record showed a slow decline in tempertaures that marked the initiation of the past glacial period.
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic: