Oxygen gas in ice cores has shown evidence for abrupt climate change.
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Image Courtesy of Zina Deretsky/National Science Foundation
Global Warming Can Impact Monsoons and Lower Crop Production
News story originally written on June 11, 2009
Scientists have been studying air that was captured in ice cores and ancient stalagmites found in caves to learn more about past climates. The ice cores were collected from different locations in Antarctica and Greenland. They contain air bubbles that were trapped when the ice.
They found that climate warmed very quickly about 14,700 years ago. When this happened, there were more monsoon rains and more vegetation growth for at least 200 years.
This shift happened over a few decades, which is a very quick time period for climate to change. The researchers warn knowing what happened to past climate may not help us predict future conditions. Monsoon rains play an important role in helping many people on Earth, so this connection between climate change and monsoon patterns may be an dangerous sign of what climate change in the 21st century may bring.
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