Skip to comments.
Major Climate Change Occurred 5,200 Years Ago: Evidence Suggests That History Could Repeat Itself
Space and Earth Science News ^
| December 16, 2004
Posted on 12/17/2004 10:57:17 PM PST by snarks_when_bored
|
|
Major Climate Change Occurred 5,200 Years Ago: Evidence Suggests That History Could Repeat Itself December 16, 2004
Glaciologist Lonnie Thompson worries that he may have found clues that show history repeating itself, and if he is right, the result could have important implications to modern society.
Thompson has spent his career trekking to the far corners of the world to find remote ice fields and then bring back cores drilled from their centers. Within those cores are the records of ancient climate from across the globe.
|
From the mountains of data drawn by analyzing countless ice cores, and a meticulous review of sometimes obscure historic records, Thompson and his research team at Ohio State University are convinced that the global climate has changed dramatically.
But more importantly, they believe it has happened at least once before, and the results were nearly catastrophic to emerging cultures at the time. He outlined his interpretations and fears today at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.
A professor of geological sciences at Ohio State and a researcher with the Byrd Polar Research Center, Thompson points to markers in numerous records suggesting that the climate was altered suddenly some 5,200 years ago with severe impacts.
He points to perfectly preserved plants he discovered that recently emerged from the Quelccaya ice cap in the Peruvian Andes as that glacier retreats. This monstrous glacier, some 551 feet (168 meters) deep, has shown an exponentially increasing rate of retreat since his first observations in 1963.
The plants were carbon-dated to determine their age and tests indicated they had been buried by the ice for perhaps 5,200 years. That suggests that somehow, the climate had shifted suddenly and severely to capture the plants and preserve them until now.
In 1991, hikers found the preserved body of a man trapped in an Alpine glacier and freed as it retreated. Later tests showed that the human dubbed Oetzi became trapped and died around 5,200 years ago.
Thompson points to a study of tree rings from Ireland and England that span a period of 7,000 years. The point in that record when the tree rings were narrowest suggesting the driest period experienced by the trees was approximately 5,200 years ago.
He points to ice core records showing the ratio of two oxygen isotopes retrieved from the ice fields atop Africas Mount Kilimanjaro. A proxy for atmospheric temperature at the time snow fell, the records are at their lowest 5,200 years before now.
He lists the shift by the Sahara Desert from a habitable region to a barren desert; major changes in plant pollen uncovered from lakebed cores in South America, and the record lowest levels of methane retrieved from ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica and all occurred at the same time 5,200 years ago.
Something happened back at this time and it was monumental, Thompson said. But it didnt seem monumental to humans then because there were only approximately 250 million people occupying the planet, compared to the 6.4 billion we now have.
The evidence clearly points back to this point in history and to some event that occurred. It also points to similar changes occurring in todays climate as well, he said.
To me, these are things we really need to be concerned about. The impact of a climate change of that magnitude on a modern world would be tremendous, he said. Seventy percent of the population lives in the worlds tropics and major climate changes would directly impact most of them.
Thompson believes that the 5,200-year old event may have been caused by a dramatic fluctuation in solar energy reaching the earth. Scientists know that a historic global cooling called the Little Ice Age, from 1450 to 1850 A.D., coincided with two periods of decreased solar activity.
Evidence shows that around 5,200 years ago, solar output first dropped precipitously and then surged over a short period. It is this huge solar energy oscillation that Thompson believes may have triggered the climate change he sees in all those records.
The climate system is remarkably sensitive to natural variability, he said. Its likely that it is equally sensitive to effects brought on by human activity, changes like increased greenhouse gases, altered land-use policies and fossil-fuel dependence.
Any prudent person would agree that we dont yet understand the complexities with the climate system and, since we dont, we should be extremely cautious in how much we tweak the system, he said.
The evidence is clear that a major climate change is underway.
Source: Ohio State University |
TOPICS: Science; Society
KEYWORDS: 5200yearsago; archaeology; blacksea; blackseaflood; climatechange; climatehistory; ggg; glaciers; godsgravesglyphs; grandcanyon; greatflood; history; noah; noahsflood; oetzitheiceman; solaroutputvariation; suv; suvs; unusualconditions
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-54 next last
To: snarks_when_bored
3200 BC is usually marked as the start of the bronze age.
So, clearly, the climatic changes were man made.
21
posted on
12/18/2004 3:23:57 AM PST
by
Lokibob
(All typos and spelling errors are mine and copyrighted!!!!)
To: snarks_when_bored
22
posted on
12/18/2004 3:33:52 AM PST
by
Lokibob
(All typos and spelling errors are mine and copyrighted!!!!)
To: Lokibob
So, clearly, the climatic changes were man made. So clearly?!?!!? Mind explaining this clear as mud finding 3200BC marked by the start of the Bronze Age? This is in light of today's understanding or lack of understanding of statistical variability now and then. Kinda weak correlation don't you think?
23
posted on
12/18/2004 5:30:54 AM PST
by
SIRTRIS
To: SIRTRIS
Do all sarcastic remarks have to contain sarcastic tags?
Lighten up!!!!
24
posted on
12/18/2004 6:57:08 AM PST
by
Lokibob
(All typos and spelling errors are mine and copyrighted!!!!)
To: snarks_when_bored; farmfriend; Dog Gone; Carry_Okie
"But more importantly, they believe it has happened at least once before, and the results were nearly catastrophic to emerging cultures at the time."Kinda reminds me of this data and model...
"In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." Genesis 7:11
Something drastic happened then that changed the lifespans drastically and suddenly from Noah's 600+ years, down to Abraham's 120, or so. Something must have changed in the "firmament," also known as the "heavens" in those days... The timing would have been about 5200 years ago, as well!!!
25
posted on
12/18/2004 8:32:24 AM PST
by
SierraWasp
(Ronald Reagan was an exceptional "celebrity!" Jesse Ventura & Arnold Schwarzenrenegger are NOT!!!)
To: snarks_when_bored
It appears that 5,200 years ago, something fairly catastrophic happened to Earth...
We will survive this one too.
5.56mm
26
posted on
12/18/2004 8:35:14 AM PST
by
M Kehoe
To: Restorer
"Flatly untrue."Good catch!!!
27
posted on
12/18/2004 8:52:09 AM PST
by
SierraWasp
(Ronald Reagan was an exceptional "celebrity!" Jesse Ventura & Arnold Schwarzenrenegger are NOT!!!)
To: DirtyHarryY2K
Oh brother! I hadn't quite gotten to your #19 when I posted my number 25!! Great minds run in the same groove!!!
28
posted on
12/18/2004 8:55:11 AM PST
by
SierraWasp
(Ronald Reagan was an exceptional "celebrity!" Jesse Ventura & Arnold Schwarzenrenegger are NOT!!!)
To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Seems to be a frequently reoccurring question.Yes. I think links to certain informational pages should be put on the front page or accessed somehow. Not my call though.
29
posted on
12/18/2004 10:33:17 AM PST
by
farmfriend
( Congratulation. You are everything we've come to expect from years of government training.)
To: SierraWasp
Yep, Seems their iceman is about the same age as Noah. I'm not sure about the time line though, because I don't know exactly how many years from Noah to Christ.
30
posted on
12/18/2004 11:38:59 AM PST
by
DirtyHarryY2K
(Perversion is not a civil right.)
To: blam; FairOpinion; Ernest_at_the_Beach; SunkenCiv; 24Karet; 3AngelaD; 4ConservativeJustices; ...
There isn't much to worry about, and, hey, what's that rumbling noise? Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
31
posted on
12/18/2004 2:58:51 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("All I have seen teaches me trust the Creator for all I have not seen." -- Emerson)
To: DirtyHarryY2K
"Yep, Seems their iceman is about the same age as Noah. I'm not sure about the time line though, because I don't know exactly how many years from Noah to Christ." If the Black Sea flood was Noah's, it was in 5,600BC.
32
posted on
12/18/2004 3:18:56 PM PST
by
blam
To: Lokibob
I've been away from my computer, so a belated thanks for that link to the Stanford site. I was very intrigued by the roughly contemporaneous events cited by Thompson, and your link is right on topic.
As for those events having been caused by the onset of the Bronze Age (per your post #21), what could be clearer?
Nature, good; humans, bad. Bad humans...bad, bad humans!
To: SierraWasp
If you could suggest a mechanism whereby some sort of climate catastrophe caused human lifespans to shrink (virtually overnight, in geological terms) from 600+ years to 70+ years, I'd be interested in hearing it.
To: M Kehoe
We will survive this one too.
That's what I'd bet on (said just before glancing up and noticing a fireball expanding to fill the entire sky from horizon to horiz
To: snarks_when_bored
Seems this guy collected data from many different places that had the same results. Also, his time date is about the time that history pertaining to man started. All of this fits into a time frame of 500 years or so. He could be right.
The question is how quick did it take to get cold and how long did it take to get warm and of course which is the norm. The cold or the warm.
When North America was settled by the Europeans we had horrible Winters. It would snow waist deep in Virginia and so on. Prior to that, the Vikings could plant crops in places like Greenland. It is clear there can be drastic climate changes but the question is what brings them on. Meteors strikes would be my best guess. What we do to the climate with man induced events are like trying to bail the ocean out with a bucket.
I don't personally think we can prevent something like this from happening except maybe locally in a city or something. What we have to do is make plans to survive something like this and carry on with our lives.
36
posted on
12/18/2004 3:50:59 PM PST
by
U S Army EOD
(John Kerry, the mother of all flip floppers.I)
To: NutCrackerBoy
I look forward to emigrating to Antarctica, and developing a ranch/farm complex. Maybe use glacial melt water to irrigate it, and on the side, sell bottled "pure glacier water" to the poor, deluded eviro-schmucks who stayed in the Pacific Northwest Desert, protecting the dead snags of the former rainforest from "exploitation".
37
posted on
12/18/2004 4:04:48 PM PST
by
ApplegateRanch
(The world needs more horses, and fewer Jackasses!)
To: snarks_when_bored
If what happened 5200 years ago also happened 5200 years before that, I would take the pattern to heart. At present we have speculation.
To: Molly Pitcher; TooBusy
missed you on the GGG ping.
39
posted on
12/18/2004 7:06:26 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
("All I have seen teaches me trust the Creator for all I have not seen." -- Emerson)
To: snarks_when_bored; SierraWasp
If you could suggest a mechanism whereby some sort of climate catastrophe caused human lifespans to shrink (virtually overnight, in geological terms) from 600+ years to 70+ years, I'd be interested in hearing it. Simple, earth lost its warp drive. The earth, due to the flood, couldn't get dilithiium crystals which had us zippin around the sun in about two months or so?
FGS
40
posted on
12/18/2004 8:21:09 PM PST
by
ForGod'sSake
(ABCNNBCBS: An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly.)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-54 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson