[Christian Engineer Mass]

“They want to see if the logs provide clues about the ice levels in the area at that time”

I’m sure such a thing could and will be interpreted any way you like.

[muawiyah]

It's not interpretive at all to note that the earliest voyages from Russia to Alaska took place through the Arctic ocean.

Russian Ice Breakers can do that easily these days, but in times past with wooden boats, such trips could occur only with reasonably open water for several months of the year.

It's much more important to note that once the Russians got to Alaska they found it necessary to sail South to California to find a source of fresh vegetables. Otherwise their settlements in Alaska would perish.

Today folks grow gardens in the Aleutians and in Alaska with ease.

There are regional climate changes that are not all good, nor bad, nor consistent with either warming or cooling in all respects. Technology changes too.

[decimon]

“They want to see if the logs provide clues about the ice levels in the area at that time”

I’m sure such a thing could and will be interpreted any way you like.

You can make the data fit the scheme. Guess we'll have to wait three years to know.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Haven’t we been in a long term trend of global warming since the end of the last ice age?

And haven’t there been numerous ice ages during earth’s history?

The end of the last ice age was not triggered by Cro-Magnon man or Neanderthals driving SUVs or operating coal-fired power plants, so what exactly caused global warming events in the past?