Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Long-Lost Lake Offers Clues to Climate Change (Younger Dryas)
University of Cincinnati ^ | October 5, 2011 | Greg Hand

Posted on 10/05/2011 4:33:36 PM PDT by decimon

Not long ago, geologically speaking, a now-vanished lake covered a huge expanse of today’s Canadian prairie. As big as Hudson Bay, the lake was fed by melting glaciers as they receded at the end of the last ice age. At its largest, Glacial Lake Agassiz, as it is known, covered most of the Canadian province of Manitoba, plus a good part of western Ontario. A southern arm straddled the Minnesota-North Dakota border.

Not far from the ancient shore of Lake Agassiz, University of Cincinnati Professor of Geology Thomas Lowell will present a paper about the lake to the Geological Society of America annual meeting in Minneapolis. Lowell’s paper is one of 14 to be presented Oct. 10 in a session titled: “Glacial Lake Agassiz—Its History and Influence on North America and on Global Systems: In Honor of James T. Teller.”

Although Lake Agassiz is gone, questions about its origin and disappearance remain. Answers to those questions may provide clues to our future climate. One question involves Lake Agassiz’ role in a thousand-year cold snap known as the Younger Dryas.

As the last ice age ended, thousands of years of warming temperatures were interrupted by an abrupt shift to cold. Tundra conditions expanded southward, to cover the land exposed as the forests retreated. This colder climate is marked in the fossil record by a flowering plant known as Dryas, which gives the period its name.

“My work focuses on abrupt or rapid climate change,” Lowell said. “The Younger Dryas offers an opportunity to study such change. The climate then went from warming to cooling very rapidly, in less than 30 years or so.”

(Excerpt) Read more at uc.edu ...


TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: canada; catastrophism; godsgravesglyphs; lakeagassiz; manitoba; minnesota; northdakota; onterio

1 posted on 10/05/2011 4:33:42 PM PDT by decimon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

Evaporative ping.


2 posted on 10/05/2011 4:36:26 PM PDT by decimon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: decimon
"The climate then went from warming to cooling very rapidly, in less than 30 years or so.”

Well...look at that.....I just HOPE we are not headed that way!

3 posted on 10/05/2011 5:00:30 PM PDT by goodnesswins (My Kid/Grandkids are NOT your ATM, liberals! (Sarah Palin))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: goodnesswins
"The climate then went from warming to cooling very rapidly, in less than 30 years or so.”

Well...look at that.....I just HOPE we are not headed that way!

Yes, let's not HOPE for this CHANGE.

4 posted on 10/05/2011 5:11:47 PM PDT by decimon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: decimon
Just goes to show that long before SUVs and pickup trucks, during a massive warming trend a massive cooling trend appears out of nowhere.

To think we can predict, let alone manage such trends; is the height of hubris.

5 posted on 10/05/2011 5:14:30 PM PDT by cicero2k
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: decimon; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...

 GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach
Thanks decimon.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.


6 posted on 10/05/2011 7:00:52 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: 75thOVI; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; Avoiding_Sulla; ...

Thanks decimon.




7 posted on 10/05/2011 7:06:04 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: decimon

In college I was taught that most of the drainage after the great ice sheets receded was caused by isotatic rebound...the earth rising up after the weight of trillions of tons of ice was melted off. That’s why you don’t see huge lakes south of the Great Lakes or many as many natural lakes as Canada has. Supposedly we are still undergoing isostatic rebound, and more water will eventually drain off.


8 posted on 10/05/2011 7:37:17 PM PDT by driftless2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cicero2k

But but but...

If we especially tax western industrialism out of existence and allow for unrestricted industrial growth in third world countries, financed by the first world country, of course...

Then the Global Warmening Doom spirit will pass by our gentle gaia.

This would be even better if we just eliminated humanity, what with humans being just parasites on the hide of poor, miserable mistreated mommy gaia!

Al Gore said so, so it must be true!


9 posted on 10/05/2011 8:36:34 PM PDT by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: decimon; SunkenCiv

Looks like he has to pitch this a “climate change” research to get his funding. Whatever. It’s an interesting topic.


10 posted on 10/06/2011 11:47:02 AM PDT by colorado tanker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: colorado tanker

Yeah, which means some global warming demagogue didn’t get the funding for some kind of parasitic activity. :’)


11 posted on 10/06/2011 3:26:51 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's never a bad time to FReep this link -- https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: decimon

Wow.


12 posted on 10/06/2011 3:45:40 PM PDT by El Sordo (The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: El Sordo
Wow.

Yes, I am impressive. What did you think of the article.

13 posted on 10/06/2011 3:59:33 PM PDT by decimon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: El Sordo

I guess I’d have been more impressive if I’d used a question mark.


14 posted on 10/06/2011 4:02:47 PM PDT by decimon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson