Ruins may be Viking hunting outpost in Greenland

Reuters ^ | July 28, 2008 | Alister Doyle

[SunkenCiv]

Knut Espen Solberg, leader of 'The Melting Arctic' project mapping changes in the north, said the remains uncovered in past weeks in west Greenland may also be new evidence that the climate was less chilly about 1,000 years ago than it is today.

'We found something that most likely was a dock, made of rocks, for big ships up to 20-30 metres (60-90 ft) long,' he told Reuters by satellite phone from a yacht off Greenland. He said further study and carbon dating were needed to pinpoint the site's age...

Viking accounts speak of hunting stations for walrus, seals and polar bears in west Greenland. Inuit hunters also lived in the area.

In a Medieval warm period, trees and crops grew on parts of Greenland. The Vikings disappeared in the 14th century, coinciding with a little-understood shift to a cooler climate.

Solberg said that the expedition, linked to Norwegian climate research institutes and including an archaeologist, reckoned the dock was probably built by Vikings because the Inuit only used small kayaks and had no need for a large quay.

The team, which came upon the ruins during their expedition, also found remains of several small stone buildings nearby. Both Inuit and Vikings had similar building styles.

Christian Keller, a professor of archaeology at Oslo University, was quoted as telling the daily Aftenposten that the buildings were similar to Viking structures in west Norway but that the dock was unlike known Viking quays.

Any carbon dating placing the site between 900-1400 would make it 'an exciting find' from the Vikings, he said. A later date could mean it was built by European whalers in the 16th century.

[SunkenCiv]

I'm amazed that evidence supporting natural climate change is discounted with the boilerplate b.s. from global warming demagogues.

[SunkenCiv]

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[GreyFriar]

Yep, the planet’s been warmer than now and colder than now. Only the “now” generation thinks that “now” is the permanent normal.

[GreyFriar]

Whoops, lost my tag line

[isrul]

The engines on 60 to 90 foot ships could cause global warming. The vikings ran out of oil and the earth cooled. What's so hard to understand? Any US school text book would probably say pretty much the same thing. Or soon will.

[CholeraJoe]

Now if it were carbon dated to 600-800 AD, it would validate Mowat’s belief that the Vikings weren’t the first Europeans to colonize the West coast of Greenland or North America.

[Publius6961]

Knut Espen Solberg, leader of 'The Melting Arctic' project mapping changes in the north, said the remains uncovered in past weeks in west Greenland may also be new evidence that the climate was less chilly about 1,000 years ago than it is today.

And as with the mental midgets of today, many masquerading as scientists, if the "leaders" then had as much press as they do now, they would decide that that was the "proper" world temperature or the world would end.

History has never had a shortage of idiots. Just increased means of exposure for the usual tiny percentage who are.

[Gumdrop]

I am certain that these findings will not be reported widely in the news media - for it will prove that at one time Greenland was actually settled and GREEN! Amazing, isn’t it? Who would have believed it? Not Al Gore. Perhaps the historians were telling fables when they wrote about the Vikings in Greenland.

Any proof of actual settlements must be hushed up!

[gardengirl]

Well, if they built docks under glaciers, wouldn’t that mean they had subs? Oh, no wait....

LMAO here.

Thanks, SC for another great article!

[colorado tanker]

Global warming is the perfect issue for the left, enabling them to regulate every aspect of the economy and personal life, all in the name of "the environment" and "saving the planet."

The won't give up on the issue until the next little ice age - or its big daddy.

[lesser_satan]

We found something that most likely was a dock, made of rocks,

But it wasn't a rock
It was a ROCK LOBSTA!

[doodad]

A later date could mean it was built by European whalers in the 16th century

So, it was also warmer some 500 years ago. I wonder how many other times?

[doodad]

Farley Mowat? What is the belief; I am not familiar with it.

[epluribus_2]

How come all the polar bears did not die then? I suppose the Icelandic Althing (assembly) put them on the endangered list and banned town-burning on all plunder trips.

[GladesGuru]

There is also the possibility the quay was made by the Chinese. They had quite a presence on what is now Cape Breton Island, according to Paul Chiasson who authored The Island Of Seven Cities.

That might account for the differences in the quay described in the article.

[beebuster2000]

have you noticed that EVERY article on climate MUST have the obligatory tag line in there somewhere about man made GW. It’s almost like the writers need some kind of holy incantation to protect themselves against being accused of being heretics. Very eerie IMHO.

[MaineConservative]

I guess the Vikings were driving SUVs around Greenland. I believe the best selling SUV was the Fjord!

[The Lumster]

...the remains uncovered in past weeks in west Greenland may also be new evidence that the climate was less chilly about 1,000 years ago than it is today.

So when it started getting cold they moved to Minnesota and built a domed stadium?

[theBuckwheat]

>>
In a Medieval warm period, trees and crops grew on parts of Greenland. The Vikings disappeared in the 14th century, coinciding with a little-understood shift to a cooler climate.
<<

LITTLE-UNDERSTOOD?? But hardly a week passes without some sell-funded scientist assuring us that their current model just proves beyond any doubt that we must reorder human life on a grand scale or WE WILL ALL DIE!

Yet, we find buried in an al-Reuters piece that a very important change in the global climate is LITTLE-UNDERSTOOD.

The wheels are coming off AGW while we watch.

[theBuckwheat]

sell-funded => well-funded