Dr. Nicolas Young researches the past and present state of the Greenland Ice Sheet, in order to compare how temperature has contributed to the size of the glacier. Here are some of his most interesting findings.
- Changes in climate could occur more rapidly than originally predicted (Typically thought of as a long-term process, but evidence such as the rapid change in ice cover between 8,000 and 6,000 years ago might prove otherwise)
- During the Holocene Era (4000-6000 years ago), the temperature in Greenland was even warmer than it is currently. However, there weren't as stark differences in the Greenlandic ice cover as one may think. Therefore, there is reason to believe there might be factors in addition to temperature that predict ice cover.
It is important to remember that although the temperature has changed over time. Pre-human temperatures were to be expected. During the Holocene Era, it was expected that the temperature would be hot. 8.2K years ago, it was expected that the temperature would be frigid. Currently, we are supposed to be going into a glacial period, and yet temperatures are warming. That is how we know humans are contributing to climate change.
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