Little Ice Age: The Cause Of Climate Change

The little ice age gave us a glimpse as to how climate change can affect our society. This is especially important today as we stand on the brink of another environmental catastrophe. The acceleration of greenhouse gas output has irrevocably changed how mankind affects the environment. The lessons that we can learn from studying the little ice age may lead us to understanding what we can do stop this process.

Is climate change caused by mankind or is it simply a natural occurrence? If the answer were as easy as “yes, it is 100% caused by humans,” or “no it’s not at all caused by humans,” there would be very little room for argument. Two questions need to be investigated: 1) Is it probable that such a young species could really be responsible for causing enough air pollution in approximately 250 years, from the 1700’s to mid 1900’s, to alter the climate of the entire planet? 2) Is it probable that mankind’s industrialization from the

The human race all around the world wonders if the climate is changing due to human activity or if it is just a natural occurrence. At certain parts of the Earth's surface, the climate can be observed much differently than other locations. As the years go by the average temperature of the Earth increases by little intervals. There are several different reasons why people believe the climate is changing every year. However, the increase of worldwide population and production of heat to the atmosphere is due to the increase of human activities that take place on a daily basis. Human activity is the main cause of the global climate change. The human impact on climate exceeds any known changes due to natural processes. The impact of this human activity is often misunderstood when looking at climate change.

This report focuses on an event that occurred a long time ago, known as the Little Ice Age. A description of what it is, how it began, how long it lasted, whether it was instantaneous or consistent over time, and how it is related to climate change are included in this paper. What the cause for the Little Ice Age and its effects and impact on society in the past, present, and future are discussed. Furthermore, the positive and negative feedback loops part of the Little Ice Age are addressed, and any future projections of an event similar to this are also talked about. Finally, a drawing of the various interactions between the event and each sphere of the Earth- the Hydrosphere, Biosphere, Lith¬osphere, Atmosphere- is included towards the end of the report. There are two interactions for each sphere. A conclusion wrapping all that was discussed in the report is encompassed within this paper. The Little Ice Age and its relation and impact on the climate and the Earth System are the major focus of this report.

Europe had experienced a general cooling of the climate between years 1150 and 1460 and a very cold climate between 1560 and 1850. This event came to be known as the “Little Ice Age.” This cold weather had impact on agriculture, health, economics, emigration, and art and literature . The term “Little Ice Age” was named by Francois Matthes in 1939 to describe the most destructive climate drop in Europe. This ice age was consisted of mountain glaciers which brought temperatures as low as 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Numerous people got sick and some were even killed and starved to death because of a famine. Farms and villages were lost due to the cold weather. It is unknown on what caused this “Little Ice Age.” We do know that this event impacted

The reading states that several possible causes have been proposed what caused the Little Ice Age and provides three reasons of support. However, the professor states that the authors' reasons are outdated and opposes each of the authors' reasons.

According to (Wikipedia 2015) The Little Ice Age was a period of cooling that occurred from about 1350 Ad to 1850 AD. When the little ice age actually started it debated by many climatologist and historians claiming it starting from anywhere between the 13th and 16th century and ending between the 18th and 19th century. However NASA has defined The Little Ice Age as a cold period between AD 1550 and AD 1850, in which there was 3 particularly cold periods in this time. The timing of The Little Ice age is not the only uncertainty as the areas affected by the global cooling is also widely debated. Though it generally agreed that Europe and North America experienced cooling from the little ice age as they were subjected to much colder winters than during the 20th century (H.H. Lamb et. Al from Environmental History Resources n.d). Another uncertainity of the The Little Ice age is what exactly caused the the Little Ice age. Three of the most likley and well-known caused are solar acivity, volcanic erruptions and thermoaline circulation.

A few centuries ago there was a Mini ice age dubbed little ice age. Some believed major contributors-large volcanic eruption and ‘lower solar output’(less solar activity). Solar activity has been rapidly decreasing (2009 lowest in a century). More CO2, less insulation needed to drop. 2009 is the lowest solar activity level in over 100 years. It would take 2.6 million years for the world to enter an interglacial period and to reach a glacial trigger. The glaciation trigger is the required drop in summer insulation.

The reading states that there were three theories that scientists proposed to be what caused the little ice age, and provides three reasons of support. However, the professor opposes this by saying unfortunately these three theories are outdated and scientists have been found new proposals, and refutes each of the author`s reasons.

Ice cores taken from the Arctic have shown that carbon dioxide levels are much higher now than the last thousands of years. The higher amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere means warmer temperatures. There is now stronger evidence linking the warming of the ice to human activity. Global warming is caused by the green house gases, which leads to the melting of the ice, thereby affecting the ecosystem. Therefore, there is a need for everyone to reduce the amount of carbon emissions that causes the warming effect.

Scientific evidence suggests that human activity like agriculture, urbanization and industrialization have influenced climate change. Clearing land and building cities up for agriculture results in changing the climate. This is because the population is increasing rapidly and the demand to use fossil fuels in our everyday life is also increasing. Increasing use for fossil fuels, industrialization and deforestation has a huge impact on the climate. Enhanced greenhouse gases are an increase in natural greenhouse gases impacted by mankind. The major cause of greenhouse gases is the increase in carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide being released in the atmosphere. If greenhouse gases continue to be produced at the same rate as it did in 2000, then there will be a 0.1-degree change in temperature per decade. This isn’t likely to happen though because of the dramatic need for fossil fuel.

Researches reveal that natural events as well as human related activities contribute to changes in average global temperatures. AtKisson affirms that global warming is basically a result of increased emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This atmospheric carbon dioxide (co2) comes from anthropogenic (caused by humans) sources. The concentration of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, nitrous gases, and methane in the atmosphere has increased evidently due to human activities since 1800. NASA’s article adds:

The mini ice age, or Little Ice Age (LIA), was a period of time characterized by a decrease in temperatures worldwide. Although there are no definite times for the start and end of the Little Ice Age, it is generally accepted that it occurred from approximately 1300 CE to 1850 CE. The coldest stage of this time lasted from around 1645 to 1715. Also, the expansion of mountain glaciers in several locations was a distinctive feature of the Little Ice Age. The event had various effects and its origins are disputable.

Climate change. It is a continuously growing issue today. However, it is not a new phenomenon. In fact, climate change has been occurring for tens of thousands of years. It began around twenty thousand years ago when the Earth was in the Ice Age, an era when the planet was entirely frozen. When the Ice Age ended, climate change was underway and human lifestyle began to experience great transformations. These alterations have allowed humans to evolve from hunters and gatherers into a more diversified society, one where they thrived more than ever before. Due to climate change, human beings migrated to the Americas and developed technologies, languages, and agricultural methods to organize their societies from 14,000 BCE to 1400 CE.

Throughout history, Earth has had variations in climate during different periods of time. Many of these climate changes show no relation at all to human activities, and “we are told that the Earth climate is changing, but Earth´s climate is always changing” (The Great Global Warming Swindle). It is scientifically proven that when sunspots (black spots that appear in the sun´s surface) increase, global temperature also does. Data collected and charts made by a group of scientists show that there is a higher correlation of sunspots and global temperature than there is on CO2 and global temperature (See chart on page 7). Earth´s warming began before the invention of cars and planes, when industrialization was insignificant.