130430 Global temperatures highest in 4,000 years

Ian Bunn
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130430 Global temperatures highest in 4,000 years
130430 Global temperatures highest in 4,000 years

Justin Gillis the American 2011 Oakes Award winner for Distinguished Environmental Journalism for his ongoing multimedia series, Temperature Rising, which examines the fundamental tenets of manmade climate change, has published an article in the New York Times titled ‘Global Temperatures Highest in 4,000 Years’. Gillis states “Global temperatures are warmer than at any time in at least 4,000 years, scientists reported, and over the coming decades are likely to surpass levels not seen on the planet since before the last ice age. …Previous research had extended back roughly 1,500 years, and suggested that the rapid temperature spike of the past century, believed to be a consequence of human activity, exceeded any warming episode during those years. The new work confirms that result while suggesting the modern warming is unique over a longer period. Even if the temperature increase from human activity that is projected for later this century comes out on the low end of estimates, scientists said, the planet will be at least as warm as it was during the warmest periods of the modern geological era, known as the Holocene, and probably warmer than that. That epoch began about 12,000 years ago, after changes in incoming sunshine caused vast ice sheets to melt across the Northern Hemisphere. Scientists believe the moderate climate of the Holocene set the stage for the rise of human civilization roughly 8,000 years ago and continues to sustain it by, for example, permitting a high level of food production. In the new research… Shaun Marcott, an earth scientist at Oregon State University, and his colleagues compiled the most meticulous reconstruction yet of global temperatures over the past 11,300 years, virtually the entire Holocene. They used indicators like the distribution of microscopic, temperature-sensitive ocean creatures to determine past climate. …The modern rise that has recreated the temperatures of 5,000 years ago is occurring at an exceedingly rapid clip on a geological time scale, appearing in graphs in the new paper as a sharp vertical spike. If the rise continues apace, early Holocene temperatures are likely to be surpassed within this century, Dr. Marcott said.” Inspired by Justin Gillis, New York Times ow.ly/jBgYJ Image source UGA ow.ly/jBgWU

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Taken on: April 1, 2013
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