Little Ice Age

[jimbeaux]

Just watching this on the History Channel. It appears that between 1300-1800 AD, the world's temperatures were about 4-6 degrees lower on average. The reasons for this is still being studied. 4-6 degrees seems small, but can cause major changes. After the colder Dark ages, the Middle ages (900-1300 AD)warmed up slightly. This caused a boom in agriculture and population, as well as a drop in diseases. After 1300, this 4-6 degree drop caused things like recurring famines that may have led to the French Revolution of the 18th century. The temp changes slowed traditional crops like cereal. Potatoes fared well. Europe switched to potatoes as a staple, the French refused to adapt. It all came to a head in 1789. The Frost Fair in London, when apparently the Thames would freeze over, was an annual event. Does it still freeze now? Is its melting maybe less due to manmade global warming as cyclic natural warming? The weakened condition of the famine-racked people in the 14th century along with the indoor huddling(with warmth-seeking rats)may have caused or increased the severity of the Black Death. They even go on to tell how slight temperature changes allowed Britain to begin growing wine in regions unfertile before, thus, challenging French wine dominance. The Vikings were doing well with colonial experiments on Greenland until the Little Ice Age wore them down. Had this not happened, European Colonialism may have begun 500 years earlier than Columbus. The Little Ice Age is listed as the reason the US drinks 11 times more beer than wine. The Little Ice Age caused wine to only grow in southern Europe. The northern peoples made grain spirits.Since US immigration came mostly from these northern peoples, they brought the beer culture with them. There is more, but the program is still playing in the background. I just thought it was an interesting bit of science that influences us today as well as a testimony to NATURAL global cooling and warming cycles. I am churning this out while listening to the show, so please forgive the rambling manner and any mistakes I may be laying out. Below is a quote interesting to Brits


"The cultivation of grapes for wine making was extensive throughout the southern portion of England from about 1100 to around 1300 (Lamb 1965). This represents a northward latitude extension of about 500 km from where grapes are presently grown in France and Germany. Grapes were also grown in the north of France and Germany at this time, areas which even today do not sustain commercial vineyards. The grape production in England was more than that of local farmers for their own use. The amount of wine produced in England during this period was substantial enough to provide significant economic competition with the producers in France. With the coming of the 1400s, temperatures became too cold for sustained grape production, and the vineyards in these northern latitudes ceased to exist. It is interesting to note that at the present time the climate is still unfavorable for wine production in these areas."


http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/lia/little_ice_a

www.grisda.org/origins/10051.htm





>> Edited by jimbeaux on Monday 9th January 02:15

[mybrainhurts]

This is where our warming doomsayers fall down...

According to their models, predicting imminent warming, those periods of cooling and warming never existed.

History tells us otherwise.....

[RobDickinson]

Historicaly the earth is usualy a lot warmer than it is now, its only recently its ever been so cold.

What is a problem, for us and life as it is now, is relativly sharp changes in conditions, but these have happened naturaly before.

Remember its all from our point of view, the planet as a whole just gets on with whatever is happening and adapts.