Warm Mid-Pliocene a Warning for Today’s Warming Arctic
31.12.2009 - Atmosphere & Space, Water & Oceans, Land & Geology, Ice & Snow, Arctic
Scientists from the US Geological Survey found that the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic Seas were too warm to support summer sea ice during the mid-Pliocene warm period (3.3 to 3 million years ago) in a study published in Stratigraphy.
Through the analysis of fossils from the mid-Pliocene, scientists were able to find that the heat distribution patterns were very different from today. This period was characterized by warm temperatures similar to those projected for the end of this century (between 10 to 18°C), and can thus be used as an analogue to understand projected conditions.
By studying past climate conditions, scientists gain crucial information to better understand the Earth’s climate systems. Studies such as this one help scientists refine climate models, which are fundamental in assessing the potential consequences of sea ice depletion, including:
- Contributions to continued Arctic warming
- Accelerated coastal erosion due to increased wave activity
- Impacts to large predators that depend on sea ice cover
- Intensified mid-latitude storm tracks and increased winter precipitation in western and southern Europe
- Less rainfall in the American West
