Articles tagged with Pleistocene Epoch
A team of scientists found that the dire wolf evolved in isolation from gray wolves and coyotes, with no evidence of interbreeding or gene flow between the two species. This discovery sheds light on the dire wolf's origins and evolution, revealing a unique genetic history.
New study reveals that Antarctic icebergs trigger chain reactions leading to prolonged cold temperatures. The research suggests a 'missing link' in the process that leads to ice ages, with implications for understanding climate change and future ocean circulation patterns.
Research suggests that changes in Antarctic Ocean surface waters stored more CO2 in the deep ocean during ice ages. Diatom fossils provided evidence of reduced wind-driven upwelling, linking it to climate cooling and atmospheric CO2 drawdown. This discovery brings scientists closer to understanding the origin of ice ages.
A new study suggests that warm ocean currents in the North Pacific during the last ice age created a relatively warm region around the modern Bering Sea, making it more habitable for early humans. This finding addresses a long-standing mystery about the earliest inhabitants of North America.
Researchers reconstructed 3,000 years of storm history in the southern Marshall Islands to find that tropical cyclones were more frequent during the Little Ice Age. Climate change is expected to shift this region's cyclone formation northward, but also decrease its frequency.
Researchers analyzed sediment cores to find iron-containing dust promoted CO2 sequestration and glacial cooling in the South Pacific during the last Ice Age. The dust, mainly from north-west Argentina, traveled up to 20,000km and reduced atmospheric CO2 by up to 40ppm.
Researchers have discovered that the iconic Clovis spear-point and other distinctive tools were created by North America's earliest inhabitants for only a brief 300-year period. This finding provides new insights into the origin and demise of the Clovis culture, which once occupied the continent at the end of the last Ice Age.
Researchers found evidence of past permafrost thawing in Arctic Ocean sediments during past climate warming events. The study suggests that even a few degrees Celsius of Arctic warming could trigger massive permafrost thawing and release of greenhouse gases, posing a risk to the climate system.
New research suggests that ancient deep-sea corals provide a time machine to study changes in ocean circulation and carbon cycle during the last ice age. The study found that rapid changes in ocean circulation around Antarctica released CO2 to the atmosphere, ending the last ice age.
Researchers have identified a 47,800-year-old inland peatland in Indonesia that contains an archive of environmental changes and a large carbon stock. The study provides new insights into the climate of equatorial rainforests during the last ice age, suggesting that these areas remained wet and warm enough to support peat growth.
Researchers analyzed sediment cores to find natural sea-ice extent variation since last ice age, contrasting with recent decline. Perennial ice in western and central areas persisted even during warm periods, while southeastern part experienced seasonal ice-free conditions.
Researchers found fossil evidence of ice age manatees in Texas, dating back to 11,000 to 240,000 years ago. The discovery suggests that manatees may have had a stable presence on the Texas coast during this time period.
A new study suggests that Southeast Asian island-building reduced carbon dioxide levels and cooled Earth over 15 million years, allowing large ice sheets to form in North America and Northern Europe. This process, triggered by volcanic rocks dissolving carbon dioxide, is believed to have played a crucial role in the formation of the Gr...
A new study reconstructed sea ice transported from the Arctic Ocean through the Fram Strait and into the North Atlantic Ocean over the last 1400 years. The reconstruction suggests that the Little Ice Age was triggered by an exceptionally large outflow of sea ice from the Arctic Ocean in the 1300s.
Researchers analyzed isotopic properties of speleothem samples worldwide to understand the Younger Dryas event's mechanisms. The event began at high northern latitudes before spreading globally, but reversed course in Antarctica, taking on La Niña-like characteristics.
A new study published in Nature Climate Change reveals that Arctic sea ice is melting at a rate one to three times faster than previously estimated. The research team compared current temperature changes in the Arctic with climate fluctuations from the last ice age, finding that temperatures are increasing rapidly.
A recent study published in Science has proven that repeated and abrupt climate changes during the last ice age occurred simultaneously in South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Greenland. The researchers used stalactite measurements from caves and ice core samples to determine the timing of these events.
Researchers have determined that the Last Glacial Maximum was approximately 6 degrees Celsius (11 F) cooler than today. The study's findings provide a better understanding of the relationship between atmospheric carbon dioxide and global temperature, allowing for more accurate climate predictions.
A new study found that glaciers in New Zealand's Southern Alps have lost more ice mass than remains today, with a doubling of ice loss since the Little Ice Age peak extent. The rate of ice loss has accelerated over the past four decades, posing significant impacts on local communities and global sea-level rise.
Scientists propose rate-induced glaciations as a possible explanation for Snowball Earth events, where a rapid decline in solar radiation can push the planet into a global ice age. The findings also suggest that exoplanets within habitable zones may be susceptible to similar temperature fluctuations.
A major new paleoclimatology study reveals that global warming has reversed 6,500 years of natural cooling, surpassing 1°C above the mid-19th century average temperature. The study, led by Northern Arizona University researchers, compiled previously published paleoclimate data and statistical analyses to show that the millennial-scale ...
Researchers have discovered that ancient human communities survived the harsh European Ice Age by using charred wood and plants for fuel, medicine, and food. The oldest known circular structure, Kostenki 11, contains remains of mammoths and other animals, suggesting a high degree of adaptation and knowledge of their environment.
A study by University of Melbourne researchers found that increased tilt angle of the Earth's axis triggers warmer summers, melting Northern Hemisphere ice sheets and ending ice ages. The team used stalagmites and ocean sediment records to determine the age of two terminations around 960,000 years ago.
A 46,000-year-old horned lark found in Siberian permafrost has provided valuable insights into the evolution of sub species and the transformation of ecosystems during the last Ice Age. The analysis suggests that the bird belonged to a population that was a joint ancestor of two sub species of horned larks living today.
Researchers propose that massive Arctic sea ice melting disrupted North Atlantic currents, causing abrupt climate change after the last Ice Age. Thick sea ice was found in early 19th-century expeditions and numerical models show it could have slowed ocean circulation and cooled climate.
Research by the University of New Mexico team reveals contraction of the ITCZ leading to drying of the Neotropics, affecting billions worldwide. This study combines new data with existing records to resolve conflicting models on ITCZ variability, highlighting implications for rainfall-dependent agriculture and food security.
Researchers argue that coincidences displace ice ages from predictions, making them harder to predict and potentially leading to abrupt changes. The analysis shows that the climate system is more chaotic than expected, with underlying periodic processes but also significant background noise.
Researchers analyzed ancient fats and lipids in pottery from the Amur River in Russia, dating back 16,000-12,000 years. The study reveals that separate groups developed similar technological solutions to process food during periods of major climatic fluctuation.
A Dartmouth study confirms tropical glaciers began melting at the end of the last ice age due to a decrease in temperature differences between polar and tropical regions. This finding clarifies how global temperatures transformed during one of Earth's most extreme climate change events.
A McGill University-led research team found evidence that glacial meltwater provided oxygen to eukaryotes during the most severe ice age, allowing them to survive. The study's findings shed light on extreme climate change and evolution, suggesting a link between Snowball Earth and animal evolution.
Scientists have discovered a clear link between carbon dioxide levels and temperature in the past 2.8 million years, providing a new baseline for understanding climate science. The study reveals that highest CO2 levels matched recent warm periods, while lowest levels did not reach those found in ice ages of the last 800,000 years.
A new study reveals that phytoplankton in the tropics absorbed high levels of CO2 during Ice Ages due to iron-rich dust. This discovery explains almost all of the additional CO2 transported into oceans via the biological pump, improving climate models and understanding ocean processes.
A team of researchers found that the last woolly mammoths on Wrangel Island survived for another 7,000 years without significant changes in their diet or environment. However, when they finally died out, it was due to extreme weather events and potentially human activity.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have developed a new method to map glacier advancement in cold periods and melting in warmer periods using ice core data. This technique helps improve climate models by linking dust particle composition to ice layer distribution, revealing information on how quickly glaciers recede.
Researchers from Lund University found that a massive asteroid impact 470 million years ago led to a unique ice age and increased biodiversity in the inner solar system. The study suggests that dust from such an event could be used to cool the planet and mitigate climate change.
A new study suggests that a giant asteroid collision 466 million years ago caused an ancient ice age by releasing massive amounts of extraterrestrial dust into the atmosphere, leading to global cooling. This phenomenon allowed life to adapt and thrive in changing temperatures.
Researchers discovered that people in Ethiopia lived high up in the Bale Mountains during the Palaeolithic period, around 45,000 years ago. The inhospitable region provided enough water and food sources, including giant rodents and volcanic obsidian rock, allowing humans to survive and thrive.
Regional climate fluctuations, such as Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age, varied across the globe. The study found no evidence of uniform warm and cold periods across the world over the last 2000 years.
A Japanese team analyzed sediment cores from Northwestern Australia to understand past climate variability and sea-level change. The results indicate that the global ice sheet changed on a shorter timescale than previously thought, revealing short-period ice-sheet dynamics during the last ice age.
A University of Oklahoma-led study found that explosive volcanic eruptions were more frequent during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age and helped keep large ice sheets stable by blocking sunlight. The research suggests that lessons from this period can inform strategies to mitigate climate change, including stratospheric aerosol geoengineering.
A new study suggests that the Cerrado biome in Brazil connected the Andean and Atlantic tropical forests, which are now over 1,000 km apart. The research used genomic and biogeographical data to support this hypothesis.
Scientists at UC Berkeley discovered that mountain formation in the tropics triggers global cooling, resulting in ice caps. The team found that volcanic arc-continent collisions in the tropics expose rocks with high CO2-absorbing capacity, cooling the planet.
Researchers have identified tropical tectonic pileups as the likely trigger for three major ice ages in the last 540 million years. The team found that these collisions caused a chemical reaction between rocks and the atmosphere, pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and leading to cooling temperatures globally.
The study found that during the Pleistocene ice age, sediments in the Gulf of Mexico came primarily from the Mississippi River, which collected sediments from across North America. The research provides new insight into how climate change affects geological processes and their impact on environments.
Researchers found that the deep Pacific Ocean lags behind in terms of temperature and is still adjusting to the Little Ice Age. The ocean's long memory indicates that it 'remembers' past climate conditions hundreds of years ago.
Researchers found that the deep Pacific Ocean is cooling due to historical climate variability, influencing modern warming trends. The discovery estimates a 30% downward revision of heat absorbed over the 20th century.
A new study has found evidence of a centuries-long cold snap in the deep Pacific, with ongoing cooling indicating the ocean is still adjusting to surface cooling during the Little Ice Age. The research suggests that the heat loss in the deep Pacific since 1750 offsets nearly a quarter of global heat gain in the upper ocean.
A team of researchers found that vertical land motion is the primary factor behind variations in relative sea level rates along the US East Coast. The study, published in Nature, reveals that land motion explains 75% of the observed variation, with ongoing effects from the last ice age being the largest contributor.
Researchers documented two-part climatic connections between the North Atlantic Ocean and Antarctica, with rapid changes in climate caused by strengthening and weakening of an oceanic current that warms Greenland and Europe. The study reveals a fast atmospheric connection sending 'text messages' to Antarctica and a slower oceanic conne...
A University of Arizona-led research team analyzed past vegetation changes to project future ecosystem transformations under current warming scenarios. The study found that regions with highest temperature increases since the last ice age experienced dramatic vegetation changes, posing a significant risk to global biodiversity.
Researchers found that ice sheet meltwater contains a distinctive isotopic signature of silica, which supports the growth of diatoms in oceans. This study suggests that glacial meltwater plays a significant role in sustaining marine ecosystems and carbon cycles.
Scientists discovered that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet rebounded by up to 400 kilometers 10,000 years ago due to isostatic rebound. However, this process is too slow to prevent ice sheet melting and sea-level rise caused by current climate change.
Researchers at the University of York found that individuals with 'detail focus', a trait linked to autism, led to realistic cave drawings across Europe. They argued that drugs were unlikely behind this art movement.
New research shows Atlantic Ocean circulation has weakened by 15-20% since the mid-1800s, posing a threat to weather patterns and sea levels. The weakening of the Global Ocean Conveyor Belt could disrupt climate regulation and lead to more rapid sea level rise on the US East Coast.
Researchers at Texas A&M University found that early settlers in interior western Canada used the Pacific coastal route to reach temperate North America, contradicting traditional theories of migration. The fluted spear points provide evidence supporting new genetic models explaining how humans colonized the New World.
Researchers have discovered 29 human footprints in intertidal beach sediments off the coast of British Columbia, dated to around 13,000 years ago. The findings suggest that humans were present on the west coast of Canada about 13,000 years ago, as it emerged from the most recent ice age.
A new climate model, POEM, has been developed by Russian and German scientists to accelerate research in climate science. The model addresses complex tasks such as ice age periodization and climate forecasting, providing a more efficient alternative to existing models.
New research from the University of Washington reveals that glaciers in extreme climates can behave differently than expected. In some cases, glaciers in dry environments grew after the last ice age ended, while others shrunk due to intense cold and dry conditions.
A team of researchers discovered that changes in the Antarctic Ocean facilitated long-term storage of carbon dioxide during the last ice age. The study suggests that as the climate warmed, this stored carbon was released, contributing to global warming.
A team of researchers led by Eberhard Gischler analyzed the Blue Hole stalactite recovered in 1970, revealing concentric layers that detail climate conditions since the last ice age. The study provides new insights into paleo-environmental conditions and storm patterns.