The Earth’s climate is a coupled, nonlinear, and chaotic system, influenced by a multitude of factors beyond any single variable. While the current rise in global temperatures is a concern, it’s crucial to understand that climate history is full of changes in surface temperature with little change in GHG concentration. For example, the Little Ice Age (LIA), a period of regional cooling between the 16th and 19th centuries, offers a valuable case study for understanding the limitations of solely attributing global temperature variations to CO2 levels.
The Little Ice Age Enigma
Written by Dr. Matthew Wielicki