Way back, from around the mid 700’s into the 1100’s, there was a period of time called the Medieval Climate Optimum. This was followed by a much colder period, known as the Little Ice Age, followed by our current age. The MCO was characterized by warmer temperatures.
How about a few quick facts from the Medieval Climate Optimum?
- 874: Settlement of Iceland began; Viking immigration from Norway, England, Ireland, Faeroes, etc. Glaciers of Iceland much smaller than today.
- 880-1140: Radiocarbon dates on trees that grew in Canada far north of modern timberline.
- 910: final collapse phase of Mayan civilization caused by mulit-year drought (Peterson and Haug 2005).
- 1000s: Low radiocarbon levels in tree rings indicate high solar output and presumably warmer temperatures.
Now, if you want to run around the ‘net, you will be slammed with lots of "evidence" which attempts to show that this period of time was only a tad bit warmer then the following Little Ice Age, but never really explains the difference in opinions, and tries to debunk any sort of similarity from the MCO and today. Hey, they grew much better grapes for wine in England then then they could today.
Earth is a dynamic system which is constantly in flux.
