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Looking for Global Warming Clues 29 Looking for Global Warming Clues 29 Scientists drill deep Scientists drill deep into Greenland ice for into Greenland ice for global warming clues global warming clues from Eemian Period from Eemian Period Lewis Smith, Environment Lewis Smith, Environment Reporter Reporter Scientists are to dig up ice dating back more than 100,000 years in an attempt to shed light on how global warming will change the world over the next century. The ice, at the bottom of the Greenland ice sheet, was laid down at a time when temperatures were 3C (5.4F) to 5C warmer than they are today. With temperatures forecast to rise by up to 7C in the next 100 years, the ice more than 8,000ft (2,400m) below the surface is thought by researchers to hold valuable clues to how much of the ice sheet will melt. Drilling will start in northern Greenland during the summer in an international project involving researchers from 18 countries to 5C higher than today, offering hope that much summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and extract ice cores covering the Eemian Period. of it will remain in a world of manmade climate indigenous cultures are already suffering from The Eemian began 130,000 years ago, change. the sea-ice loss. ending 15,000 years later, and is the most recent Robert Mulvaney, of BAS, who has • Glaciers and mountain snows are time in the Earth's past when temperatures spent 24 years drilling for ice in both the Arctic rapidly melting—for example, Montana's resembled those that can be expected if and Antarctic, said: “Our ideal would be to get Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, greenhouse gas emissions are not brought under not only the whole of the Eemian but the last versus 150 in 1910. In the Northern control. time that we had a collapse in the Greenland ice Hemisphere, thaws also come a week earlier in Carbon dioxide, methane and other sheet.” [] spring and freezes begin a week later. chemicals trapped in the ice can provide a • Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive detailed picture of the atmosphere and the to small changes in water temperature, suffered Global Warming Fast climate thousands of years ago. Global Warming Fast the worst bleaching—or die-off in response to Facts Fragments of organic matter can offer Facts stress—ever recorded in 1998, with some areas details about animals and plants alive when the seeing bleach rates of 70 percent. Experts National Geographic News ice formed, while particles of dirt can indicate National Geographic News expect these sorts of events to increase in forest fires, tundra fires and volcanic activity. frequency and intensity in the next 50 years as Analysis of the ice should provide the Global warming, or climate change, is a sea temperatures rise. first measurement of CO2 levels over subject that shows no sign of cooling down. • An upsurge in the amount of extreme Greenland during the Eemian and the most Here's the lowdown on why it's weather events, such as wildfires, heat waves, detailed analysis yet achieved of climate happening, what's causing it, and how it might and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in indicators from the period. change the planet. part to climate change by some experts. Lars Berg Larsen, of the University of Copenhagen, which is leading the project, said: Is It Happening? Are Humans Causing It? “We are looking into this period to find out what Yes. Earth is already showing many • "Very likely," the IPCC said in a happens to the climate if you get 3 to 5 degrees signs of worldwide climate change. February 2007 report. warmer. • Average temperatures have climbed The report, based on the work of some “The Eemian is the nearest time we 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) 2,500 scientists in more than 130 countries, know that matches temperatures we can expect around the world since 1880, much of this in concluded that humans have caused all or most in the next 100 or 200 years. It will tell us much recent decades, according to NASA's Goddard of the current planetary warming. Human- about what might happen.” Institute for Space Studies. caused global warming is often called Four researchers from the British • The rate of warming is increasing. The anthropogenic climate change. Antarctic Survey (BAS) will be taking part in 20th century's last two decades were the hottest • Industrialization, deforestation, and the operation. They are hopeful of seeing ice not in 400 years and possibly the warmest for pollution have greatly increased atmospheric only from the whole Eemian but the years several millennia, according to a number of concentrations of water vapor, carbon dioxide, preceding it as well, which could hold clues to climate studies. And the United Nations' methane, and nitrous oxide, all greenhouse what prompted the temperature to start rising, or Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gases that help trap heat near Earth's surface. at least could chart the atmospheric changes that (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12 years are (See an interactive feature on how global accompanied the rise. among the dozen warmest since 1850. warming works.) Researchers also hope that the chemical • The Arctic is feeling the effects the • Humans are pouring carbon dioxide traces hidden in the ice up to 8,340ft below the most. Average temperatures in Alaska, western into the atmosphere much faster than plants and surface will reveal how the Greenland ice sheet Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice oceans can absorb it. responded to the higher temperatures. This will the global average, according to the • These gases persist in the atmosphere have implications for sea level rises in the multinational Arctic Climate Impact for years, meaning that even if such emissions coming century. If the ice sheet melts entirely, Assessment report compiled between 2000 and were eliminated today, it would not seas would be expected to rise by 21ft. 2004. immediately stop global warming. Researchers expect to find that much of • Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the ice persisted even when temperatures were the region may have its first completely ice-free (Continued on Page 32)