“Little Ice Age” Research: A Perspective from Iceland

摘要: The development during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries of sciences meteorology climatology their subdisciplines has made possible an ever-increasing understanding climate past. In particular, refinement palaeoclimatic proxy data meant that past thousand years begun to be extensively studied. context this research, it often been suggested a warm epoch occurred in much northern Europe, north Atlantic, other parts world, from around ninth through fourteenth centuries, was followed by decline temperatures culminating "Little Ice Age" about 1550 1850 (see e.g. Lamb, 1965, 1977; Flohn, 1978). appelations "Medieval Warm Period" have entered literature are frequently used without clear definition. More recently, however, these terms come under closer scrutiny (see, Ogilvie, 1991, 1992; Bradley Jones, Mikami, Briffa 1993; Hughes Diaz, 1994; Jones et al., 1998; Mann 1999; Crowley Lowery, 2000). As research continues into climatic fluctuations over last 1000 2000 years, pattern is emerging which suggests far more complex picture than early history suggested. paper, origins term considered. Because emphasis on North Atlantic volume, prime focus undertaken region, with perspective historiography historical Iceland as well twentieth-century Iceland. phrase become part scientific popular thinking years. However, knowledge Holocene grow, now seems cloud rather clarify It hoped discussion here will encourage future researchers exactly precisely what when used.