From CARDIFF UNIVERSITY and the “motion from the ocean makes or breaks English vineyards” department.
Ocean floor mud reveals secrets of past European climate
Samples of sediment taken from the ocean floor of the North Atlantic Ocean have given researchers an unprecedented insight into the reasons why Europe’s climate has changed over the past 3000 years.
In this 1677 painting by Abraham Hondius, ‘The Frozen Thames, looking Eastwards towards Old London Bridge’, people are shown enjoying themselves on the ice during a “frost fair”.
From the warmer climates of Roman times when vineyards flourished in England and Wales to the colder conditions that led to crop failure, famine and pandemics in early medieval times, Europe’s climate has varied over the past three millennia.
For the first time, researchers have been able to pinpoint why this occurs, and the answer lies far out at sea in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Scientists from…
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