Uncovering the Tropical Past: How the Climate of the UK and Ireland 26 Million Years Ago is Shaping Our Future

Discover‍ the secrets of Earth’s ancient climate ‍by⁣ exploring the tropical forest in Martinique near Fond St-Denis. Millions of⁤ years ago, temperatures were much warmer and wetter than today, ‍with winter temperatures reaching over 18°C in the UK and Ireland, similar to‍ today’s summer.

Travel back in time through layers of rocks to uncover past climates‍ before human records. ‍A recent study focused on the climates of the UK and Ireland from 33 to 20 million years ago when ⁢carbon dioxide levels ‍were comparable to present⁣ times.

By ⁢analyzing fossilized pollen from plants preserved in rocks across 25 locations, researchers reconstructed climate data for ⁣a 13-million-year period. The ‍changing ⁤pollen compositions provided insights into mean annual temperature ⁤and precipitation levels during that era.

This‌ study sheds light on Earth’s climate history and its potential future without Greenland ice as we face‌ environmental challenges ahead.

2024-09-15 01:15:03
Original article available at phys.org