Tag: deglaciation
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Climate Comeback: How Earth Exited the Last Ice Age
Introduction: A World Cooling and Then Awakening Around 20,000 years ago, Earth faced a dramatic chill. Global temperatures were about 10 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than today, and much of North America wore a thick blanket of ice. Some regions saw ice nearly half a mile high, creating a landscape of plains, fjords, and channels carved…
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How Earth Emerged from the Last Ice Age: Inside NPR’s Short Wave Exploration
Understanding the Last Decrease and Rise of Global Temperatures Long before modern humans walked the Earth, our planet experienced dramatic climate shifts. About 20,000 years ago, global temperatures were roughly 10 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than today, and vast stretches of North America were buried under ice sheets that could reach nearly half a mile in…
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How Earth Emerged from the Last Ice Age
Introduction: A World Locked in Ice About 20,000 years ago, much of North America and large swaths of the planet were buried under ice. Global temperatures sat roughly 10°F cooler than today, and in some regions ice sheets reached nearly half a mile in thickness. The Earth’s climate was a stark reminder of how sensitive…