MEDIEVAL WARM PERIOD & LITTLE ICE AGE

The Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and Little Ice Age (LIA) are two well recognized climate events in the very "recent" climate record (last 1000 years). There is much more known about the last 1000 years, as compared to the longer timeframe climate cycles such as the glacial-interglacial periods, as well as deep-time geologic cycles.Show more

The Little Ice Age is well established from historical records and recognized as a time of much lower temperatures for several centuries (~14th to 19th centuries). Conversely, the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), starting around the 9th and 10th centuries and ending in the 13th to 14th centuries was a warmer period.

Both the MWP and LIA are thought to have played an important role in the history of western civilization. For example, during the MWP there was cultivation of grapes and wine production in England and Ireland, also during this time Vikings explored across the North Atlantic and established settlements in Iceland, Greenland, and even North America as milder temperatures allowed for voyages across North Atlantic in simple long boats. The LIA, of much colder temperatures, also played a role in the history of western civilization, for example it likely contributed to the end of Viking expansion and demise of settlements in Greenland. Colder temperatures are also linked to dispersion of populations out of Europe to the New World seeking better economic and farming opportunities in milder regions. This likely contributed to more rapid colonization within the period from the 1500s to the 1800s, this then led to the rise of great European powers, and the demise of ancient civilizations and cultures in the Americas.