Late Paleozoic Ice Age warming event hints at potential climate 'tipping point'
A study of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age reveals that a minor temperature spike triggered a massive release of methane from permafrost, leading to significant global warming. Researchers warn that modern climate change could similarly trigger feedback loops in current permafrost regions.
Why it matters
Historical climate data serves as a critical warning for the potential acceleration of modern global warming through natural feedback loops.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source University of Cincinnati Professor Thomas Algeo stands in front of rock cores in his geosciences lab. Credit: Andrew Higley Researchers say a spike in temperatures during an ice age 304 million years ago could inform what climate scientists are learning about rapidly changing conditions today.
University of Cincinnati Professor Thomas Algeo worked with a team of international researchers, including lead author Le Yao from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, to examine a period of rapid warming that occurred during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age, the second most recent ice age on Earth.
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