Arctic Norway Hotter Than Viking Era: Warming 'Irreversible'

Analyzing fat molecules in Svalbard lake sediment has revealed a detailed record of the archipelago’s climate.

Temperatures in Norway’s Arctic Svalbard archipelago are now higher than during a natural warm spell that emerged during Viking times, according to a new analysis of lake sediment cores.

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, but researchers point out that the cause of the current warming is much different than what resulted in a period known as the Medieval Climate Anomaly.

Increased solar radiation and volcanic eruptions caused temperatures from North America to Greenland to be even warmer than today from about 950 to 1250.

It’s widely accepted that increased greenhouse gas emissions since the start of the Industrial Revolution are responsible for the current accelerating pace of global warming.

Most of the climate change has resulted from human activity since about 1960.

A separate study released on Oct. 2 says that the warming trend is now “irreversible” and will cause sea levels to rise for thousands of years to come.

Photo: Jostein Bakke