Can the Miocene climate inform the future?
Science Perspective article by Anna von der Heydt
Today in the scientific journal Science, physics researcher Anna von der Heydt reflects on a new publication in the same journal. The new study provides a consistent explanation for the long-term evolution of global temperature and ice sheets on Earth, giving a glimpse into the future of Earth’s climate.
The new reconstruction of atmospheric CO2 concentration suggests a strong correlation between CO2, global temperature and ice volume for at least the last 20 million years. The Miocene climate (23-5 million years ago) has long been thought of as an exception: a warm climate without high CO2 concentrations. However, this reconstruction suggests that the Miocene is not so exceptional. This finding opens up perspectives for the Miocene climate to provide important insights for understanding the future climate on Earth.
Read more: