New Research Supports Hypothesis that Ocean Currents Redistributed Heat During Rapid Warming and Coo

New Research Supports Hypothesis that Ocean Currents Redistributed Heat During Rapid Warming and Cooling A paper published this week in the journal Science supports the hypothesis that heat transfer by ocean currents--rather than global heating or cooling--may have been responsible for the global temperature patterns associated with the abrupt climate changes seen in the North Atlantic during the past 80,000 years.

Authored by the University of Bremen's Frank Lamy and colleagues, the paper provides new evidence that Southern Hemisphere climate may not have changed in step with Northern Hemisphere climate. Though these new measurements of ocean surface temperature off Chile are consistent with information from Antarctic ice core samples, they still contradict measurements made on land in the Southern Hemisphere--suggesting additional research will be needed to resolve the issue.

Scientists have found evidence of rapid and dramatic climate change that took place in a matter of decades during cool periods of the last 80,000 years in the North Atlantic. Knowing whether climate changes took place simultaneously in th Northern and Southern Hemispheres is vital to understanding the mechanism involved--and assessing whether similar abrupt climate change could be a threat today.