The Ice Age

Written by: Caroline Kim

October 15, 2022

One of my personal interests in environmental history are the ice ages, which began approximately 2.4 million years ago and lasted up until 11,500 years ago; essentially, they were time periods in which the climate constantly shifted back and forth between colder and warmer periods (When Were the Ices Ages and Why Are They Called That?).

“Along with solar radiation levels, it is believed that global warming and cooling is connected to plate tectonic activity. The shifting of the Earth’s plates creates large-scale changes to continental masses, which impacts ocean and atmospheric currents, and triggers volcanic activity that releases carbon dioxide into the air” (History.com Editors). These ideas are consistent even with contemporary climate change such as the greenhouse effect. The ramifications are significant to earth’s geography, biodiversity, and overall function considering “large-scale glaciation may last several million years and drastically reshape surface features of entire continents'' (Britannica). Some of the most distinguishing remnants of these glacial periods are glacial sediments and erosion, which “... sculpted deep alpine valleys…” (Belknap). As temperatures change, organisms and biotic life are forced to adapt or go extinct. Additionally, ice melt can cause rise in global sea levels, ecological mismatch, shrubification, continue on positive albedo feedback loops, and more (which can be found in previous posts on the Arctic Ice series). Loss of species from the ice age can be credited to the change in food available, human hunting, or even extraterrestrial impact (Ice Age Extinction: The New York State Museum). The change in resources, migration, and the consequential change in energy transfer across the food chain can cause a series of ramifications, resulting in the extinction of species. For example, research has shown that mammoths most likely went extinct due to lack of vegetation available (Davla).

All in all, historical ice ages heavily impacted earth’s climate, biodiversity, sea levels, landscapes, earth currents, and inevitably humans. Though not as dramatic, information collected from research on these time periods can be applicable to today’s climate issue and may assist in finding solutions.

Sources:

“When Were the Ices Ages and Why Are They Called That?” When Were the Ices Ages and Why Are They Called That? - Mammoth Discovery, Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, https://www.cdm.org/mammothdiscovery/wheniceages.html#:~:text=The%20Ice%20Ages%20began%202.4,many%20of%20the%20glaciers%20melted.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "ice age". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Sep. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/science/ice-age-geology. Accessed 15 October 2022.

Belknap, Daniel F.. "Quaternary". Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/science/Quaternary. Accessed 15 October 2022.

History.com Editors. “Ice Age.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 11 Mar. 2015, https://www.history.com/topics/pre-history/ice-age#section_1.

“Ice Age Extinction: The New York State Museum.” Ice Age Extinction | The New York State Museum, http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/online/ice-ages/ice-age-extinction.

Davla, Sejal. “Finding the Cause of Mammoth Extinction.” The Scientist Magazine®, 7 Sept. 2022, https://www.the-scientist.com/sponsored-article/finding-the-cause-of-mammoth-extinction-70463#:~:text=Environmental%20DNA%20and%20climate%20change,herbivore%20species%2C%20including%20Arctic%20mammoths.