Fossil DNA Proves Greenland Once Had Lush Forests; Ice Sheet Is Surprisingly Stable

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Ancient Greenland was green. New Danish research has shown that it was covered in conifer forest and, like southern Sweden today, had a relatively mild climate. Eske Willerslev, a professor at Copenhagen University, has analysed the world's oldest DNA, preserved under the kilometre-thick icecap. The DNA is likely close to half a million years old, and the research is painting a picture which is overturning all previous assumptions about biological life and the climate in Greenland.

Ten percent of the Earth's surface has been covered with ice for thousands of years. No one knows what lies beneath the kilometre-deep icecaps. These are the earth's unknown and unexplored regions. But some have begun the exploration. Several projects under Danish leadership have been drilling through the icecap on Greenland, and collected complete columns of ice all the way from the top to the bottom. The ice has annual layers and is a frozen archive of the world's climate.

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"This genetic material presents a biological environment, which is completely different to what we see today." he says. "We have found grain, pine, yew and alder. These correspond to the landscapes we find in Eastern Canada and in the Swedish forests today. The trees provide a backdrop from which we can also ascertain the climate since each species has its own temperature requirements. The yew trees reveal that the temperature during the winter could not have been lower than minus 17 degrees Celsius, and the presence of other trees shows that summer temperatures were at least 10 degrees".

The research results are the first direct proof that there was forest in southern Greenland. Furthermore Willerslev found genetic traces of insects such as butterflies, moths, flies and beetles. But when was that? According to most scientific theories to date, all of southern Greenland and most of the northern part were ice-free during the last interglacial period 125,000 years ago, when the climate was 5 degrees warmer than the interglacial period we currently live in.

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The dating of dust particles also showed that it has been at least 450,000 years ago since the area of the DYE-3 drilling, in the southern part of Greenland, was ice-free.

That signifies that there was ice there during the Eemian interglacial period 125,000 years ago. It means that although we are now confronted with global warming, the whole ice sheet will not melt and bring about the tremendous sea-level rises which have been the subject of so much discussion.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/...70705153019.htm

[dalegg 143]

It means that although we are now confronted with global warming, the whole ice sheet will not melt and bring about the tremendous sea-level rises which have been the subject of so much discussion.

That's good, right?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

It means that although we are now confronted with global warming, the whole ice sheet will not melt and bring about the tremendous sea-level rises which have been the subject of so much discussion.

That's good, right?

[dalegg 143]

hurray!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Pleistocene glaciation around current Great Lakes area was over 1 km thick. Melting of these raised the sea levels...all of about 12 m (40'), nowhere near the 60+ m (200'+) claimed by BoreGore et-al.

[dalegg 143]

Pleistocene glaciation around current Great Lakes area was over 1 km thick. Melting of these raised the sea levels...all of about 12 m (40'), nowhere near the 60+ m (200'+) claimed by BoreGore et-al.

Well this is awesome. My city is 87 feet above sea level. Huntington Beach is 28 feet above sea level and Westminster, which lies between is only 39 feet above sea level so I may be looking at beach front property!

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Pleistocene glaciation around current Great Lakes area was over 1 km thick. Melting of these raised the sea levels...all of about 12 m (40'), nowhere near the 60+ m (200'+) claimed by BoreGore et-al.

Well this is awesome. My city is 87 feet above sea level. Huntington Beach is 28 feet above sea level and Westminster, which lies between is only 39 feet above sea level so I may be looking at beach front property!

It's been under water before and it will be again.