“Annual Rings Show a Colder Middle Ages Than Previously Assumed”
Published: Wednesday, Aug 2nd 2023, 16:00
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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The climate today is much warmer than it was in the Middle Ages, according to a new analysis of tree rings from Scandinavia over the last 1170 years, conducted by the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape (WSL). This result contradicts earlier research findings, but supports climate models. The WSL researchers measured 50 million wood cells from 188 living and dead Scots pines in the Fennoscandian region (Scandinavia and Finland). Their analysis showed that the Middle Ages were significantly colder than previously thought, with temperatures lower than the current climate warming. This not only confirms the results of climate models, but also supports the argument that human influences are increasing temperatures in this region. The authors of the study emphasise the dominant role of human-caused climate warming, even on a regional level.nnnn
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