Arctic Sediments Show That 20th Century Warming Is Unlike Natural Variation

PNAS paper indicates that changes since the middle of the 20th century are unprecedented

Since the mid-20th century, changes seen in Arctic sediments retrieved by UB geologist Jason Briner and his colleagues, are unprecedented in the last 200,000 years.

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Ellen Goldbaum

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Release Date: October 19, 2009

Buffalo, N.Y. – The possibility that climate change might simply be a natural variation like others that have occurred throughout geologic time is dimming, according to evidence in a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences paper published today.

The research reveals that sediments retrieved by University at Buffalo geologists from a remote Arctic lake are unlike those seen during previous warming episodes.