|
|
Article: The case of the global jitters; even in seemingly stable times, climate can take an abrupt turn. (includes related article about the effect of solar output on Earth's climate)(Cover Story)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- March 2, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Even in seemingly stable times, climate can take an abrupt turn
Sometime around the year 2200 B.C., residents of northern Mesopotamia noticed a change in the weather. As the once reliable rains disappeared, agricultural communities along tributaries of the Euphrates River withered and died.
Refugees from the drought-stricken areas flooded major cities downriver, and the influx ultimately toppled the Akkadian civilization, the world's first empire.
Yale University archaeologist Harvey Weiss proposed this controversial scenario in 1993, after his team found evidence of an abrupt shift toward arid conditions at sites in northeastern Syria. He also hinted ...