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Article: Climate modelers: go talk to the trees. (model indicates that changes in plant communities were an important factor in stimulating an ice age)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- June 8, 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)
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Though the last ice age ended 10,000 years ago, it continues to chill the spirits of climate scientists around the world. In trying to understand how climate works, researchers use advanced computer models to simulate conditions during different periods of Earth's history. Yet even the best of these models have failed to reproduce the chilly temperatures that permitted vast glacial sheets to spread over parts of North America, Europe, and Asia during the last ice age.
The solution to this cold conundrum lies in the boreal forests of northern lands, according to new computer simulations described in the June 6 Nature. Though ignored in previous modeling studies, ...