1. THE LITTLE ICE AGETHOMAS MARINELLIHIST 141/50587

2. What was the Little Ice Age? The Little Ice Age was a “cooling period” that followed the Medieval Warm Period. This event sparked a lot of historical events throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The average temperature was lowered 4 degrees with drastic freezing periods during the colder months. In 1816, one of the freezing periods lasted so long, that year became known as the “Year Without a Summer.”

3. When the Ice Age occurred The Little Ice Age occurred between the 1300’s and 1800’s. Everyone from North America, all the way to Russia was affected by the Little Ice Age during these times. The coldest of these times were recorded to be around the late 1500’s to the near 1700’s.

4. The Cause of the Little Ice Age There are many different theories on what caused the Little Ice Age. Some ideas as to what caused this ice age have to do with reduced sun spots, heightened volcanic activity, and ocean current circulation. The most closely proven of these theories is the one about ocean circulation because it is believed that the Medieval Warm Period melted the North Atlantic Glaciers; which changed the density of the water, and not allowing warm air to rise and circulate over Western Europe.

5. The Little Ice Age’s Effect on History The Little Ice Age brought the demise to the Vikings by freezing over their passage ways to the surrounding world. It destroyed cereal crops, which were the staple of the European diet at the time. The famine that stemmed from the destruction of Europe’’s cereal crops sparked the French Revolution, the introduction of the potato to Europe and allowed the Bubonic Plague to spread even more easily across the weakened population.

6. Sources Documentary film Little Ice Age: Big Chill Google Images Wikipedia: Little Ice Age http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_ice_age