How did a Cold War era debacle help us better understand the dangers of climate change? In episode 99 of Parsing Science, we talk with Drew Christ from the University of Vermont about his research into how fossils plucked from forgotten experiment in the Arctic led to his discovery the last time Greenland’s glaciers completely melted, it happened under climate conditions very similar to the present day. His open access article “A multimillion-year-old record of Greenland vegetation and glacial history preserved in sediment beneath 1.4 km of ice at Camp Century,“ was published with multiple co-authors on March 30, 2021 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Cold War Ice Core Reveals Historic Glacial Melt - Andrew ChristCold War Ice Core Reveals Historic Glacial Melt - Andrew ChristCold War Ice Core Reveals Historic Glacial Melt - Andrew Christ Cold War Ice Core Reveals Historic Glacial Melt - Andrew ChristCold War Ice Core Reveals Historic Glacial Melt - Andrew ChristCold War Ice Core Reveals Historic Glacial Melt - Andrew Christ {{svg_share_icon}}Click bottom of waveform to add your commentsSubscribe: iTunes | Google Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | RSS jQuery(document).ready(function ($){var settings_ap7689 = { design_skin: "skin-wave" ,autoplay: "off",disable_volume:"default" ,loop:"off" ,cue: "on" ,embedded: "off" ,preload_method:"metadata" ,design_animateplaypause:"default" ,skinwave_dynamicwaves:"off" ,skinwave_enableSpectrum:"off" ,skinwave_enableReflect:"on",playfrom:"off",default_volume:"default",disable_scrub:"off",soundcloud_apikey:"" ,skinwave_comments_enable:"on",settings_php_handler:window.ajaxurl,skinwave_mode:"alternate",skinwave_wave_mode:"canvas",pcm_data_try_to_generate: "on","pcm_notice": "off","notice_no_media": "on",design_color_bg: "111111",design_color_highlight: "FF4C65",skinwave_wave_mode_canvas_waves_number: "3",skinwave_wave_mode_canvas_waves_padding: "1",skinwave_wave_mode_canvas_reflection_size: "0.25",skinwave_wave_mode_canvas_mode:"normal",preview_on_hover:"off",skinwave_comments_playerid:"7689",embed_code:"<iframe src='https://www.parsingscience.org?action=embed_zoomsounds&type=player&margs=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' style='overflow:hidden; transition: height 0.3s ease-out;' width='100%' height='152' scrolling='no' frameborder='0'></iframe>"

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Websites and other resources



Drew's website, photography & Twitter

Drew's webinar on this study:





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5CVEVPC5e8









xkcd's Earth Temperature Timeline

Propaganda documentary on Camp Century:









https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DPQ15EgyTY



 

News and Media

Wired | SciTechDaily | World Economic Forum | Weather Channel | Popular Science | CNET | Washington Post | Science Alert



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Bonus Clips





Clips available include ...

Full episode with available download

More coming soon