- In 1976, scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth
Observatory spearheaded a project called CLIMAP
(Climate: Long-range Investigation Mapping and
Prediction) to map the history of the oceans and
climate.
- They discovered that ice ages begin or end,
almost like clockwork, every 11,500 years. It's a
dependable, predictable, natural cycle.
Pacemaker
of the Ice Ages, they called it.
- They drew up a chart of the cycle (above).
- See the sharp peaks every 100,000 years or so?
Each peak marks the abrupt end of a period of
warmth similar to today's and the catastrophic
beginning of a new ice age.
- See where we are today? (At the far right side of
the chart?) We're at the tip of the highest peak
ever, teetering on the knife-edge of disaster. We
haven't been that high on the chart for half a
million years.
- And do you see what happened--without
exception--every time we got that high on the
chart?
- The next ice age could begin any day.
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