Greenland's Climate Changed Abruptly During Ice Age, Study Finds (Alex Morales)

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(Bloomberg) -- Greenland's temperatures rose abruptly twice during the last ice age, said University of Copenhagen-led researchers who studied the phenomenon to learn how the world's climate can change violently.

Samples drilled from the island's ice sheet previously showed it warmed by more than 10 degrees Celsius (18 Fahrenheit) 14,700 years ago, and again 11,700 years ago, with a cooler period in between. The scientists examined the cores further and found the warming periods were accompanied by changing precipitation and wind patterns across the world, according to their findings, published yesterday in the journal Science.

``Such rapid climate change would challenge even the most modern societies to successfully adapt,'' said Jim White, a co- author of the paper and a scientist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, in a statement. ``Knowing how these massive events start and evolve is one of the most pressing climate questions we need to answer.''

Climate records can indicate how conditions on the Earth may change in the future, both through natural variations, and man-made global warming, which the United Nations warned last year will cause increased flooding and droughts, and rising sea levels. The last ice age ended about 11,500 years ago.