Scientists Say Gulf Stream May Be Near Collapse, Here’s Why That’s Dire for the Planet
Described here
What Was the Little Ice Age?
The Little Ice Age is known for its effects in Europe and the North Atlantic region over hundreds of years, but was it comparable to past ice ages?
Written by
Fact-checked by
When most people think of ice ages, or “glacial ages,” they often envision cavemen, woolly mammoths, and vast plains of ice—such as those that occurred during the Pleistocene (about 2.6 million to 11,700 years ago) or the late Carboniferous and early Permian periods (about 300 million years ago). During these parts of Earth’s past, mile-high ice sheets covered large parts of continents, and their presence affected the weather and climate throughout the world. In fact, during one prehistoric period, the Cryogenian (which spanned roughly 720 million to 635 million years ago), there is evidence to support the notion that the whole planet was either locked in ice or possibly covered in ice with only a thin film of slush near the Equator. Think present-day Europa or Enceladus. What about the relatively recent “Little Ice Age”? Was it a true glacial age? Yes and no.
Of course, the severity of the Little Ice Age, which lasted from the early 14th century through the mid-19th century, was not a deep freeze like the long ice ages of the ancient past. After all, human civilization thrived and expanded during the Little Ice Age, as several civilizations sent ships to explore, colonize, and exploit new lands.
Nevertheless, images depicted in paintings, data from ships’ logs and scientific reports of the time, and other historical writings have shown that many parts of Europe experienced cooler than normal conditions during this time. Since the people of the time did not keep accurate weather records (to the extent that we do now), present-day scientists looking to understand the climate of the Little Ice Age have relied on proxy records—that is, indirect sources of climatic information (such as coral growth, cores of lake sediments, ice cores, and annual rings in trees)—to better understand the regional and global climates of the time. Proxy records showed that mountain glaciers grew during the Little Ice Age at several locations—including the European Alps, New Zealand, Alaska, and the southern Andes—and mean annual temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere fell by 0.6 °C (1.1 °F) relative to the average temperature between 1000 and 2000 CE. Proxy records collected from western Greenland, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and western North America point to several cool episodes, lasting several decades each, when temperatures dropped 1 to 2 °C (1.8 to 3.6 °F) below the thousand-year averages for those areas. These regional temperature declines, however, rarely occurred at the same time. In addition, temperatures of other regions (such as in eastern China and in the Andes Mountains of South America) were fairly stable, while still other regions (such as southern Europe, North America’s Mississippi Valley, and parts of Africa and Asia) became drier, with droughts lasting several years at a time.
So what caused the Little Ice Age? It was likely a combination of factors that included long periods of low sunspot activity (which reduced the amount of solar energy that reached Earth), the effects of explosive volcanic eruptions, and drastic changes in the North Atlantic Oscillation (the irregular fluctuation of atmospheric pressure over the North Atlantic Ocean).
Although the Little Ice Age was not a formal ice age, one could certainly argue that it was a significant phenomenon associated with a variety of climatic changes affecting many disparate parts of the world. Earth’s climate changes often through time, so this cool 450-year slice of Earth’s history was not the only one of its kind. There have been warm intervals too. One example is the recent warming (caused by a mix of natural factors and human activities) that began after the Little Ice Age ended and continues to this day. Another example is the highly controversial medieval warm period—another time of relative warmth—which, according to some scientists, lasted from 900 to 1300 CE. Unlike the Little Ice Age and the recent period of warming, however, there is a great deal of disagreement with respect to the reach of the medieval warm period or whether it even happened at all.
References & Edit HistoryRelated Topics
ScienceEarth Science, Geologic Time & FossilsEarth Sciences
Little Ice Age
geochronology
Also known as: LIA, Neoglacial Age
Written by
,
Fact-checked by
Last Updated: Sep. 25, 2025 •Article History
Little Ice Age (LIA), climate interval that occurred from the early 14th century through the mid-19th century, when mountain glaciers expanded at several locations, including the European Alps, New Zealand, Alaska, and the southern Andes, and mean annual temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere declined by 0.6 °C (1.1 °F) relative to the average temperature between 1000 and 2000 ce. The term Little Ice Age was introduced to the scientific literature by Dutch-born American geologist F.E. Matthes in 1939. Originally the phrase was used to refer to Earth’s most recent 4,000-year period of mountain-glacier expansion and retreat. Today some scientists use it to distinguish only the period 1500–1850, when mountain glaciers expanded to their greatest extent, but the phrase is more commonly applied to the broader period 1300–1850. The Little Ice Age followed the Medieval Warming Period (roughly 900–1300 ce) and preceded the present period of warming that began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Geographic extent
Information obtained from “proxy records” (indirect records of ancient climatic conditions, such as ice cores, cores of lake sediment and coral, and annual growth rings in trees) as well as historical documents dating to the Little Ice Age period indicate that cooler conditions appeared in some regions, but, at the same time, warmer or stable conditions occurred in others. For instance, proxy records collected from western Greenland, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and western North America point to several cool episodes, lasting several decades each, when temperatures dropped 1 to 2 °C (1.8 to 3.6 °F) below the thousand-year averages for those areas. However, these regional temperature declines rarely occurred at the same time. Cooler episodes also materialized in the Southern Hemisphere, initiating the advance of glaciers in Patagonia and New Zealand, but these episodes did not coincide with those occurring in the Northern Hemisphere. Meanwhile, temperatures of other regions of the world, such as eastern China and the Andes, remained relatively stable during the Little Ice Age.
Still other regions experienced extended periods of drought, increased precipitation, or extreme swings in moisture. Many areas of northern Europe, for instance, were subjected to several years of long winters and short, wet summers, whereas parts of southern Europe endured droughts and season-long periods of heavy rainfall. Evidence also exists of multiyear droughts in equatorial Africa and Central and South Asia during the Little Ice Age.
For these reasons the Little Ice Age, though synonymous with cold temperatures, can also be characterized broadly as a period when there was an increase in temperature and precipitation variability across many parts of the globe.John P. Rafferty
Effects on civilization
The Little Ice Age is best known for its effects in Europe and the North Atlantic region. Alpine glaciers advanced far below their previous (and present) limits, obliterating farms, churches, and villages in Switzerland, France, and elsewhere. Frequent cold winters and cool, wet summers led to crop failures and famines over much of northern and central Europe. In addition, the North Atlantic cod fisheries declined as ocean temperatures fell in the 17th century.
During the early 15th century, as pack ice and storminess increased in the North Atlantic, Norse colonies in Greenland were cut off from the rest of Norse civilization; the western colony of Greenland collapsed through starvation, and the eastern colony was abandoned. Iceland became increasingly isolated from Scandinavia when the southern limit of sea ice expanded to encapsulate the island and locked it in ice for longer and longer periods during the year. Sea ice grew from zero average coverage before the year 1200 to eight weeks in the 13th century and 40 weeks in the 19th century.
In North America between 1250 and 1500, the Native American cultures of the upper Mississippi valley and the western prairies began a general decline as drier conditions set in, accompanied by a transfer from agriculture to hunting. Over the same period in Japan, glaciers advanced, the mean winter temperature dropped 3.5 °C (6.3 °F), and summers were marked by excessive rains and bad harvests.
Access for the whole family!
Bundle Britannica Premium and Kids for the ultimate resource destination.Stephen T. JacksonJohn P. Rafferty
Causes
The cause of the Little Ice Age is not known for certain; however, climatologists contend that reduced solar output, changes in atmospheric circulation, and explosive volcanism may have played roles in bringing about an