I'd hesitate to call Greenland warm in the bronze age, but surely it was more inhabitable than it is now. In those days, much of the Netherlands were salt marshes. Dykes constructed since the 17th century has expanded dry land significantly.
Measuring ocean level based on local human structures is a gamble. Is Venezia sinking, or the ocean rising? :-) In Norway, for example, slight increases in ocean level are masked by land upheaval; the continental crust is still bouncing back from the weight of the last ice sheet. Jostein On 12/27/06, Bob Shell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > On Dec 27, 2006, at 11:23 AM, Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote: > > > Greenland is also a huge mass of land-based ice, about the same mass > > as the West Antarctic ice sheet. > > > > Another thing to consider is that if these ice sheets disappear or > > are diminished substantially, the average albedo of the planet is > > reduced by a disproportionate amount, more heat from the sun is > > retained ... and that at the polar regions where the changes have the > > greatest effects on the oceans' current/weather pump. > > Greenland was warm within historical times. Lime trees used to grow > all over England, as did cold-intolerant wine grapes brought by the > Romans. I don't know of any evidence that sea levels were higher in > those days. Holland wasn't flooded and Native Americans were living > in Florida. In fact there is evidence that in early historical times > the sea level was lower, since ruins have been found in Central > America and the Caribbean that were built on dry land but are under > water today. > > Bob > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
