Abstract
The history of Middle Eastern climate change is punctuated by a series of abrupt cold events from the Younger Dryas era to the Little Ice Age. The contested origins of abrupt cold events suggests that the Middle East and China were exposed to similar abrupt changes. We know, moreover, that at least some abrupt cold events were experienced simultaneously in both ends of Eurasia. Analysts usually examine one cold event at a time. What is needed is an overview of the series of abrupt cold events and their variable impacts. We seek to contribute to this endeavor by correlating impacts in the Middle East and China over some 12,000 years. Our principal instrument for correlations is a scale ranging from great to little impact based on the timing of Middle Eastern events but applied as well to China. If we know there is already some overlap, just how systematic is the two region impact relationship? At the same time, we need to be alert to cold events that are only manifested in one of the two regions, just as we need to be alert to differences in how the impacts play out.
Presenters
William ThompsonEmeritus Professor, Political Science, Indiana University, Washington, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Assessing Impacts in Diverse Ecosystems
KEYWORDS
Middle East, China, Impacts, Variation
