XKCD strikes again
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Got to hot link this one (here’s the permanent link). I suspect some climatologists will grumble about how smooth that line is, and I caught one probable error and a couple of maybes (dates in the middle). Otherwise, it’s his usual thought provoking work.
What do you all think?
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Putting the life back in science fiction 
It is great that the European Warm period is shown in true context with its minor influence on global temperatures, rather than being used as a talking point proxy for global temperatures.
Comment by alexandertolley September 12, 2016 @ 8:43 pmIncidentally, where can I find info on the medieval warm period outside of western europe?
Comment by martin089 September 21, 2016 @ 12:58 pmIf you want a book, I’d suggest Brian Fagan’s The Great Warming. It’s a good book, but it comes with the usual caveat that if you’re doing more than satisfying your curiosity, use this as the starting point.
Comment by Heteromeles September 21, 2016 @ 7:08 pmFagan sounds good, at first glance.
Comment by martin089 September 22, 2016 @ 7:40 amYes to the European Warm Period.
However, I believe he goofed on the Holocene Climatic Optimum. Milankovitch cycles don’t really affect global temperatures directly (they affect it indirectly by triggering ice ages and such). The Holocene Climatic Optimum was warmer: for northern hemisphere summers, not for the globe as a whole throughout the entire year.
Comment by Heteromeles September 12, 2016 @ 10:00 pm