The Little Ice Age was a period of global cooling that occurred between 1550 and 1850 AD. It was characterized by three particularly cold intervals separated by slight warming periods. Potential causes included changes in solar activity, volcanic eruptions, ocean circulation patterns, and decreases in human population. During this time, Europe and North America experienced extreme winters that destroyed farms and villages. Glaciers advanced significantly and temperatures dropped worldwide, resulting in widespread famine and cultural disruption.

1. The Little Ice Age Megan Foster HIST 141

2. The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of cooling that occurred after the Medieval Warm Period NASA defines the term as a cold period between 1550 AD and 1850 AD and notes three particularly cold intervals: one beginning about 1650, another about 1770, and the last in 1850, each separated by intervals of slight warming. Several causes have been proposed: cyclical lows in solar radiation, heightened volcanic activity, changes in the ocean circulation, an inherent variability in global climate, or decreases in the human population L.I.A. FACTS

3. Extreme Occurrences Europe and North America were hit with cases of extreme winters Glaciers destroyed many farms and villages in the Swiss Alps Baltic Sea froze over completely Timbuktu was flooded at least 13 times by the Niger River (never occurred before or after) Many suffered famine and fatigue due to the drastic conditions

4. Ridiculous Realities Severe winters in Jiang-Xi province of China killed the last of the orange groves that had thrived there for centuries Sea ice choked much of the North Atlantic, causing havoc with fisheries in Iceland and Scandinavia From Norway to New Zealand, glaciers in mountainous areas advanced In parts of Europe and North America, temperatures plummeted and harsh weather set in It was a time of repeated famine and cultural dislocation Cold and erratic weather patterns produced numerous crop failures in northerly areas such as Scotland and Norway The population of famine-ridden Iceland dwindled during the Little Ice Age to half its previous numbers Growing sea ice cut off communication with the outside world beginning about 1370, and when German ships landed in Greenland more than a century later, they found a single frozen corpse but no living colonists among the ruins

5. Positive Points Freezing’s of the Thames River in London were celebrated with carnival-like "Frost Fairs" with food, drink and entertainment on the ice The cold, snowy winters of the early 1800s may have inspired Charles Dickens' sentimental vision of the "old-fashioned" white Christmas New York harbor froze over in winter, allowing people to walk from Manhattan to Staten Island

6. Sources Wikipedia The Little Ice Age: When Global Cooling Gripped the World By Alan Cutler(Washington Post-Wednesday, August 13, 1997) Little Ice Age: Big Chill (documentary)