Yes! It Was Like That A Million Years Ago
USA, Mar 18: In 1966, US Army scientists drilled down nearly 1400 metres – deep into the icy core of Greenland. This frozen sediment was forgotten for decades. It was accidentally rediscovered in 2017. Scientists, while examining the sample under microscope, were surprised to see twigs and leaves in it. Then an international team of scientists studied this rare plant fossil. They measured oxygen isotopes (An isotope is a variant of an element that differs in neutron number. The isotope ratio for oxygen can determine the past temperatures of ice core) to find out the temperature, when the samples were last exposed to sunlight, and the age and chemistry of rock samples. The
results show that Greenland must have been ice-free within the last million years. It was most likely covered in a blanket of vegetation including moss, lichen, and even spruce and fir trees. The team confirmed that Greenland is much more sensitive to natural climate warming and is at a risk of irreversibly melting ice.
Credits: Dorothy Peteet, Columbia University & Andrew Christ/UVM