Dear Laurel;
It is my believe from what reading I have read is that there was a climate
change around 1200-1400 but not quite an ice age, but a cooling of the
temperature in the Norther Hemisphere. Now there are some threories as to
how this occured. Volcanic explosions are one theory but there are others
that suggest that this was part of a longer cycle and any assumption that
our or any weather is stable is inaccurate.
Now this tied into the Voyage of Prince Henry very directly. He was on a
voyage that is assumed to have visited Greenland where there was a
settlement (2 or more) that had survived many generations since 800. This is
proven archeology. Now I believe there is no record of this settlement by
1398 so we assume it disappeared before that time. There is no record as to
what happened. We know that the climate in Greenland (West Coast) was at one
point habitable and then from that period to today it is uninhabitable hence
there is certainly a change in climate that affected that geography. Now the
climate as we are still discovering is getting colder up to 1800 but again
by a few degrees and the parts of Labrador, Greenland, Newfoundland that
once supported some form of growing season, now had a season that was too
short for sustainable agriculture or settlement. Now there are some
conjecturing that can be suggested that surrounds transportation,
exploration and the like. Again you are correct from my appreciation that
there Canadian climate was much more hospitable as were the Shetlands,
Faroes Orkneys and Northern Scotland.
Indeed we are seeing a reversion today in the climate and where in pervious
years it was spread over generations and perceived to be fairly slow, we are
now seeing a climate chage of like proportion, but over one generation not 3
or more and may be returning to the climate enjoyed before 1200-1400. What
concerns me is not that it is changing, but the rate of acceleration. The
North West Passage is becoming navigable, Icefields are shrinking, currents
of the Northern Atlantic are changing, and the water warming. An iceburg
the size of Deleware has broken off Antartica, and it is more than probable
that the climate I was born into will not be the climate of my children. But
to suggest that climate has not changed before would be in error. We simply
have more conjecture than science about the weather. It is changing without
a doubt. But then as you correctly point out it has before.
Now to avoid speculative discussion on environmental conservation, global
warming and the like, we are living on a changing planet which is dynamic.
Yes there were pitch flelds in Stellerton, and Iceland has volcanoes, and
palm trees grow in Argyll, and there were Redwood trees in Baffin Island,
and corn may have grown in Newfoundland, and so forth. (Corn up to a small
size takes a shorter growing season but must be cultivated I believe,)
Well spotted Laurel and keep up the fine work and historical insights that
you are now so famous for. It is so good to see your fine mind back at work.
Neil Sinclair
Toronto/PEI/Argyll
(Canada the future home of the tropical plants???)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Dillon" <Peterd@hagley.school.nz>
To: <sinclair@matrix.net>
Sent: 31 May, 2000 1:04 AM
Subject: RE: another question
> changes in climate?
>
> > ----------
> > From: Spirit One Email[SMTP:laurel@spiritone.com]
> > Reply To: sinclair@matrix.net
> > Sent: Wednesday, 31 May 2000 11:31
> > To: Sinclair Discussion
> > Subject: another question
> >
> > Is the "corn" that is mentioned in the story about Donald the Sailor
> > really
> > maize or is it probably another grain like oats or millet? I would be
> > surprised that there were a variet of corn in 1760 that could produce
very
> > well that far north.
> > Laurel
> >
> > [ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@mids.org
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> >
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