Comparison: London And The Little Ice Age
London and the ‘Little Ice Age’
There has been a district hint of winter in the London air over the past few weeks. The days are becoming visibly shorter, and the temperature is dropping rapidly. The beginning of December is fast approaching, thus, we are only a few weeks away from the Winter Solstice - the time of the longest night and the shortest day. It is at this point in the year where the dark triumphs, but only briefly. For the Solstice is also a turning point. From then on, the nights begin to grow shorter and the days grow longer. The dark reluctantly wanes and the sun grasps at its chance to show us its true wonders. Christmas is just a little over a month away, with London surrounded by the crisp, frosty air that dances throughout our streets and nips at our toes. Christmas lights appear to be floating in the sky as we stroll along the bustling streets – seemingly hidden by the daylight and yet come alive against the darkness of the night sky. Despite all this, modern British winters in London are far from the winters that London experienced between …show more content…
the 16th century and the early 19th century.
The “Little Ice Age,” recorded to be the coldest interval over the Northern Hemisphere for one thousand or so years, was a period of cooling that occurred after the warmer era known as the Medieval Warm Period. This Little Ice Age had a profound affect on London, no only on the city itself but on the people that were situated there too. The colder weather impacted on agriculture, health and economics in the City. This so called Ice Age curbed agricultural production in London and some effects, such as food shortages and health problems, are proved to have been evident in research carried out between 1560 and 1660 – the Little Ice Age’s harshest period – during which growing seasons shorted to only one or two months, and cultivated land
shrank. The availability of varieties of seed today that can withstand extreme cold or warmth, wetness or dryness, were not available in the past. Therefore, the changes in the climate that the Little Ice Age caused had a much greater impact on agricultural output in the city then compared to how it would affect London now if it were to be hit with the same harsh conditions. Furthermore, a parasite, known as Fusarium nivale, which thrives under snow cover, devastated many farmers’ crops, resulting in much lower yields which got progressively worse as the temperature grew colder. Additionally, due to the increased number of days of snow cover, the stocks of hay for the animals ran out so livestock were fed on straw and pine branches - many cows had to be slaughtered.
In addition to Londoners having to kill their own livestock prematurely and not being able to grow their own crops, London, who at the time had an extensive export and import market, were unable to obtain their imports as their only way to access them was via the River Thames, which froze over during for the majority of the time period being discussed. Not only this, but as a result of London having to bore the brunt of the ill effects of the Little Ice Age, experiencing harsh and fickle weather for centuries, they were unable to sell their own exports – the most important being wool. At the time, London was experiencing a booming wool and cloth industry. However, being unable to obtain their imports, as well as not being able to sell their exports, led to a huge economic crisis for London, which resulted in a sharp incline in unemployment. With little food being harvest, animals not making it to slaughter stage and many earning little if no money due, there was widespread malnourishment in London – eventually causing fatalities.
As arable land in London contracted, as a result of increased ice and snow, so too did the Londoners themselves. Whilst malnourishment spread across the city, average height followed the temperature line, dipping nearly an inch during the late 17th century - death and famine killed millions. Other impacts on health were equally as worrying. Grain, if stored in cool, damp conditions, is known to develop a fungus known as ergot blight causing the grain to ferment just enough to produce a drug similar to LSD: during the Little Ice Age, these were the exact conditions that the grains were unfortunately kept in. with people having to eat whatever they were able to grow, many were affected by this unknown drug at the time, causing even more fatalities. What made matters worse was that malnutrition led to a weakened immunity to a variety of illnesses. With weakened immune systems and exposure to a multitude of illnesses, one being the influenza epidemic of 1557-8, which was aggravated by malnutrition, the percentage of the premature deaths in London soared.
On the other hand, the Little Ice Age was not all bad. ‘A Frost Fair on the Thames at Temple Stairs,’ is an oil painting that was painted by Abraham Danielsz Hondius, otherwise known as Abraham de Hondt, in approximately 1684. It depicts a winter fair that was held on the frozen Ice of the River Thames. (See below)
This fair is just one of several that was built and maintained on the frozen Thames in London during these severe winters. What was exceptional about this particular fair is that it lasted for almost three months - from December 1683 until 4th February 1684. The fair depicted in this oil painting became known as London’s legendary Frost Fair – a carnival of bear baiting, gambling and ice-skating. At the fair, people would have been selling what little crops and grains they were able to harvest, along with woolen clothing and other forms of attire that was intended to help keep people warm during this period of intense coldness. In the oil painting, it is evident that the Londoners were able to make the most of the frozen over Thames, despite it being a time of great hardship. As you can see, in this particular picture, people are taking the opportunity to ice skate on top of the thick frozen ice - a past time that is still widely enjoyed today.
For a long time it was suspected that the sun played a major role in what caused the Little Ice Age.
One influence that was thought to have contributed to the harsh cold winters may have been a drop in solar energy. During the period between 1645 and 1715 it was thought that there were little or no sunspots, in other words, regions on the solar surface that appear dark because they are cooler than the surrounding photosphere. This was a time known as the Maunder Minimum. During periods where there are no sunspots, it is thought that the sun is slightly less active. As a result of this, the sun is not warming the earth as much, thus leading to much colder temperatures and hence why people related it back to a possible cause Little Ice Age. However, this study showed that, even if the sun were less active, it would have had little effect on the weather in London during at the time. (Robert Henson,
275).
This led to more research into other causes of the Little Ice Age, one of them being a series of volcano eruptions, which occurred frequently between the 13th, and 14th century, years before the Little Ice Age occurred. Although what caused the Little Ice Age is still uncertain, a new study, led by Gifford Miller at the university of Colorado at Boulder, US, links back to a series of four particular explosive volcanic eruptions between 1250 and 1300 in the tropics. These eruptions would have forced huge clouds of sulfate particles into the upper atmosphere. These small sulfate particles have been proven to cool down the earth by reflecting solar energy back into space, causing a global drop in the earths temperature. At the time of the Little Ice Age, it is thought that the global temperature dropped by, on average, one degree, however; it was much more severe in certain areas of the globe, such and the United Kingdom. London’s temperature, in particular, was thought to have dropped a significantly more than one degree – the exact number is unknown however scientists are currently carrying out carbon dating experiments on some of the plants that were suffocated by the ice and this will give them an idea about how cold the ice that froze on top of them was (Richard Black). Although volcanic eruptions are thought to only cool the worlds climate for just few years, due to their being a series of four, in quick succession, the cooling of the earths climate was much more significant. As a result, this had profound effects on London’s climate during the period discussed, none of which are present in the climate in London today.
The weather conditions in London, during the winters over the last few decades, are far from the unforgiving winters that were experienced by Londoners during the Little Ice Age. According to BBC weather, currently on average, the temperature during the winter months –late October through to late February – never drops below freezing, remaining at about two degrees centigrade or above. Although, during the coldest months, December through to January, there may be the odd day where the temperature falls below zero, more often than not the temperature will remain above freezing. These temperatures, compared to the temperatures that engulfed London, mainly during the 17th and 18th century, could not be more contrasting. The temperatures in London during the Little Ice Age were thought to have dropped to minus eleven, or even lower, hitting a record low of minus twenty-seven degrees centigrade during the 18th century. It needs to be at least minus 15 degrees to freeze the River Thames; just one example demonstrating just how cold it must have been in London at the time, especially as, also during the 18th century, the River Thames remained frozen for almost three months.
Chris Huhne MP, Secretary of state for Energy and Climate change, and Julia Slingo, Met Office Chief Scientist, in a report on the observations, projections and impacts of climate change, state that there has been warming over the UK since the 19th century with greater warming in summer and winter. They also discovered that there has been a decreasing trend in the frequency of cool nights and cool days and an increasing in the frequency of warm nights and warm days. All of this has been as a result of climate change. Climate change has been the main contributing factor to the weather conditions that are experienced in London today. For once, London is starting to have some warm summers and slightly less cold winters. The City is, largely, avoiding huge fluctuations in temperatures, both in the winter and in the summer, meaning that during the winter, temperatures do not drop too low and in the summer they are not too high. This is very different to what was experienced in London During the Little Ice Age. Not only did they experience harsh winters, but they also had to endure cold summers too, which is something people of London do not have to deal with in the present day. Although, for the most part, climate change has led to the depletion of harsh extremes in London during the winter and summer months, there has been one exception. The one being the extreme winter that London and the United Kingdom experienced in December of 2010. It has been said that London experienced the coldest December for more than one hundred years. Across much of the country, including London, temperatures regularly fell to between -10 and -20 °C overnight and many places also saw temperatures struggling to get above freezing by day (UK Met Office, 2011d).
Despite this, it is clear that the winters experienced in London during the Little Ice Age are very different from the winters that London has endured over the past few years. Although occasionally there have been below freezing temperatures in London, rarely do temperature reach minus 11, let alone on a regular basis. Climate change has had a huge impact on the weather in London today, resulting in the eradication of extreme weathers both in the summer and winter, leaving Londoners with cold but tolerable winters and slightly warmer summers. Scientists nowadays predict that London and the UK are headed for one of the coldest winters in the last thirty years – but how does it measure up against the great chills of history?
Works Cited
Black, Richard. "Volcanic Origin for Little Ice Age." BBC News. BBC, 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Henson, Robert. "A Heated Debate." The Rough Guide to Climate Change 2011: 275. Print.
"Join Academia.edu & Share Your Research with the World." The Little Ice Age. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
"What Caused the Little Ice Age? : Bad Astronomy." Bad Astronomy. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
"Weather, London." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
"And You Think This Is Cold... the Great Chills of History Left the Thames Frozen and Snow Piled to the Rooftops." Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
"What Causes Climate Change?" Natural History Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
"Met Office." Climate: Observations, Projections and Impacts -. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
There has been a district hint of winter in the London air over the past few weeks. The days are becoming visibly shorter, and the temperature is dropping rapidly. The beginning of December is fast approaching, thus, we are only a few weeks away from the Winter Solstice - the time of the longest night and the shortest day. It is at this point in the year where the dark triumphs, but only briefly. For the Solstice is also a turning point. From then on, the nights begin to grow shorter and the days grow longer. The dark reluctantly wanes and the sun grasps at its chance to show us its true wonders. Christmas is just a little over a month away, with London surrounded by the crisp, frosty air that dances throughout our streets and nips at our toes. Christmas lights appear to be floating in the sky as we stroll along the bustling streets – seemingly hidden by the daylight and yet come alive against the darkness of the night sky. Despite all this, modern British winters in London are far from the winters that London experienced between …show more content…
the 16th century and the early 19th century.
The “Little Ice Age,” recorded to be the coldest interval over the Northern Hemisphere for one thousand or so years, was a period of cooling that occurred after the warmer era known as the Medieval Warm Period. This Little Ice Age had a profound affect on London, no only on the city itself but on the people that were situated there too. The colder weather impacted on agriculture, health and economics in the City. This so called Ice Age curbed agricultural production in London and some effects, such as food shortages and health problems, are proved to have been evident in research carried out between 1560 and 1660 – the Little Ice Age’s harshest period – during which growing seasons shorted to only one or two months, and cultivated land
shrank. The availability of varieties of seed today that can withstand extreme cold or warmth, wetness or dryness, were not available in the past. Therefore, the changes in the climate that the Little Ice Age caused had a much greater impact on agricultural output in the city then compared to how it would affect London now if it were to be hit with the same harsh conditions. Furthermore, a parasite, known as Fusarium nivale, which thrives under snow cover, devastated many farmers’ crops, resulting in much lower yields which got progressively worse as the temperature grew colder. Additionally, due to the increased number of days of snow cover, the stocks of hay for the animals ran out so livestock were fed on straw and pine branches - many cows had to be slaughtered.
In addition to Londoners having to kill their own livestock prematurely and not being able to grow their own crops, London, who at the time had an extensive export and import market, were unable to obtain their imports as their only way to access them was via the River Thames, which froze over during for the majority of the time period being discussed. Not only this, but as a result of London having to bore the brunt of the ill effects of the Little Ice Age, experiencing harsh and fickle weather for centuries, they were unable to sell their own exports – the most important being wool. At the time, London was experiencing a booming wool and cloth industry. However, being unable to obtain their imports, as well as not being able to sell their exports, led to a huge economic crisis for London, which resulted in a sharp incline in unemployment. With little food being harvest, animals not making it to slaughter stage and many earning little if no money due, there was widespread malnourishment in London – eventually causing fatalities.
As arable land in London contracted, as a result of increased ice and snow, so too did the Londoners themselves. Whilst malnourishment spread across the city, average height followed the temperature line, dipping nearly an inch during the late 17th century - death and famine killed millions. Other impacts on health were equally as worrying. Grain, if stored in cool, damp conditions, is known to develop a fungus known as ergot blight causing the grain to ferment just enough to produce a drug similar to LSD: during the Little Ice Age, these were the exact conditions that the grains were unfortunately kept in. with people having to eat whatever they were able to grow, many were affected by this unknown drug at the time, causing even more fatalities. What made matters worse was that malnutrition led to a weakened immunity to a variety of illnesses. With weakened immune systems and exposure to a multitude of illnesses, one being the influenza epidemic of 1557-8, which was aggravated by malnutrition, the percentage of the premature deaths in London soared.
On the other hand, the Little Ice Age was not all bad. ‘A Frost Fair on the Thames at Temple Stairs,’ is an oil painting that was painted by Abraham Danielsz Hondius, otherwise known as Abraham de Hondt, in approximately 1684. It depicts a winter fair that was held on the frozen Ice of the River Thames. (See below)
This fair is just one of several that was built and maintained on the frozen Thames in London during these severe winters. What was exceptional about this particular fair is that it lasted for almost three months - from December 1683 until 4th February 1684. The fair depicted in this oil painting became known as London’s legendary Frost Fair – a carnival of bear baiting, gambling and ice-skating. At the fair, people would have been selling what little crops and grains they were able to harvest, along with woolen clothing and other forms of attire that was intended to help keep people warm during this period of intense coldness. In the oil painting, it is evident that the Londoners were able to make the most of the frozen over Thames, despite it being a time of great hardship. As you can see, in this particular picture, people are taking the opportunity to ice skate on top of the thick frozen ice - a past time that is still widely enjoyed today.
For a long time it was suspected that the sun played a major role in what caused the Little Ice Age.
One influence that was thought to have contributed to the harsh cold winters may have been a drop in solar energy. During the period between 1645 and 1715 it was thought that there were little or no sunspots, in other words, regions on the solar surface that appear dark because they are cooler than the surrounding photosphere. This was a time known as the Maunder Minimum. During periods where there are no sunspots, it is thought that the sun is slightly less active. As a result of this, the sun is not warming the earth as much, thus leading to much colder temperatures and hence why people related it back to a possible cause Little Ice Age. However, this study showed that, even if the sun were less active, it would have had little effect on the weather in London during at the time. (Robert Henson,
275).
This led to more research into other causes of the Little Ice Age, one of them being a series of volcano eruptions, which occurred frequently between the 13th, and 14th century, years before the Little Ice Age occurred. Although what caused the Little Ice Age is still uncertain, a new study, led by Gifford Miller at the university of Colorado at Boulder, US, links back to a series of four particular explosive volcanic eruptions between 1250 and 1300 in the tropics. These eruptions would have forced huge clouds of sulfate particles into the upper atmosphere. These small sulfate particles have been proven to cool down the earth by reflecting solar energy back into space, causing a global drop in the earths temperature. At the time of the Little Ice Age, it is thought that the global temperature dropped by, on average, one degree, however; it was much more severe in certain areas of the globe, such and the United Kingdom. London’s temperature, in particular, was thought to have dropped a significantly more than one degree – the exact number is unknown however scientists are currently carrying out carbon dating experiments on some of the plants that were suffocated by the ice and this will give them an idea about how cold the ice that froze on top of them was (Richard Black). Although volcanic eruptions are thought to only cool the worlds climate for just few years, due to their being a series of four, in quick succession, the cooling of the earths climate was much more significant. As a result, this had profound effects on London’s climate during the period discussed, none of which are present in the climate in London today.
The weather conditions in London, during the winters over the last few decades, are far from the unforgiving winters that were experienced by Londoners during the Little Ice Age. According to BBC weather, currently on average, the temperature during the winter months –late October through to late February – never drops below freezing, remaining at about two degrees centigrade or above. Although, during the coldest months, December through to January, there may be the odd day where the temperature falls below zero, more often than not the temperature will remain above freezing. These temperatures, compared to the temperatures that engulfed London, mainly during the 17th and 18th century, could not be more contrasting. The temperatures in London during the Little Ice Age were thought to have dropped to minus eleven, or even lower, hitting a record low of minus twenty-seven degrees centigrade during the 18th century. It needs to be at least minus 15 degrees to freeze the River Thames; just one example demonstrating just how cold it must have been in London at the time, especially as, also during the 18th century, the River Thames remained frozen for almost three months.
Chris Huhne MP, Secretary of state for Energy and Climate change, and Julia Slingo, Met Office Chief Scientist, in a report on the observations, projections and impacts of climate change, state that there has been warming over the UK since the 19th century with greater warming in summer and winter. They also discovered that there has been a decreasing trend in the frequency of cool nights and cool days and an increasing in the frequency of warm nights and warm days. All of this has been as a result of climate change. Climate change has been the main contributing factor to the weather conditions that are experienced in London today. For once, London is starting to have some warm summers and slightly less cold winters. The City is, largely, avoiding huge fluctuations in temperatures, both in the winter and in the summer, meaning that during the winter, temperatures do not drop too low and in the summer they are not too high. This is very different to what was experienced in London During the Little Ice Age. Not only did they experience harsh winters, but they also had to endure cold summers too, which is something people of London do not have to deal with in the present day. Although, for the most part, climate change has led to the depletion of harsh extremes in London during the winter and summer months, there has been one exception. The one being the extreme winter that London and the United Kingdom experienced in December of 2010. It has been said that London experienced the coldest December for more than one hundred years. Across much of the country, including London, temperatures regularly fell to between -10 and -20 °C overnight and many places also saw temperatures struggling to get above freezing by day (UK Met Office, 2011d).
Despite this, it is clear that the winters experienced in London during the Little Ice Age are very different from the winters that London has endured over the past few years. Although occasionally there have been below freezing temperatures in London, rarely do temperature reach minus 11, let alone on a regular basis. Climate change has had a huge impact on the weather in London today, resulting in the eradication of extreme weathers both in the summer and winter, leaving Londoners with cold but tolerable winters and slightly warmer summers. Scientists nowadays predict that London and the UK are headed for one of the coldest winters in the last thirty years – but how does it measure up against the great chills of history?
Works Cited
Black, Richard. "Volcanic Origin for Little Ice Age." BBC News. BBC, 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
Henson, Robert. "A Heated Debate." The Rough Guide to Climate Change 2011: 275. Print.
"Join Academia.edu & Share Your Research with the World." The Little Ice Age. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
"What Caused the Little Ice Age? : Bad Astronomy." Bad Astronomy. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
"Weather, London." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
"And You Think This Is Cold... the Great Chills of History Left the Thames Frozen and Snow Piled to the Rooftops." Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
"What Causes Climate Change?" Natural History Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
"Met Office." Climate: Observations, Projections and Impacts -. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.