Talk:Younger Dryas

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What, pray tell, is a stadial? Ice-age or something? Kesuari 13:44, 16 Dec 2004 (UTC)

A stadial is a colder episode within an 'Ice-Age' or more correctly a glacial period. It's confusing, because the term 'Ice-Age' has been used inconsistently (sometimes to refer to a geological era, sometimes a particular glacial period, sometimes a particular stadial episode!). Technically, there are glacial and interglacial periods, and within glacial periods, stadials and interstadials (short episodes marked by warming). So, for example, the Younger Dryas is a stadial episode in the Weichselian glacial period. Hope that helps...NickW 22:43, 18 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Was it named after someone called Younger? Or was there an Elder Dryas? Adam 07:15, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

The latter! The Yonger Dryas was preceeded by the warmer Allerod interstadial, which followed the Older Dryas stadial. All part of the 'Lateglacial' period of climate change in NW Europe circa. 14-10k 14C yrs. BP. NickW 18:39, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks. Perhaps the article should explain this. I am reading Steven Mithen's After the Ice at the moment, and he doesn't explain the origin of the term either. Adam 00:48, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

I think we need an article dedicated to the Lateglacial. However, it's a tricky one! Lots of different definitions / perspectives on the same terms. I'll put it on my list of things to do! NickW 11:02, 7 September 2005 (UTC)

Another reasonable question a reader needs answered: Why is this stadial named for a wildflower? I'll come back eventually and answer it myself if no one cares to. There aren't many suggestions for improving this article to be gleaned from looking at "What links here" (!). Why isn't Younger Dryas mentioned in numerous articles? --Wetman 07:40, 17 December 2005 (UTC)--Wetman 07:40, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

..because pollen from this taxa was found in abundance in what were identified as YD sediments, and so the reconstructed flora would have included that taxa, which would of been a characteristic feature of the stadial landscape... I also think an explanation should be included, but maybe not in the opening para. NickW 12:59, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

Contents 1 Was the Younger Dryas global? 2 New talk at the end 3 Can the article use BCE rather than BP or YA? 4 Citation style

[edit] Was the Younger Dryas global?

This section is totally unsourced, and contains no information about timing William M. Connolley 17:47, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] New talk at the end

Of note is the massive release of fresh water into the Atlantic from several sources which resembles the melting of the Artic and Greenland ice today. 11,000 BP, the source was Lake Agasizz fresh water taking one of three routes into the sea. If you don't know what Lake Agasizz was, look it up.

While the earth was warming so rapidly that seven feet of the North American Glaciers was melting per year, suddenly the trend reveresed.

Will the massive release of fresh water today suprise climatologists? Will the earth suddenly today as it did 11000 years ago plunge into an unexpected cold spell.

Stay tuned.

No. No. William M. Connolley 08:53, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

Just Europe. It's the possible Shutdown of thermohaline circulation that is the concern, though not troubling to William M. Connolley .--Wetman 16:34, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Can the article use BCE rather than BP or YA?

BP is very annoying: how many people know that 0BP = 1950AD? It confuses readers and creates unnecessary complications as I had to pick up a calculator in order to understand that "11530±50 BP" really means "9580±50 BCE".

Then the article confuses that even more as it uses "between 14kya and 11.5 kya", without defining what "kya" means (is 0 kya 1950AD or 2000AD or..?).

Please use BCE. Thank you.--Fbastos 16:40, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

The use in the article reflects what the scientists involved tend to use. When your level of accuracy is 11.5 kyr, then +/- 50 isn't so important William M. Connolley 08:48, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the answer, William. I can understand 11.5 KYA better than 11530BP, but still why not use 11.3K BCE and 9580 BCE? I'm not a scientist, and most of the readers aren't either, so what's the benefit of tailoring the article to scientists (that would understand BCE just as well) and confuse casual readers with obscure terminology? I've been reading "BP" for 10 years, and I always thought that BP was the year I was in (1995, 2000, 2006, etc...), and it surprised me when I found that 0 BP = 1950 AD. Thanks, --Fbastos 16:40, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

Its the usuage used... I think it would get confusing transcribing dates from different formats. We could explain BP, that might be better... William M. Connolley 18:11, 15 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Citation style

I'm currently updating the citation style used in this article at User:SparrowsWing/Younger_Dryas. Will put the updated article here once it's all complete. SparrowsWing _(talk) 00:30, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

I've updated the page - can we remove the message at the top now? SparrowsWing _(talk) 00:57, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

I've removed the message as no one seems to have objected - let me know if further work on the reference style is required. SparrowsWing _(talk) 19:36, 31 January 2007 (UTC)