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Abrupt Climate Change

Winter temperatures plummeting six degrees Celsius and sudden droughts scorching farmland around the globe are not just the stuff of scary movies. Such striking climate jumps have happened before--sometimes within a matter of years

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Richard B. Alley is a professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University. He has spent more than 40 years studying ice sheets and has advised the U.S. government on a variety of climate issues.

More by Richard B. Alley
Scientific American Magazine Vol 291 Issue 5This article was originally published with the title “Abrupt Climate Change” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 291 No. 5 ()