Abstract
AT the Royal Meteorological Society on May 16, Dr. G. C. Simpson read an important paper on his theory of the climatic variations during the Quaternary Ice Age, with especial reference to its geological implications. Briefly, the theory states that the effect of an increase in the solar radiation intercepted by the earth is a relatively small increase in the earth's temperature, but a large increase in the evaporation, cloudiness and precipitation. In high latitudes or on high mountains, where the precipitation is mainly in the form of snow, the first result is an extension of the ice-sheets and glaciers, but as the radiation increases still further, the rise of temperature becomes great enough to melt away the ice. If the solar radiation, starting from a minimum, goes through two complete cycles, the climatic succession would be: cold dry climate; glacial; warm wet inter-glacial; glacial; cold dry interglacial; glacial; warm wet interglacial; glacial; cold dry climate. Hence there would be four glacial periods separated by three interglacials, of which only the first and third would actually be warm. In low latitudes, on the other hand, the two cycles of radiation would be represented only by two pluvial periods separated by an interpluvial, the maximum of each pluvial coinciding with a warm wet interglacial.
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World Climate during the Quaternary Period. Nature 133, 785–786 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/133785a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/133785a0