New Study: Greenland Was 3-7°C Warmer And Far Less Glaciated Than Today 6000-8000 Years Ago

A large portion of the Greenland ice sheet that is today over 500 m thick did not exist during the Early to Mid Holocene.

Prudhoe Dome (PD), a 2500 km² section of northwestern Greenland’s ice sheet (GIS), is today 500 to 600 m thick (Walcott-George et al., 2026).

Approximately 6000-8000 years ago, or when atmospheric CO2 was alleged to be ~260 ppm, PD had deglaciated completely, exposing the soil to sunlight.

The primary mechanism for the PD deglaciation was the estimated 3-7°C warmer-than-present regional temperatures. This warming and the consequent ice cap minima was said to be “Arctic-wide”.

Starting ~4000 years ago the GIS gradually began thickening until it recently reached its modern glaciated state, with glaciation peaking in the 1800s.

Image Source: Walcott-George et al., 2026

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ResourceGuy

January 12, 2026 6:07 pm

Does this mean we are due for reparations payments because of the campfires of the Clovis people?

Milo

Reply to ResourceGuy

January 12, 2026 6:45 pm

Clovis culture was 13,000 years ago, coincident with the Younger Dryas cold snap.

By contrast 5.2-8.0 Ka was unusually warm, ie the Holocene Climatic Optimum. A natural climate fluctuation, such as our current Modern Warm Period, which will give way to the next cool period, probably worse than the Little Ice Age, which preceded our balmy present. The Holocene Interglacial is on its way out, toward the next glaciation, liable to be worse than the last, which followed the long, toasty Eemian Interglacial, ended about 115 Ka.

Scissor

Reply to ResourceGuy

January 12, 2026 7:55 pm

I blame the Minoans. They were taking their speed boats up their and mining for copper and tin.

Tom Halla

January 12, 2026 6:10 pm

It was those pesky ancient Egyptians (or
were they Atlanteans) who caused it!! It is a basic and holy principle of The Movement that all climate change is human caused, right?
Just follow the blessed words of His Holiness, Doctor Michael Mann, and have no doubts!!’

Scarecrow Repair

Reply to Tom Halla

January 12, 2026 6:29 pm

Michael Mann should have his peepee whacked for playing doctor.

Tom Halla

Reply to Scarecrow Repair

January 12, 2026 6:31 pm

So you remember the Cheech and Chong routine?

Randle Dewees

Reply to Tom Halla

January 12, 2026 7:42 pm

“Bailiff _ _ _!”

Scarecrow Repair

Reply to Tom Halla

January 12, 2026 7:43 pm

No, must have missed that when Dave wouldn’t open the door.

Scissor

Reply to Scarecrow Repair

January 12, 2026 7:56 pm

He wasn’t there.

Tom Halla

Reply to Scissor

January 12, 2026 8:11 pm

It is ironic, remembering Cheech and
Chong routines proves we were not really the stoners we pretended to be.

kingjim1954

Reply to Scarecrow Repair

January 12, 2026 8:21 pm

Bailiff, whack his peepee!

gyan1

January 12, 2026 6:45 pm

Regional temperature reconstructions show that most of the planet had temperatures 8C warmer than today for centuries. The warmer than ever liars ignore the geologic record.

MarkW

Reply to gyan1

January 12, 2026 7:08 pm

These are the same people who insist that “long term” only goes back to 1979.

antigtiff

January 12, 2026 7:42 pm

According to Popular Mechanics….the “Equatorial Blob” has reappeared in the Atlantic. It never went missing in the Pacific and Indian oceans. It is identifiable by salinity and temp. A figure of 2000 meters depth was mentioned. This blob separates northern from southern hemisphere. I’ve never heard of it before but could it affect CC?…..or has CC been figured out completely with or wo the “Blob”?

Hans Erren

January 12, 2026 7:48 pm

No surprise, geologically stable Suriname had an ocean high stand on the coastal plain after the last ice age (Mara Formation), and the current sea level is still 2 m lower.

wpDiscuz

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