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If a northern hemisphere “ice age” is triggered, say due to the Gulf Stream failing, is it inevitable in the southern hemisphere too?
Peter Bursztyn
Barrie, Ontario, Canada
No. A northern hemisphere “ice age” won’t trigger widespread glaciation in the southern hemisphere.
Changing geography made glaciation possible across the Arctic, Eurasia and North America.
The Arctic Ocean was relatively ice-free until continental drift gradually enclosed it. Today, the narrow Bering Strait keeps the North Pacific current out of the Arctic Ocean. Instead, it warms the southern coast of Alaska, keeping it ice-free. Similarly, Baffin Island and Greenland deflect the Gulf…
