It was warmer ca.1000 years ago than today

[kiwistonewall]

1. Ancient Seal Remains Reveal Warmer Antarctica

The discovery, scientists say, is the first hard evidence for a warming period in the region between 2,300 and 1,100 years ago.

The modern Ross Sea coast is much too cold for southern elephant seals to survive. The region is so dry that there is almost no snow on the ground and the only visible vegetation is lichens and algae.

This means that 900AD was much warmer than present. (Note: 900 is usually regarded as the start of the MWP) news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060627-ancient-seals.html

2. Evidence for the existence of the medieval warm period in China
"The collected documentary records of the cultivation of citrus trees and Boehmeria nivea (a perennial herb) have been used to produce distribution maps of these plants for the eighth, twelfth and thirteenth centuries A.D:
"the thirteenth century lay to the north of the modern distribution."
"it can be estimated that the annual mean temperature in south Henan Province in the thirteenth century was 0.9–1.0°C higher than at present."
www.springerlink.com/content/gh98230822m7g01l/
Don't expect the Chinese to cut CO₂ emissions! ;D

[sigurdur]

Sane minds along with actual science will persevere in the long run. We need to be preparing for the cool phase that seems to be coming at us with both barrels blazing.

[steve]

They both seem to be papers that are also about a Medieval cooling period surely. This fits with my theory that the CO2 science dot org site focus entirely on plotting the frequency of "MWP" papers but ignore the balancing MCP or MATP (Medieval Cooling Period, and Medieval Average Temperature Period).

The first paper seems to be evidence for Medieval cooling in Antarctica:

Seals declined thereafter, apparently from south to north, with site-abandonment beginning ≈1,100 yr ago at Marble Point and Dunlop Island and later at Cape Roberts (530 14C yr B.P.) and Inexpressible Island (≈260–500 14C yr B.P.). The disappearance of the population before sub-Antarctic sealing indicates that abandonment of the VLC was not human-induced but rather the result of environmental change.

The second paper talks about a cold period that they thought was around 1200AD, but after recalculation of the calendar from lunar to solar calendar they now think it is earlier - presumably 1000-1100AD? Unfortunately, the information about this is not available without paying for the paper.

[kiwistonewall]

Steve,

Your point is?

If I understand you, you are saying that it got colder after it was a lot hotter than today. But feel free to elucidate your thoughts.

Obviously it got colder, else the recent warming would have made it warmer than then, which hasn't happened as the sea elephants haven't returned (yet) to the Ross Sea area.

The writer if the article had to add the compulsory AGW clause: ;D

Hall also says her findings of a warmer South Pole in the past do not detract from evidence that the region's dramatic warming trend over the last 30 years is being driven by human contributions (related video: "Antarctica's Big Meltdown").

"One way to look at it is there are natural Earth cycles and man-made cycles. I've been looking at natural cycles," she said.

"If we know the past, we can better predict into the future and maybe understand what we do that may interfere with the natural cycle."

And the proof that the most recent warming wasn't natural is? Entirely theoretical, when there is a perfectly good explanation, the biggest grand solar maximum for some thousands of years.! In fact, mankind may have cooled the Earth with aerosol pollution, preventing the poles from melting as much as they did 1100 years ago.