by Staff Writers Kiel, Germany (SPX) Jun 19, 2012 The Eemian
interglacial period that began some 125,000 years ago is often
used as a model for contemporary climate change. In the
international journal "Geophysical Research Letters" scientists
from Mainz, Kiel and Potsdam (Germany) now present evidence that
the Eemian differed in essential details from modern climatic
conditions. To address the question about how climate may
develop in the future, earth scientists direct their attention
to the past. They look for epochs with similar conditions to
today. The major identified climatic processes are then
simulated with numerical models to further test possible
reactions of the Earths' system. An epoch which is often
regarded suitable for such an undertaking is the Eemian warm
period, which began around 125,000 years ago following the
Saalian ice age. For about 10,000 years, average temperatures on
Earth in the Eemian were rather enhanced - probably several
degrees above today's level. This seems to be well docum