Romania Once Had a Tropical Climate, Temperatures 15 Degrees Higher: Paleoclimatologist

Romania experienced a tropical climate tens of millions of years ago, according to paleoclimatologist Vasile Ersek from Northumbria University in Newcastle. Ersek explained that Earth's history includes natural climate cycles, with periods of ice ages and times when temperatures significantly exceeded present levels.

Ersek highlighted that Earth has undergone dramatic climate shifts throughout its geological past. He cited the example of Greenland, where temperatures changed by about 10 degrees Celsius in just 500-600 years. Such rapid changes, he noted, significantly impact oceanic currents and atmospheric winds, making adaptation extremely difficult for organisms and humans within a few generations.

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Now 40,000 years ago we were in the midst of an ice age. There were ice caps not only in Greenland and Antarctica, but also in North America and Siberia. This glacial period was characterized by very abrupt climate changes. Then the temperature drops very sharply, and if you change the temperature, the whole climate changes, because even the wind changes.

While current news often focuses on record-breaking temperatures, Ersek's research suggests that these dramatic shifts are not unprecedented in Earth's long history. His work offers a fascinating perspective on the planet's natural dynamics, showing how much it has transformed over geological time. The expert's insights come as Europe, including Romania, is currently experiencing intense heatwaves and yellow and orange weather alerts.

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In Greenland, the temperature changed by about 10 degrees Celsius in 500-600 years. This change is very large and we do not see it very often in the geological past. If the temperature changes in one part of the globe, this has major effects on how ocean currents transport heat from one part to another, as well as the wind in the atmosphere. For humans or vegetation to adapt to these changes within two or three generations is extremely difficult. It was a very stressful period for all organisms on earth, because the climate was changing extremely abruptly.