A SUDDEN and catastrophic change happened to the Earth’s climate about 5,000 years ago and history could be repeating itself today, scientists have warned.
New research suggests that the "monumental" change would have had a major impact on emerging cultures at the time.
The scientists behind the evidence, from Ohio State University, in the United States, warn that the lesson from the past is to beware of "tweaking" the planet’s finely tuned climate system, which can have drastic consequences.
Data from sources ranging from ancient frozen plants to ice core records and pollen deposits suggest a sudden drop in temperature 5,200 years ago, followed by a brief surge.
The most likely explanation is a huge solar oscillation which caused the Sun’s energy output to fall precipitously and then flare up. This had a devastating impact on Earth, the research suggests.
snip
http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=1433922004solar storm thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x16404