Post by L Roebuck on Nov 7, 2008 18:36:04 GMT -5
Rise and Fall of Chinese Dynasties Tied to Changes in Rainfall
Scientific America
The record in a stalagmite tells a tale of how previous changes in climate affected human civilization
By David Biello
THOUSANDS OF RAINY SEASONS: A sample from a stalagmite found in Wanxiang Cave, China, which formed from about A.D. 190 to 2003.
In the late ninth century a disastrous harvest precipitated by drought brought famine to China under the rule of the Tang dynasty. By A.D. 907—after nearly three centuries of rule—the dynasty fell when its emperor, Ai, was deposed, and the empire was divided. According to the atmospheric record contained in a stalagmite, one of the causes of that downfall may have been climate change.
Full Article
Scientific America
The record in a stalagmite tells a tale of how previous changes in climate affected human civilization
By David Biello
THOUSANDS OF RAINY SEASONS: A sample from a stalagmite found in Wanxiang Cave, China, which formed from about A.D. 190 to 2003.
In the late ninth century a disastrous harvest precipitated by drought brought famine to China under the rule of the Tang dynasty. By A.D. 907—after nearly three centuries of rule—the dynasty fell when its emperor, Ai, was deposed, and the empire was divided. According to the atmospheric record contained in a stalagmite, one of the causes of that downfall may have been climate change.
Full Article