Past Cold Environments (AQA A Level Geography)

Pleistocene Glaciation

• There were several periods (11 in total) of glaciation during the Pleistocene epoch

• These 'ice ages' roughly cover the period between 2.6 million and 11,700 years BP (before present)

• During this time, there were patterns of alternating interglacial (warm) and glacial (cold) periods

  • Glacial periods saw glacial advance/expansion and sea levels dropped

  • Interglacial saw glacial retreat/contraction and sea level rise

• The last glacial maximum was about 21,000 years ago and cold environments covered over 30% of the Earth's surface

• At this point the Earth's average temperature was 6°C (average now is 14-15°C)

• The climate was drier, because most of the water on Earth's surface was ice, resulting in less precipitation

• Sea levels dropped, and shorelines extended farther out, creating more land (water was trapped in ice sheets)

• The polar ice sheets covered much of the UK and most of southern Europe was periglacial

• Currently, the Earth is in an interglacial period with glaciers retreating