A new study from the University of Colorado-Boulder suggests the Little Ice Age, which lasted from the Middle Ages until the late 19th century, was triggered by volcanos.
Scientists examined radiocarbon dates of dead vegetation from Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, ice sediment code models from Iceland and sea ice climate model simulations.
Scientists discovered a large cluster where plants were frozen and engulfed in ice during a relatively sudden event. Models indicate that several large, closely spaced volcanic eruptions could have cooled the Northern hemisphere enough to trigger Arctic ice growth, which created a self-sustaining feedback system with cool temperatures long after the immediate effects of the volcanoes had subsided.
Read more at University of Colorado-Boulder