 The Little Ice Age The Little Ice Age (1560-1850) brought bitterly cold winters to parts of northern Europe and North America. This had a devastating affect on agriculture, health, economics, and exploration. For example: 1. Increased ice kept whales out of the Arctic seas - forcing native people to adapt from whale hunting to seal hunting. 2. During this period, all European searches for a Northwest Passage to Asia failed due to heavy ice. 3. Glaciers advanced in Europe - some gradually engulfed farms or crushed entire villages. 4. The Thames river in England and the canals and rivers of the Netherlands often froze over. People skated on the ice while ships were frozen in the harbors (Picture). 5. Advancing glaciers in Iceland destroyed farms. Sea ice extended so far around the island that it closed the harbors to shipping.
Click pictures for more information and credits. Library: Exploration, Environment, Inuit Animals, Whales and Fish, Arctic Links: Ice Age, Environment Arctic Animals, Northwest Passage, Arctic Arctic Maps & Weather Reports |
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DICTIONARY: Just "double-click" any unlinked word on this page for the definition from Merriam-Webster's Student Electronic Dictionary at Word Central. |
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ARCTIC LIBRARY & GLOSSARY: Check this section for an index of the rest of the things you really need to know about the Arctic. |
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ARCTIC MAPS & WEATHER REPORTS: Maps of the Northwest Passage, explorers' routes, iceberg sources, Nunavut, the Arctic by treeline, temperature... |
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ARCTIC LINKS: Even more information! Links to sites related to the Arctic and "Iceberg: the Story of the Throps and the Squallhoots". |
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GUIDE TO ARCTIC SUNRISE & SUNSET: How much sunlight or darkness is there in the Arctic on each day of the year? |
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