The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a historical period and climatic phase that overlapped with the late-medieval and early modern periods, and was characterized by a cold climate that is often associated with a reduction in solar activity. The LIA increasingly interests historians – academic and popular alike, and they have tied the LIA to the outbreak of wars, famines, economic depressions and overall troublesome times. But the LIA is much more mysterious and defined than many past historians and scientists, and it turns out that it was much less global in coverage than previously thought. The newer evidence from ice and pollen cores and other paleoclimate indicators makes it harder to link the LIA to historical events than historians would like. You can read more about the the history of the Little Ice Age and how our views of it have changed over time at Historical Climatology here.
