More speaks with Popular Science, Mirage News about ice core revealing climate anomaly effects on WWI, H1N1 pandemic
Alexander More, an assistant research professor with the University of Maine Climate Change Institute, spoke with Popular Science and Mirage News about how a once in a century climate anomaly exacerbated the H1N1 flu pandemic of 1918-1919 and casualties in World War 1. Through studying an ice core from the European Alps, More, also a historian with Harvard University and an associate professor of environmental health at Long Island University, and colleagues from the CCI and University of Nottingham discovered that a weather anomaly that lasted from 1914 to 1919 brought an influx of cold air from the Atlantic Ocean and with it, cold temperatures and torrential rain that resulted in increased mortality in Europe. “We’ve always known that the weather during World War I, in particular during certain battles…was atrocious,” More said “But we never knew really what was going on — what caused this cold weather and how long did this happen?” GeoHealth published a research article of the team’s findings. A news release by the American Geophysical Union about the research is posted on EurekAlert!. The Weather Network also reported on the study, and that report was shared by Yahoo! News. Archaeology, a publication of the Archaeological Institute of America, highlighted the study as well.