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interglacial

interglacial

3 7.9
A warm period between ice ages when glaciers shrink and temperatures rise
  • noun
  • /ˌɪntərˈɡleɪʃəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : interglacial
  • During interglacials such as the one in which we live now, soils dry.
  • Eemian interglacial
  • the last interglacial
  • the current interglacial

But your, your example, the Milankovic cycles that cause the oscillation between ice ages and interglacials is well chosen.

Examples

  • We're at the end of this current interglacial, as the following graphs indicate:

    Blog text (14)
  • On a much longer time scale, the snows of an interglacial are richer in this isotope than snows deposited during glaciation.

    Blog text (29)
  • There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that we are near the end of the current interglacial.

    Blog text (13)
  • The beginning of interglacials is especially interesting as it happens very quickly.

    Blog text (29)
  • We are in an interglacial; the last one, 125,000 years ago, was warmer.

    Blog text (14)
  • Indeed, something caused the various warm and cold periods during our present Holocene interglacial.

    Blog text (30)
  • If we fast forward to today: 75% of the current interglacial, the Holocene period, has been warmer than the last 20 years.

    Blog text (19)
  • According to some, our interglacial will last about 30,000 to 40,000 years more; some say even about 100,000 years.

    Blog text (30)
  • On the basis of the presence of distinct precession cycles (particularly during interglacials) and initial age modeling, we tuned the Fe/K record to precession.

    Academic text (2018)
  • During an interglacial, the Earth's temperatures rise significantly, leading to the retreat of glaciers.

How Warm

hot spell
1 3.5
interglacial
  • Specialized
3 7.9
cold spell
  • UK
1 3.5
glacial period
  • Specialized
1 6.6

Surface Forms

interglacial singular
interglacials plural

Morphology

interglacial = interglacial (semi-transparent) = inter + glacial

The adjective is compositionally clear as 'inter-' plus 'glacial', but the noun sense is a specialized climatic period term formed by conversion from the adjective.

Etymology

The word interglacial comes from inter- meaning 'between' and glacial, from a word for 'ice' like glacier. An interglacial is a warm period 'between' ice ages when glaciers shrink and temperatures rise.