TPO 27 integrated task

The reading passage asserts that the Little Ice Age occurred between 1350 and 1900 C.E. when winters became extremely cold, and glaciers became larger in many areas. It introduces three reasons for this phenomenon. The lecturer, however, finds the reasons dubious and presents evidence to refute them all.

The reading holds the view that the disruption of ocean currents may have been responsible for this decline in temperature. It mentions that this disruption could be because the glaciers defrosted due to the warm period before the Little Ice Age. On the contrary, the professor asserts that according to researchers' new findings, this disruption only happened in the northern hemisphere, where it could affect Europe and North America. However, the decrease in the earth's temperature occurred in the southern hemisphere as well.

Furthermore, the passage claims that volcanic eruptions that spread a large amount of dust and sulfur gas to the atmosphere could block a great part of sunlight leading to the fall in earth's temperature. Conversely, the speaker brings up the fact that although a tremendous amount of dust can cause this temperature fall, there is no report of such phenomenon in this period. He believes that such a considerable amount of dust would have significant visual effects such as colorful sunsets and grey snow, which are discernible to people.

Finally, the author argues that a remarkable decline in the human population that causes forest trees to grow on agricultural lands could decrease the earth's temperature because trees absorb carbon dioxide, preserving heat In the atmosphere. On the other hand, the professor claims that there was not enough time for such effect because the human population grew back quickly. He mentions that humans cut the trees to make land available for growing crops.
To sum up, with reference to the professor, none of the reasons introduced by the writer are strong enough to account for the occurrence of the Little Ice Age.