Younger Dryas Theories


A number of scenarios for the cause of the Younger Dryas event have been proposed including those by:


The problem with these and other proposals is that they do not make a convincing case as to how such a large change in regional climate could be so quickly initiated and quickly terminated.(Broecker, 88)

The only proposal which may offer a logistical explanation is that of Johnson and McClure(1976) which calls upon diversions of meltwater between the Mississippi and St. Lawrence. Rooth (1982) pursued this idea and suggesting that the impact of this diversion was to turn off deepwater production in the North Atlantic.