According to predictions, the next ice age that will mark the end of the warm period we now enjoy should begin 1,500 years from now. However, the amount of greenhouse gases that accumulate in the Earth's atmosphere could interfere with the usual patterns and could delay the next ice age by tens of thousands of years.
These are the findings of a University of Florida study that has used astronomical models to calculate the amount of solar heat that has reached Earth's atmosphere during glacial and interglacial periods. According to these patterns, the current interglacial period would end in 1.5 billion years. However, the high concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can interfere with the earth's normal cooling patterns, as they retain heat reflected from its surface.
Although the prospect of enjoying more years of heat before the next ice age is tempting, the truth is that the associated problems can have dire consequences. "Ice sheets like those in West Antarctica have already been destabilized by global warming," warns Jim Channell, a professor of geology at the University of Florida. "When they finally break loose and become part of the ocean's volume, the effects on sea level will be dramatic."
