TITLE:
The Little Ice Age, NASA, Colonial Virginia, and the Conundrum of Anomalous Weather Conditions
AUTHORS:
Shreyas Banaji
KEYWORDS:
Little Ice Age, Glacial Melt, Lost Colony, Roanoke, Reforestation, Deforestation, Volcanoes
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Historical Studies,
Vol.11 No.4,
November
1,
2022
ABSTRACT: The relevance of what has been termed as “The
Little Ice Age” and its effect on the two earliest English settlements at both
Jamestown and the “Lost” Colony of Roanoke in present-day coastal Virginia are
still being widely discussed within the scientific community. Recent NASA
surveillance findings concerning the events surrounding temperature anomalies
at that time, how these affected the Earth’s spheres, as well as their
interactions, are still being widely debated and discussed, and new research
seeking answers for several growing hypotheses are being actively pursued. This
study explores a select group of these ongoing studies. It exposes the
potential causes for various situations presented by the Little Ice Age, plus
the results and implications these had on all spheres of the planet. It
additionally focuses on the problematic preconceived notions that early
European settlers had about the conditions awaiting them in a vast and
relatively unknown New World, and touches upon the aftermath of making that
dangerous miscalculation. It also posits any future implications these recent
findings could have on the future of the planet. Finally, it is important to
note that like most American and European research studies on this topic, the
foci discussed here will not specifically address the localized indigenous
populations already living near these two settlements, albeit these groups
undoubtedly suffered in a similar manner to their European counterparts.
Instead, it will briefly shed light on how Native populations were relevant to
the demise of these two English settlements.