Vegetation and climates of the last 45,000 years in the vicinity of the Nevada Test Site, south-central Nevada

Abstract

Increased atmospheric carbon dioxide within the next 500 years probably will result in a 2 to 3 Celsius increase in annual temperature and intensified rainfall in the Nevada Test Site region. Analogs with previous glacial-interglacial cycles indicate that this "superinterglacial" may be no more than a relatively brief reversal in the protracted trend toward the next ice age. Current models indicate that, within the next 10,000 years, climatic conditions may be similar to those of the last glacial age.