Why is Greenland called green when it is covered in ice?
The global warming we are experiencing now is not a one-time phenomon. About 800 AD/CE, the temperature of the Earth was several degrees warmer than now, and northern countries enjoyed slightly warmer climates. Greenland was so called because the coastal areas were covered in green grass. Viking settlers raised cattle, sheep, and goats, and planted crops in the coastal areas. About 1400 AD/CE, what scientists call “the Little Ice Age” dropped global temperatures and the settlers were no longer able to subsist on farming and they abandoned the settlements. These settlements were all located on or near the coast originally, but the ruins have been excavated several miles inland from the coast, validating the theory that warmer global temperatures will raise sea levels.
