Achim Brauer, Peter Dulski and Jorg Negendank from the German Research Center for Geosciences in Potsdam; Gerald Haug of the University of Potsdam; and Daniel Sigman of Princeton University said they have proven the extremely fast climate change across Western Europe was associated with a sudden change in wind systems.

The researchers studied seasonally layered deposits in a German volcanic lake to precisely determine the rate of climate change. Using a modern geochemical scanner, they said they successfully reconstructed the climatic conditions even for individual seasons. They found the changes in the wind force and direction caused the climate to move into a completely different mode within one year after a short unstable phase of a few decades.

The research is reported in the journal Nature Geosciences.