Reference
Shemesh, A., Rietti-Shati, M., Rioual, P., Battarbee, R., de Beaulieu, J.-L., Reille, M., Andrieu, V. and Svobodova, H. 2001. An oxygen isotope record of lacustrine opal from a European maar indicates climatic stability during the last interglacial. Geophysical Research Letters 28: 2305-2308.
What was done
The authors examined the climate variability of the previous interglacial period as recorded in a high-resolution record of oxygen isotopes in diatom opal obtained from the Ribains Maar in France.
What was learned
The record revealed that for at least the region of southwestern Europe, the last interglacial -- which was significantly warmer than the current interglacial -- was characterized by climatic stability.
What it means
Prognosticators of CO2-induced global warming hypothesize that global climate will become less stable, experiencing more extreme weather, as temperatures rise. Real-world data, on the other hand -- in this case from the significantly warmer previous interglacial -- reveal the opposite to be true. Warmer global temperatures bring climatic stability. It is colder times, such as those experienced during glacial conditions, that bring climate instability.