Evidence for general instability of past climate from a 250-kyr ice-core record

Analysis of an ice core from Greenland indicates that interglacial periods do not normally have as stable a climate as the current Holocene period displays. The stable-isotope record indicates that climate can change drastically within as little as a few decades. This implies that the current climate may not stay stable as pollutants and greenhouse gasses are added. The last interglacial may also have lasted longer than previously thought.