2 ms·
> So lead in the air can make it from Spain to Greenland, about 2700 miles, but not from Greece to Greenland, a distance of about 3100 miles? I have no domain
by chimprich 8y ago
> So lead in the air can make it from Spain to Greenland, about 2700 miles, but not from Greece to Greenland, a distance of about 3100 miles?
I have no domain knowledge about this, but I assumed the difference was in atmospheric circulation. Happy to be corrected by anyone who knows about this stuff, but I'd have thought there was a relatively clear pathway across open ocean from the Iberian peninsula to Greenland. I'd expect the route from Greece to Iceland to be significantly more chaotic as far as wind is concerned; more land, mountain ranges, and opportunities for rainfall and mixing of currents.
- fapjacks 8y agoJust to add something, we can make some guesses about the circulation of the ocean and wind currents during Roman times because we know that the Roman Warm Period approximated the climate we enjoy today, for several reasons. For example the locations where date palms are grown and dates harvested. We have at least one account which mentions that date palms can be planted in e.g. Greece but that dates will not fruit there (which is the case today), but that dates can be grown and harvested in Judea, which was not the case between the time of the Roman Empire and today because of the colder climate. Medieval scholars weren't sure what to think of that.