Climate Transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the Prelude of the Little Ice Age (early 14th century)

Timeline

1. 1301–1305Greenland and Northern Europe · North AtlanticNarrowing tree-ring widths and ice core isotope records show that summer temperatures in Greenland and Northern Europe fell back from the 12th–13th century peaks, and conditions for Viking colonies worsened, marking the first significant cooling signals after the height of the Medieval Warm Period.
2. 1303–1308North Atlantic · North AtlanticSolar activity weakened and approached the Spörer Minimum, the North Atlantic Oscillation pattern adjusted, and changes in sea surface temperatures and the position of the westerlies affected European precipitation distribution; Alpine and Scandinavian glaciers expanded again, building momentum for the subsequent Little Ice Age climate pattern.
3. 1306–1310Agricultural regions of Eurasia · Temperate agricultural zonesThe climate transition combined with precipitation anomalies caused shortened growing seasons and signs of poor harvests in parts of Western and Central Europe; food reserves fell and prices rose, providing an environmental background for the socioeconomic vulnerability before the great famine and plague outbreaks in 14th-century Europe.