Papas Fritas [soylentnews.org] writes:
Everyone knows that Genghis Khan was a ruthless conqueror who founded the Mongolian Empire, which eventually became the largest contiguous empire in history. Now Matthew Stinson reports that according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Central Asia's steppe shifted from drought conditions to a warm, wet climate that
coincided with and possibly aided the Great Khan's domination of massive swaths of territory [guardianlv.com]. The study details that when Genghis Khan united the Mongols, he did so during an extremely dry period marked by drought. Thereafter, an incredible period of wet, warm climate change began, aiding the swelling of Khan's empire in Asia. "What makes our new record distinctive is that we can
see 15 straight years of above-average moisture [nationalgeographic.com]," says Neil Pedersen. "It falls during an important period in Mongol history and is singular in terms of persistently wet conditions." Why did warm, wet weather matter for the Mongols? One of the keys to Genghis Khan's military strategy was mobility, both in travel and battle.
Mongolians are nomadic and so rely on the natural ecosystem [wikipedia.org], rather than agriculture, to survive. The wet weather allowed vegetation to grow abundantly, which was necessary as Mongols relied heavily on livestock and horses for sustenance, including mare's milk, which was a common meal in extreme situations. "The transition from extreme drought to extreme moisture right then strongly suggests that climate played a role in human events," says Amy Hessl. "It wasn't the only thing, but
it must have created the ideal conditions for a charismatic leader to emerge out of the chaos [columbia.edu], develop an army and concentrate power. Where it's arid, unusual moisture creates unusual plant productivity, and that translates into horsepower. Genghis was literally able to ride that wave."
Original Submission
