Do ice-core bubbles indicate man-made global warming during Roman times?

Mount Etna (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In 104 B.C., historical records indicate that the Vulsini Volcano erupted 52 miles North-Northwest of Rome. In 122 B.C., Romans recorded the eruption of Sicily's Mount Etna, describing "a large eruption which caused heavy lapilli fall in Catania, and the sun was blocked for days." The Ischia Volcano in Campania, Italy, erupted in 91 B.C..

These are just the volcanic eruptions for Italy and Greece. Volcanic eruptions across the planet show that this was an extremely active time-period. Why the quick history lesson? Because a new study based on carbon-dated methane bubbles found in Greenland ice-core samples would have you believe that the Romans and Chinese were responsible for that time-period's warm spell. In other words, the warmists are now trying to rewrite history by blaming any previous warming trends as man made.

Live Science and other outlets are reporting that humans have been a significant factor in greenhouse-gas emissions as far back as 100 B.C. The study's co-author, Célia Sapart of Utretcht University in the Netherlands, reports (emphasis added):

"It was believed that emissions started in 1850. We showed that humans already started to impact greenhouse effects much before," study co-author Celia Sapart of Utretcht University in the Netherlands said.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with 20 times the warming power of carbon dioxide, Sapart told LiveScience. Forest fires, wetlands and volcanic eruptions naturally release methane into the atmosphere.

The researchers found methane was high from 100 B.C. to around 200 A.D., concluding that this was the height of Roman civilization as well as China's Han dynasty. During this time, both the Romans and the Chinese burned large swaths of woodland and presumably stopped once their respective reigns ended.

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