
The Younger Dryas event was characterized by a substantial and relatively sudden drop in temperature between 12,800 and 11,600 years ago. In addition to cold regions, the evidence of this temperature change has been discovered in tropical and subtropical regions.
We welcome your comments. Any revisions or updates suggested for this article will be reviewed by our editorial staff. Contact us here.
Regular users of Britannica may notice that this comments feature is less robust than in the past. This is only temporary, while we make the transition to a dramatically new and richer site. The functionality of the system will be restored soon.