noun
- relatively warm periods during an ice age when glaciers temporarily retreat but do not disappear completely
Usage: geological; climatology
Examples
- The interstadials during the last ice age allowed forests to expand northward.
- Scientists study interstadials to understand climate variability.
- During interstadials, sea levels rose as ice sheets partially melted.
- The Dansgaard-Oeschger events represent rapid interstadials in the North Atlantic.
- Pollen records show vegetation changes during interstadials.
- Interstadials typically lasted several thousand years.