It is just coincidence, because the continents are continually moving. Every so often they come together to make a super continent, usually with both poles free of land. Because we have a continent at one pole and a landlocked ocean at the other, we have ice at both poles.
Geologists call what we are in now an ice age, because Earth is much colder than it usually is, as a whole. All that ice reflects away heat and cools the Earth down. What we are in now, is a somewhat warmer blip in a long ice age.
What is popularly called an ice age, geologists call an "interglacial period" - a time when the glaciers retreat and there is less ice than usual.
When they talk about global warming I think helps to have it in perspective, it's a big thing for us, but in the geological perspective of hundreds of millions of years, it's just a blip and not particularly hot.
The Earth will still, even at the end of it, even if we do nothing about global warming, be technically in an ice age, colder than usual. Which of course doesn't make it okay, of course we need to do something about it, mainly because the changes are happening so quickly. And to a world that's got many species used to a cooler Earth, so they can't adapt quickly enough. And now humans also, cities, agriculture etc all used to the current Earth temperatures and sea levels, climate etc.
Here is one possible projection for how they might change in the future
See Pangaea Ultima
Geologists call what we are in now an ice age, because Earth is much colder than it usually is, as a whole. All that ice reflects away heat and cools the Earth down. What we are in now, is a somewhat warmer blip in a long ice age.
What is popularly called an ice age, geologists call an "interglacial period" - a time when the glaciers retreat and there is less ice than usual.
Artist's impression of our Earth during the last Glacial period of the current Ice age
When they talk about global warming I think helps to have it in perspective, it's a big thing for us, but in the geological perspective of hundreds of millions of years, it's just a blip and not particularly hot.
The Earth will still, even at the end of it, even if we do nothing about global warming, be technically in an ice age, colder than usual. Which of course doesn't make it okay, of course we need to do something about it, mainly because the changes are happening so quickly. And to a world that's got many species used to a cooler Earth, so they can't adapt quickly enough. And now humans also, cities, agriculture etc all used to the current Earth temperatures and sea levels, climate etc.
Here is one possible projection for how they might change in the future
See Pangaea Ultima
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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