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How did the Little Ice Age differ from the Last Glacial Maximum?

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Line graph showing estimated temperature variations from 1000 to 2000 CE for the Northern Hemisphere and central England, with three lines representing different data sources. The chart highlights the medieval warm period around 1100-1300 and the Little Ice Age from about 1500 to 1850, followed by a sharp temperature rise in the late 20th century. Temperature is shown as deviations from the 1961-1990 average. — Little Ice Age Estimates of temperature variations for the Northern Hemisphere and central England from 1000 to 2000 ce.

The Little Ice Age (roughly 1300–1850 CE) and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; approximately 29,000–19,000 years ago) differed significantly in scale, duration, and impact.

Scale and Severity: The LGM was a major glacial period during the Pleistocene Epoch when massive continental ice sheets covered about 8 percent of Earth’s surface, causing sea levels to drop by approximately 125 meters. In contrast, the Little Ice Age was a much more modest climate interval characterized primarily by the expansion of mountain glaciers and increased climate variability rather than the formation of continental-scale ice sheets.1234
Temperature Impact: During the LGM, global temperatures in unglaciated areas were about 5–6 °C (9–10.8 °F) colder than modern averages. The Little Ice Age saw a much smaller decline, with mean annual temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere dropping by approximately 0.6 °C (1.1 °F).23
Global Consistency: While the LGM represented a widespread, severe global cooling event, the Little Ice Age was regionally inconsistent; some areas experienced cooling while others remained stable or saw different moisture patterns.23