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The terms greenhouse (called hothouse in some sources) and icehouse Earth refer to the prevailing global climate on a timescale of millions of years.
During a greenhouse Earth period, the planet's atmosphere contains sufficient greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane for ice to be entirely absent from the planet's surface.[verification needed]
During icehouse periods, glaciers are present in fluctuating amounts; variations in the Earth's orbit may result in many ice ages, glacials, and interglacials.
The current icehouse period had its beginnings ~; a blooming of freshwater plants in the Arctic Ocean known as the Azolla event may have contributed to its initiation.
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