The phrase "northern continents" refers to the landmasses located in the northern part of the world, such as North America, Europe, and Asia. Full definition
Over northern continents in winter, however, more precipitation is associated with higher temperatures, as the water holding capacity of the atmosphere increases in the warmer conditions. (ipcc.ch)
Most mammal fossils from the Late Cretaceous period come from northern continents. (sciencemag.org)
There is still some discussion about how exactly this starts and ends ice ages, but many studies suggest that the amount of summer sunshine on northern continents is crucial: if it drops below a critical value, snow from the past winter does not melt away in summer and an ice sheet starts to grow as more and more snow accumulates. (ipcc.ch)