scholarly journals Sea level fingerprinting of the Bering Strait flooding history detects the source of the Younger Dryas climate event

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. eaay2935 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Pico ◽  
J. X. Mitrovica ◽  
A. C. Mix
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Bering Strait ◽  
Land Bridge ◽  
Climate Event ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Cold Episode ◽  
Continental Ice Sheets

During the Last Glacial Maximum, expansive continental ice sheets lowered globally averaged sea level ~130 m, exposing a land bridge at the Bering Strait. During the subsequent deglaciation, sea level rose rapidly and ultimately flooded the Bering Strait, linking the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. Observational records of the Bering Strait flooding have suggested two apparently contradictory scenarios for the timing of the reconnection. We reconcile these enigmatic datasets using gravitationally self-consistent sea-level simulations that vary the timing and geometry of ice retreat between the Laurentide and Cordilleran Ice Sheets to the southwest of the Bering Strait to fit observations of a two-phased flooding history. Assuming the datasets are robust, we demonstrate that their reconciliation requires a substantial melting of the Cordilleran and western Laurentide Ice Sheet from 13,000 to 11,500 years ago. This timing provides a freshwater source for the widely debated Younger Dryas cold episode (12,900 to 11,700 years ago).

scholarly journals Post-glacial flooding of the Beringia Land Bridge dated to 11,000 cal yrs BP based on new geophysical and sediment records

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Jakobsson ◽  
Christof Pearce ◽  
Thomas M. Cronin ◽  
Jan Backman ◽  
Leif G. Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Chukchi Sea ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Human Migration ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Bering Strait ◽  
Land Bridge

Abstract. The Bering Strait connects the Arctic and Pacific oceans and separates the North American and Asian land masses. The presently shallow (~ 53 m) strait was exposed during the sea-level lowstand of the last glacial period, which permitted human migration across a land bridge referred to as Beringia. Proxy studies (stabile isotope composition of foraminifera, whale migration into the Arctic Ocean, mollusc and insect fossils and paleobotanical data) have suggested a range of ages for the Bering Strait reopening, mainly falling within the Younger Dryas stadial (12.9–11.7 ka). Here we provide new information on the deglacial and post-glacial evolution of the Arctic-Pacific connection through the Bering Strait based on analyses of geological and geophysical data from Herald Canyon, located north of the Bering Strait on the Chukchi Sea shelf region in the western Arctic Ocean. Our results suggest an initial opening at about 11 ka in the earliest Holocene, which is later when compared to several previous studies. Our key evidence is based on a well dated core from Herald Canyon, in which a shift from a near-shore environment to a Pacific-influenced open marine setting around 11 ka is observed. The shift corresponds to Meltwater Pulse 1b (MWP1b) and is interpreted to signify relatively rapid breaching of the Bering Strait and submergence of the large Beringia Land Bridge. Although precise rates of sea-level rise cannot be quantified, our new results suggest that the late deglacial sea-level rise was rapid, and occurred after the end of the Younger Dryas stadial.

scholarly journals Post-glacial flooding of the Bering Land Bridge dated to 11 cal ka BP based on new geophysical and sediment records

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 991-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Jakobsson ◽  
Christof Pearce ◽  
Thomas M. Cronin ◽  
Jan Backman ◽  
Leif G. Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Human Migration ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Bering Strait ◽  
Land Bridge ◽  
Bering Land Bridge

Abstract. The Bering Strait connects the Arctic and Pacific oceans and separates the North American and Asian landmasses. The presently shallow ( ∼  53 m) strait was exposed during the sea level lowstand of the last glacial period, which permitted human migration across a land bridge today referred to as the Bering Land Bridge. Proxy studies (stable isotope composition of foraminifera, whale migration into the Arctic Ocean, mollusc and insect fossils and paleobotanical data) have suggested a range of ages for the Bering Strait reopening, mainly falling within the Younger Dryas stadial (12.9–11.7 cal ka BP). Here we provide new information on the deglacial and post-glacial evolution of the Arctic–Pacific connection through the Bering Strait based on analyses of geological and geophysical data from Herald Canyon, located north of the Bering Strait on the Chukchi Sea shelf region in the western Arctic Ocean. Our results suggest an initial opening at about 11 cal ka BP in the earliest Holocene, which is later than in several previous studies. Our key evidence is based on a well-dated core from Herald Canyon, in which a shift from a near-shore environment to a Pacific-influenced open marine setting at around 11 cal ka BP is observed. The shift corresponds to meltwater pulse 1b (MWP1b) and is interpreted to signify relatively rapid breaching of the Bering Strait and the submergence of the large Bering Land Bridge. Although the precise rates of sea level rise cannot be quantified, our new results suggest that the late deglacial sea level rise was rapid and occurred after the end of the Younger Dryas stadial.

Causes and consequences of Southern Ocean change: the IPCC SROCC assessment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Meredith ◽  
Martin Sommerkorn ◽  
Sandra Cassotta ◽  
Chris Derksen ◽  
Alexey Ekaykin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Ice Sheets ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Ice Shelves

<p>Climate change in the polar regions exerts a profound influence both locally and over all of our planet.  Physical and ecosystem changes influence societies and economies, via factors that include food provision, transport and access to non-renewable resources.  Sea level, global climate and potentially mid-latitude weather are influenced by the changing polar regions, through coupled feedback processes, sea ice changes and the melting of snow and land-based ice sheets and glaciers.</p><p>Reflecting this importance, the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) features a chapter highlighting past, ongoing and future change in the polar regions, the impacts of these changes, and the possible options for response.  The role of the polar oceans, both in determining the changes and impacts in the polar regions and in structuring the global influence, is an important component of this chapter.</p><p>With emphasis on the Southern Ocean and through comparison with the Arctic, this talk will outline key findings from the polar regions chapter of SROCC. It will synthesise the latest information on the rates, patterns and causes of changes in sea ice, ocean circulation and properties. It will assess cryospheric driving of ocean change from ice sheets, ice shelves and glaciers, and the role of the oceans in determining the past and future evolutions of polar land-based ice. The implications of these changes for climate, ecosystems, sea level and the global system will be outlined.</p>

scholarly journals Patterns of Sea Ice Retreat in the Transition to a Seasonally Ice-Free Arctic

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (19) ◽  
pp. 6993-7008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia DeRepentigny ◽  
L. Bruno Tremblay ◽  
Robert Newton ◽  
Stephanie Pfirman
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
System Model ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Sea Level Pressure ◽  
Level Pressure ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat

Abstract The patterns of sea ice retreat in the Arctic Ocean are investigated using two global climate models (GCMs) that have profound differences in their large-scale mean winter atmospheric circulation and sea ice drift patterns. The Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble (CESM-LE) presents a mean sea level pressure pattern that is in general agreement with observations for the late twentieth century. The Community Climate System Model, version 4 (CCSM4), exhibits a low bias in its mean sea level pressure over the Arctic region with a deeper Icelandic low. A dynamical mechanism is presented in which large-scale mean winter atmospheric circulation has significant effect on the following September sea ice extent anomaly by influencing ice divergence in specific areas. A Lagrangian model is used to backtrack the 80°N line from the approximate time of the melt onset to its prior positions throughout the previous winter and quantify the divergence across the Pacific and Eurasian sectors of the Arctic. It is found that CCSM4 simulates more sea ice divergence in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and less divergence in the Eurasian seas when compared to CESM-LE, leading to a Pacific-centric sea ice retreat. On the other hand, CESM-LE shows a more symmetrical retreat between the Pacific, Eurasian, and Atlantic sectors of the Arctic. Given that a positive trend in the Arctic Oscillation (AO) index, associated with low sea level pressure anomalies in the Arctic, is a robust feature of GCMs participating in phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5), these results suggest that the sea ice retreat in the Pacific sector could be amplified during the transition to a seasonal ice cover.

scholarly journals The Younger Dryas and the Sea of Ancient Ice

2008 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond S. Bradley ◽  
John H. England
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Arctic Basin ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Floating Body ◽  
The Arctic Ocean

AbstractWe propose that prior to the Younger Dryas period, the Arctic Ocean supported extremely thick multi-year fast ice overlain by superimposed ice and firn. We re-introduce the historical term paleocrystic ice to describe this. The ice was independent of continental (glacier) ice and formed a massive floating body trapped within the almost closed Arctic Basin, when sea-level was lower during the last glacial maximum. As sea-level rose and the Barents Sea Shelf became deglaciated, the volume of warm Atlantic water entering the Arctic Ocean increased, as did the corresponding egress, driving the paleocrystic ice towards Fram Strait. New evidence shows that Bering Strait was resubmerged around the same time, providing further dynamical forcing of the ice as the Transpolar Drift became established. Additional freshwater entered the Arctic Basin from Siberia and North America, from proglacial lakes and meltwater derived from the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Collectively, these forces drove large volumes of thick paleocrystic ice and relatively fresh water from the Arctic Ocean into the Greenland Sea, shutting down deepwater formation and creating conditions conducive for extensive sea-ice to form and persist as far south as 60°N. We propose that the forcing responsible for the Younger Dryas cold episode was thus the result of extremely thick sea-ice being driven from the Arctic Ocean, dampening or shutting off the thermohaline circulation, as sea-level rose and Atlantic and Pacific waters entered the Arctic Basin. This hypothesis focuses attention on the potential role of Arctic sea-ice in causing the Younger Dryas episode, but does not preclude other factors that may also have played a role.

scholarly journals Paleoglaciology’s grand unsolved problem

1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (138) ◽  
pp. 313-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail G. Grosswald ◽  
Terence J. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic System ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Unsolved Problem ◽  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Russian Arctic ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Arctic Ice ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractThe paleoglaciological concept that during the Pleistocene glacial hemi-cycles a super-large, structurally complex ice sheet developed in the Arctic and behaved as a single dynamic system. as the Antarctic ice sheet does today, has not yet been subjected to concerted studies designed to test the predictions of this concept. Yet, it may hold the keys to solutions of major problems of paleoglaciology, to understanding climate and sea-level changes. The Russian Arctic is the least-known region exposed to paleoglaciation by a hypothetical Arctic ice sheet but now it is more open to testing the concept. Implementation of these tests is a challenging task, as the region is extensive and the available data are controversial. Well-planned and coordinated field projects are needed today, as well as broad discussion of the known evidence, existing interpretations and new field results. Here we present the known evidence for paleoglaciation of the Russian Arctic continental shelf and reconstruct possible marine ice sheets that could have produced that evidence.

The response of North American ice sheets to the Younger Dryas (12.9 ka to 11.7 ka) climate event

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
April S Dalton ◽  
Martin Margold
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
North American ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Variable Response ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Climate Event ◽  
The Impact

<p>The response of continental ice sheets to late glacial climate fluctuations (Bølling warming, Younger Dryas cooling) offers key insight into the interconnectedness between ice sheets and climate. The Younger Dryas was an abrupt climate cooling event that occurred between 12.9 ka and 11.7 ka, as the Northern Hemisphere was undergoing progressive deglaciation from the last glacial maximum (~25 ka). Ice sheets in Northern Europe (Fennoscandian Ice Sheet) underwent a significant re-advance at that time. However, the reaction of North American ice sheets (Laurentide, Cordilleran, Innuitian; which comprise the largest ice mass in the Northern Hemisphere at the time) to Younger Dryas cooling is not well understood. Some localized studies have shown evidence of ice re-advance or stagnation corresponding to the Younger Dryas; however, no large-scale, unifying study of the impact of Younger Dryas cooling on North American ice sheets has been attempted. Here, we present preliminary maps showing the response of North American ice sheets to the Younger Dryas climate event in key regions. To delineate changes in the ice margin, we integrate a geochronological dataset consisting of calibrated radiocarbon ages and cosmogenic nuclide ages, with mapping of glacial features (ie. moraines) and an extensive literature review. Results suggest a highly variable response of North American ice sheets to Younger Dryas cooling, notably a re-advance of remnant ice lobes in eastern Canada, and stagnation of the ice margin at more western sites.</p>

scholarly journals Mid-Pliocene shifts in ocean overturning circulation and the onset of Quaternary-style climates*

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 251-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sarnthein ◽  
M. Prange ◽  
A. Schmittner ◽  
B. Schneider ◽  
M. Weinelt
Keyword(s):  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Sea Surface Salinity ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Bering Strait ◽  
Surface Salinity ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
The North ◽  
East Greenland Current ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Continental Ice Sheets

Abstract. A major tipping point of Earth's history occurred during the mid-Pliocene: the onset of major Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (NHG) and pronounced, Quaternary-style cycles of glacial-to-interglacial climates, that contrast with more uniform climates over most of the preceding Cenozoic, that and continue until today. The severe deterioration of climate occurred in three steps between 3.2 Ma (warm MIS K3) and 2.7 Ma (glacial MIS G6/4). Various models and paleoceanographic records (intercalibrated using orbital age control) suggest clear linkages between the onset of NHG and three steps in the final closure of the Central American Seaways (CAS), deduced from rising salinity differences between Caribbean and East Pacific. Each closing event led to enhanced North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and strengthened the poleward transport of salt and heat (warmings of +2–3°C). Also, the closing resulted in a slight rise in the poleward atmospheric moisture transport to northwestern Eurasia, which led to enhanced precipitation and fluvial run-off, lower sea surface salinity (SSS), and increased sea-ice cover in the Arctic Ocean, hence promoting albedo and the build-up of continental ice sheets. Most important, the closing of CAS led to greater steric height of the North Pacific and thus doubled the low-saline Arctic Throughflow from the Bering Strait to the East Greenland Current (EGC). Accordingly, Labrador Sea IODP Site 1307 displays an abrupt but irreversible EGC cooling of 6°C and freshening by ~1 psu from 3.16–3.00 Ma, right after the first but still reversible attempt of closing the CAS.

scholarly journals Paleoglaciology’s grand unsolved problem

1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (138) ◽  
pp. 313-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikhail G. Grosswald ◽  
Terence J. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic System ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Unsolved Problem ◽  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Russian Arctic ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Arctic Ice ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractThe paleoglaciological concept that during the Pleistocene glacial hemi-cycles a super-large, structurally complex ice sheet developed in the Arctic and behaved as a single dynamic system. as the Antarctic ice sheet does today, has not yet been subjected to concerted studies designed to test the predictions of this concept. Yet, it may hold the keys to solutions of major problems of paleoglaciology, to understanding climate and sea-level changes. The Russian Arctic is the least-known region exposed to paleoglaciation by a hypothetical Arctic ice sheet but now it is more open to testing the concept. Implementation of these tests is a challenging task, as the region is extensive and the available data are controversial. Well-planned and coordinated field projects are needed today, as well as broad discussion of the known evidence, existing interpretations and new field results. Here we present the known evidence for paleoglaciation of the Russian Arctic continental shelf and reconstruct possible marine ice sheets that could have produced that evidence.

Late Weichselian Glacier Retreat in Kongsfjorden, West Spitsbergen, Svalbard

1992 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott J. Lehman ◽  
Steven L. Forman
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Atlantic Region ◽  
Relative Sea Level ◽  
Stratigraphic Record ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Late Weichselian ◽  
West Spitsbergen ◽  
Rule Out

AbstractThe chronology of Late Weichselian to Holocene deglaciation of Kongsfjorden, west Spitsbergen has been reconstructed based on the geomorphic and stratigraphic record of ice retreat, relative sea-level relationships, and 14C dating of associated marine organic materials. The seaward extent of glacial drift and fjord bathymetry constrain a secure reconstruction for the ice sheet near the mouth of the fjord at ca. 13,000 yr B.P., but do not rule out the possibility that more extensive glaciation was achieved earlier during the Late Weichselian. Regional shoreline relations, rates of emergence, and radiocarbon dating of foraminifera deposited just above till indicate that deglaciation occurred in two steps: one beginning during or just prior to the Late Weichselian Marine Limit phase at 13,000–12,000 yr B.P. and another beginning at 10,000–9500 yr B.P. The fjord was completely deglaciated by 9440 ± 130 yr B.P. A period of stable relative sea level began 10,700 yr B.P. and ended between 10,000 and 9500 yr B.P., which we take to indicate renewed glacial loading during the Younger Dryas. Glacier readvance within Kongsfjorden at this time was diminutive, suggesting that most of the Younger Dryas ice-sheet growth was confined to the eastern part of the archipelago and/or to the Barents Shelf. The two-step deglaciation of Kongsfjorden occurred during intervals of accelerated global ice-sheet melting and rapid oceanic and atmospheric warming in more temperate latitudes of the circum-Atlantic region. This coincidence most likely resulted from contemporaneous increases in the poleward transport of oceanic heat.

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