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Abrupt glacial climate shifts controlled by ice sheet changes.
Xu Zhang1, Gerrit Lohmann2, Gregor Knorr3
1Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bussestrasse 24, D-27570 Bremerhaven, Germany.
Nature
|August 15, 2014
Summary
Gradual changes in Northern Hemisphere ice sheets (NHISs) can trigger rapid glacial climate shifts, like Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events. This mechanism explains millennial-scale climate variability and abrupt changes during ice ages.
Area of Science:
- Paleoclimatology
- Climate modeling
- Quaternary geology
Background:
- Millennial-scale warming events, known as Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events, are a prominent feature of Late Pleistocene glacial periods.
- Proxy data reveal repeated, rapid climate shifts during glacials, extending back 800,000 years, prompting extensive research into their causes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a coherent mechanism for the generation of Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events using a comprehensive climate model.
- To explore the role of Northern Hemisphere ice sheet (NHIS) height in triggering abrupt glacial climate changes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a comprehensive fully coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea-ice model.
- Simulated gradual changes in Northern Hemisphere ice sheet (NHIS) height.
- Analyzed simulated global climate responses, including North Atlantic temperature, tropical rainbelt shifts, and Southern Hemisphere cooling.
Main Results:
- Gradual NHIS height changes can induce rapid glacial climate shifts resembling DO events.
- Simulated responses, such as North Atlantic warming and bipolar seesaw, align with empirical evidence.
- Identified a mechanism involving two glacial ocean circulation states and a North Atlantic positive feedback loop.
Conclusions:
- Northern Hemisphere ice sheet (NHIS) volume variations provide a coherent mechanism for DO events and millennial-scale climate variability.
- Abrupt climate transitions are triggered by minor changes in NHIS height and CO2 levels, facilitated by ocean circulation states.
- The study links glacial millennial-scale variability and abrupt climate changes to intermediate ice sheet dynamics.
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