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Protracted ocean circulation slowdown drove exceptional ice-sheet melting during ice age termination IV
Hsun-Ming Hu1,2, Gianluca Marino3, María Fernanda Sánchez Goñi4
1State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, . hsunming.hu@gmail.com.
Nature Communications
|June 16, 2026
Summary
Termination IV saw rapid sea-level rise due to meltwater pulses. A new speleothem chronology suggests oceanic heat storage and release feedbacks amplified ice-sheet collapse during this glacial termination.
Area of Science:
- Paleoclimatology
- Quaternary Geology
- Oceanography
Background:
- Glacial terminations are periods of rapid sea-level rise, often linked to meltwater pulses.
- Termination IV (~340,000 years ago) exhibited exceptionally high sea-level rise rates (~5m/century).
- Previous studies lacked precise age constraints for marine records, obscuring the drivers of Termination IV's sea-level rise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a robust chronology for Termination IV sea-level rise.
- To investigate the oceanic mechanisms driving rapid sea-level rise during glacial terminations.
- To refine our understanding of ice-sheet-ocean interactions.
Main Methods:
- Developed a speleothem-based chronology from northern Italy.
- Transposed this chronology to North Atlantic marine records.
- Analyzed marine sediment cores for sea-level and ice-sheet dynamics.
Main Results:
- Provided a new, high-resolution age model for Termination IV.
- Inferred a feedback loop involving ocean heat storage and release.
- Linked protracted meltwater release to enhanced ocean heat uptake.
- Demonstrated heat release upon ocean circulation recovery accelerated ice-sheet collapse.
Conclusions:
- Oceanic feedbacks play a critical role in driving extreme sea-level rise during glacial terminations.
- The Termination IV event was likely amplified by ocean heat dynamics.
- Understanding these feedbacks is crucial for predicting future sea-level changes.
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