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Synchronous climate changes in antarctica and the north atlantic
1E. J. Steig, J. W. C. White, S. J. Lehman, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. E. J. Brook, Department of Geology, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA. C. M. Sucher, Gradua.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 2, 1998
Summary
Antarctic ice cores reveal synchronous climate shifts with the Northern Hemisphere, challenging previous notions of asynchronous hemispheric responses to abrupt climate change events.
Area of Science:
- Paleoclimatology
- Glaciology
- Oceanography
Background:
- Ice cores from Greenland show abrupt climate changes over 100,000 years.
- North Atlantic deep-sea cores confirm links between millennial climate variability and ocean thermohaline circulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate Antarctic climate records for evidence of major North Atlantic climate events.
- To compare Antarctic climate responses with those in the Northern Hemisphere.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of an ice core from Taylor Dome, western Ross Sea, Antarctica.
- Comparison of Antarctic climate data with existing Greenland and North Atlantic records.
Main Results:
- The Taylor Dome ice core records two major North Atlantic events: the end-glacial warming and the Bolling/Allerod-Younger Dryas oscillation.
- This synchronous record contrasts with asynchronous responses observed in other Antarctic ice cores.
Conclusions:
- Abrupt climate changes in the North Atlantic region are mirrored in West Antarctica.
- This suggests a more coupled climate system between the hemispheres than previously indicated by some Antarctic records.
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