Investigating the mechanisms leading to the deglaciation of past continental northern hemisphere ice sheets with the CLIMBER–GREMLINS coupled model

A coupling procedure between a climate model of intermediate complexity (CLIMBER-2.3) and a 3-dimensional thermo-mechanical ice-sheet model (GREMLINS) has been elaborated. The resulting coupled model describes the evolution of atmosphere, ocean, biosphere, cryosphere and their mutual interactions. It is used to perform several simulations of the Last Deglaciation period to identify the physical mechanisms at the origin of the deglaciation process. Our baseline experiment, forced by insolation and atmospheric CO₂, produces almost complete deglaciation of past northern hemisphere continental ice sheets, although ice remains over the Cordilleran region at the end of the simulation and also in Alaska and Eastern Siberia. Results clearly demonstrate that, in this study, the melting of the North American ice sheet is critically dependent on the deglaciation of Fennoscandia through processes involving switches of the thermohaline circulation from a glacial mode to a modern one and associated warming of the northern hemisphere. A set of sensitivity experiments has been carried out to test the relative importance of both forcing factors and internal processes in the deglaciation mechanism. It appears that the deglaciation is primarily driven by insolation. However, the atmospheric CO₂ modulates the timing of the melting of the Fennoscandian ice sheet, and results relative to Laurentide illustrate the existence of threshold CO₂ values, that can be translated in terms of critical temperature, below which the deglaciation is impeded. Finally, we show that the beginning of the deglaciation process of the Laurentide ice sheet may be influenced by the time at which the shift of the thermohaline circulation from one mode to the other occurs.     

Deglaciation of the younger dryas or Loch Lomond Stadial ice-field in the northern Highlands,Scotland

When viewed from the air, Scottish ‘hummocky moraine’ can be resolved into a series of linear ridges that resemble those found at the margins of actively retreating glaciers today. Recent work has supported the interpretation of these linear ridges as ice-marginal landforms and the authors believe that the majority of ‘hummocky moraine’ deposits can be interpreted in this way. Consequently the pattern of deglaciation can be established fairly precisely from the pattern of linear ridges. This approach is applied to the landforms of the northern part of the Loch Lomond Stadial ice-field in order to reconstruct the regional pattern of deglaciation. This leads to important inferences about the significance of topographic control during deglaciation and more importantly it provides fresh insight into the environment of the British Isles during the Loch Lomond Stadial.     

Exposure dating and reinterpretation of coarse debris accumulations (‘rock glaciers’) in the Cairngorm Mountains,Scotland

Relict rock glaciers have considerable potential for contributing to palaeoclimatic reconstruction, but this potential is often undermined by lack of dating control and problems of interpretation. Here we reinvestigate and date four proposed ‘rock glaciers’ in the Cairngorm Mountains and show that the morphology of only one of these appears consistent with that of a true rock glacier produced by creep of underlying ice or ice‐rich sediment. All four features comprise rockslide or rock avalanche runout debris, and the possibility that all four represent unmodified runout accumulations cannot be discounted. Surface exposure dating of the four debris accumulations using cosmogenic ¹⁰Be produced uncertainty‐weighted mean ages of 15.4 ± 0.8 ka, 16.2 ± 1.0 ka, 12.1 ± 0.6 ka and 12.7 ± 0.8 ka. All four ages imply emplacement under cold stadial conditions, two prior to the Windermere Interstade of ca. 14.5–12.9 cal. ka BP and two during the Loch Lomond Stade of ca. 12.9–11.5 cal. ka BP. The above ages indicate that paraglacial rock‐slope failure on granite rockwalls occurred within a few millennia after deglaciation. The mean exposure ages obtained for runout debris at two sites – Strath Nethy (16.2 ± 1.0 ka) and Lairig Ghru (15.4 ± 0.8 ka) – are consistent with basal radiocarbon ages from Loch Etteridge, 22 km to the southwest (mean = 15.6 ± 0.3 cal. ka BP) and imply widespread deglaciation of the Cairngorms and adjacent valleys before 15 ka and possibly 16 ka. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climate variability in the Spanish Pyrenees during the last 30,000 yr revealed by the El Portalet sequence

Palynological, sedimentological and stable isotopic analyses of carbonates and organic matter performed on the El Portalet sequence (1802 m a.s.l., 42°48′00?N, 0°23′52?W) reflect the paleoclimatic evolution and vegetation history in the central-western Spanish Pyrenees over the last 30,000 yr, and provide a high-resolution record for the late glacial period. Our results confirm previous observations that deglaciation occurred earlier in the Pyrenees than in northern European and Alpine sites and point to a glacial readvance from 22,500 to 18,000 cal yr BP, coinciding with the global last glacial maximum. The patterns shown by the new, high-resolution pollen data from this continental sequence, chronologically constrained by 13 AMS ¹⁴C dates, seem to correlate with the rapid climate changes recorded in Greenland ice cores during the last glacial-interglacial transition. Abrupt events observed in northern latitudes (Heinrich events 3 to 1, Oldest and Older Dryas stades, Intra-Allerød Cold Period, and 8200 cal yr BP event) were also identified for the first time in a lacustrine sequence from the central-western Pyrenees as cold and arid periods. The coherent response of the vegetation and the lake system to abrupt climate changes implies an efficient translation of climate variability from the North Atlantic to mid latitudes.     

Rates of Deglaciation during the Last Glaciation and Holocene in the Cordillera Vilcanota-Quelccaya Ice Cap Region, Southeastern Perú

Moraine chronology is combined with digital topography to model deglacial rates of paleoglacier volumes in both the Huancané Valley on the west side of the Quelccaya Ice Cap and the Upismayo Valley on the northwest side of the Cordillera Vilcanota. The fastest rates of deglaciation (39×10⁻⁵ to 114×10⁻⁵ km³ yr⁻¹ and 112×10⁻⁵ to 247×10⁻⁵ km³ yr⁻¹ for each valley, respectively) were calculated for the most recent paleoglaciers, corresponding to the last few centuries. These results are consistent with observations in the Venezuelan Andes showing high rates of deglaciation since the Little Ice Age. These rates also fall within the range of 20th century rates of deglaciation measured on the Quelccaya Ice Cap (29×10⁻⁵ to 220×10⁻⁵ km³ yr⁻¹, Brecher and Thompson, 1993; Thompson, 2000). These results imply that rates of deglaciation may fluctuate significantly over time and that high rates of deglaciation may not be exclusive to the late 20th century. Equilibrium line altitude (ELA) depressions for the ice volumes of the last glaciation modeled here were computed as 230 m for the Quelccaya Ice Cap and 170 m for the Cordillera Vilcanota. Maximum ELA depressions are lower than previously published: <500 m for the Cordillera Vilcanota and <400 m for the Quelccaya Ice Cap. These lower values could imply a topographic control over paleoglacier extent.     

云南东北部拱王山末次冰期

1 Introduction The Gongwang mountains constitute one of the few high m ountains of irrefutable late Pleistocene glaciation in eastern China. This area is one of the m ost extensively studied Quaternary geologicallocationsin eastern China and the interpret…     

罗斯海西北陆架(JOIDES海槽)末次冰期以来冰架消融过程及水动力变化

罗斯冰架的消融过程对全球气候和大洋环流的变化都有重要影响。通过分析罗斯海西北陆架上中国第31次南极考察所采集的ANT31-JB06岩心重建末次冰期以来罗斯冰架的消融历史。通过AMS14C测年,建立了该岩心的地层年代框架,其沉积物被划分为末次冰期(36.6 ka)以来到全新世的沉积序列,并对该岩心进行了粗组分含量分析、粒度组成及其端元模拟的综合研究。该岩心的粒度端元分析结果显示,峰态中值为15.1和18.9 μm的组分端元的变化可分别代表弱和强水动力环境,而峰态中值为63.4和234.1 μm的组分端元的变化可分别代表海冰和冰山搬运等沉积动力的变化。末次冰期罗斯冰架在研究站位并未触底,在27~21 ka左右增长到最大位置,可能已经到达该岩心所在的位置。罗斯冰架在21 ka左右开始退离JOIDES海槽,在AIM 1暖期(17~14 ka)大规模崩塌消退;而在南极冷反转ACR时期(14~12 ka)罗斯冰架消退缓慢;ACR之后冰架继续崩塌直到全新世中期,在5 ka左右罗斯冰架基本达到稳定状态。该处水动力在冷气候时期较强,在暖气候时期较弱,可能是气候较冷时结冰过程形成的盐度较大的水下沉到底部促进了上下水体交换,使得沉积界面的水动力相对也比较强,沉降下来的颗粒相对偏粗。     

末次冰盛期-全新世东海陆坡滑塌沉积的地质年代与沉积学证据

基于东海陆坡区OT12-01孔长度为5.35 m沉积物AMS 14C测年、高分辨率粒度分析和XRF岩芯元素扫描数据,识别出了末次冰盛期(LGM)至全新世期间发生的多次滑塌事件。研究发现,OT12-01孔全新世晚期沉积层缺失,LGM至全新世期间呈现AMS 14C年龄模式频繁倒转、沉积物粒度、元素比值垂向上多处突变或"错动"等特征,保存了LGM至全新世非连续的沉积记录。OT12-01孔沉积物主要来源于低海平面时期的长江/黄河物质,OT12-01孔是由中国大陆陆源物质在东海陆架经水动力分选,细颗粒被搬运至东海陆坡后,发生多次滑塌形成。LGM时期物源供给是OT12-01孔形成滑塌沉积的重要因素,末次冰消期海平面快速上升可能是高频滑塌沉积的触发原因,而低海平面时期甲烷水合物溢出、频繁的地震和火山喷发可能是海底滑坡作用发生的诱因。     

九江市蓼花剖面末次冰期中晚期沉积的粒度端元特征与气候变化

鄱阳湖湖滨地区广泛分布着晚第四纪风沙沉积序列。在星子县沙岭沙山进行野外调查后选择蓼花剖面开展工作,测试了地质时代和粒度,对粒度结果使用端元分析模型进行研究,探讨该区域末次冰期中晚期的气候变化规律。结果显示：该剖面由湖相-古土壤-沙丘砂等沉积相叠覆堆积组成,形成于末次冰期中晚期（48.8—17.1 ka）。端元分析模型将粒度数据分解出3个不同的粒度端元,不同端元组分在垂向上呈峰谷交替的旋回变化,EM1代表粉砂端元组分,峰值对应湖相和古土壤发育时期;EM2和EM3代表中砂—粗砂端元组分,峰值对应沙丘砂发育期,这些峰谷交替变化的规律指示了末次冰期的季风演变以及气候波动变化,万年尺度上表现为LH10 (48.8—39.9 ka)和LH3～LH5 (28.1—17.1 ka)的冬季风强盛期,分别对应深海氧同位素的MIS3b和MIS2阶段。LH6～LH9 (39.9—28.1 ka)为温暖的夏季风时期,对应深海氧同位素的MIS3a阶段。这些变化与YZ洞石笋氧同位素以及格陵兰冰心有良好的对应,与全球气候变化基本一致。     

Instability characteristics of the East Asian Monsoon recorded by high-resolution loess sections from the last interglacial (MIS5)

The selection of high-resolution loess sections is needed in order to determine the climatic variability of the East Asian Monsoon during the last interglacial. Two sequences of S1 on the eastern and west-ern sides of the Liupan Mountain were both composed of five paleosol layers and four loess layers,indicating that there were five strong summer monsoon events and four strong winter monsoon events in MIS5. This corresponds with other records of the East Asian Monsoon,along with NGRIP and the North Atlantic records,implying that the climate of the Northern Hemisphere was very instable during the last interglacial. Two layers of paleosols and one layer of loess had developed during MIS5a and MIS5c. Compared with MIS5e,the climate in MIS5a and MIS5c fluctuated more intensively on a millen-nial scale,whereas the climate was relatively stable in MIS5e.