Fast and slow components of interstadial warming in the North Atlantic during the last glacial
The abrupt nature of warming events recorded in Greenland ice-cores during the last glacial has generated much debate over their underlying mechanisms. Here, we present joint marine and terrestrial analyses from the Portuguese Margin, showing a succession of cold stadials and warm interstadials over...
Published in: | Communications Earth & Environment |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2020
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://curis.ku.dk/portal/da/publications/fast-and-slow-components-of-interstadial-warming-in-the-north-atlantic-during-the-last-glacial(b2f4faaf-089e-422e-8bcb-f034278a3195).html https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-0006-x https://curis.ku.dk/ws/files/270164827/s43247_020_0006_x.pdf |
Summary: | The abrupt nature of warming events recorded in Greenland ice-cores during the last glacial has generated much debate over their underlying mechanisms. Here, we present joint marine and terrestrial analyses from the Portuguese Margin, showing a succession of cold stadials and warm interstadials over the interval 35-57 ka. Heinrich stadials 4 and 5 contain considerable structure, with a short transitional phase leading to an interval of maximum cooling and aridity, followed by slowly increasing sea-surface temperatures and moisture availability. A climate model experiment reproduces the changes in western Iberia during the final part of Heinrich stadial 4 as a result of the gradual recovery of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. What emerges is that Greenland ice-core records do not provide a unique template for warming events, which involved the operation of both fast and slow components of the coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea-ice system, producing adjustments over a range of timescales. Interstadial North Atlantic warming during the last glacial period involved the operation of both fast and slow components of the coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea-ice system, according to analyses from the Portuguese Margin and climate model simulations. |
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