Numerical ice sheet modeling of Heinrich Events ...

Layers of Ice-Rafted Debris (IRD) found in sediment cores from the North Atlantic are attributed to quasi-periodic episodes of iceberg discharge from the Hudson Bay/Hudson Strait region. At least six such so-called Heinrich Events (HEs) have been identified during the Last Glacial Cycle (LGC). Due t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hank, Kevin
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.48336/drf6-pa59
https://research.library.mun.ca/16370/
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Summary:Layers of Ice-Rafted Debris (IRD) found in sediment cores from the North Atlantic are attributed to quasi-periodic episodes of iceberg discharge from the Hudson Bay/Hudson Strait region. At least six such so-called Heinrich Events (HEs) have been identified during the Last Glacial Cycle (LGC). Due to the associated release of freshwater, HEs are inferred to cause climatic changes on a global scale. Several hypotheses for generating HEs, including an internally driven binge-purge model, an ice shelf buildup-collapse mechanism, and a hypothesis encompassing underwater melt modulated by Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA), have been proposed in the literature. However, a comprehensive study identifying the role of individual system processes such as GIA is still missing. Here, I use 3D thermo-mechanically coupled ice sheet models, primarily the Glacial Systems Model (GSM), to identify the numerically most robust model configuration within a HE framework. Based on these results, I determine the importance of ...