Timing of meltwater pulse 1a and climate responses to meltwater injections ...

• Main Authors: Stanford, Jennifer D., Rohling, Eelco J., Hunter, Sally E., Roberts, Andrew P., Rasmussen, Sune O., Bard, Edouard, McManus, Jerry F., Fairbanks, Richard G.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Columbia University 2006
• Subjects: Sea level > Research; Climatic changes > Research; Meltwater; Chemical oceanography; Hydrology; Paleoclimatology; Greenland; Greenland ice core; Greenland Ice core Project; ice core; NADW; North Atlantic Deep Water; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8hm588p; https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/D8HM588P

The temporal relationship between meltwater pulse 1a (mwp-1a) and the climate history of the last deglaciation remains a subject of debate. By combining the Greenland Ice Core Project δ18O ice core record on the new Greenland ice core chronology 2005 timescale with the U/Th-dated Barbados coral record, we conclusively derive that mwp-1a did not coincide with the sharp Bølling warming but instead with the abrupt cooling of the Older Dryas. To evaluate whether there is a relationship between meltwater injections, North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation, and climate change, we present a high-resolution record of NADW flow intensity from Eirik Drift through the last deglaciation. It indicates only a relatively minor 200-year weakening of NADW flow, coincident with mwp-1a. Our compilation of records also indicates that during Heinrich event 1 and the Younger Dryas there were no discernible sea level rises, and yet these periods were characterized by intense NADW slowdowns/shutdowns. Clearly, deepwater ...