How warm was Greenland during the last interglacial period?
The last interglacial period (LIG, ∼ 129–116 thousand years ago) provides the most recent case study of multimillennial polar warming above the preindustrial level and a response of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets to this warming, as well as a test bed for climate and ice sheet models. Past c...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:2f23b461616d462481193acfe6fe777d 2023-05-15T13:52:39+02:00 How warm was Greenland during the last interglacial period? A. Landais V. Masson-Delmotte E. Capron P. M. Langebroek P. Bakker E. J. Stone N. Merz C. C. Raible H. Fischer A. Orsi F. Prié B. Vinther D. Dahl-Jensen 2016-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1933-2016 https://doaj.org/article/2f23b461616d462481193acfe6fe777d EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.clim-past.net/12/1933/2016/cp-12-1933-2016.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1814-9324 https://doaj.org/toc/1814-9332 1814-9324 1814-9332 doi:10.5194/cp-12-1933-2016 https://doaj.org/article/2f23b461616d462481193acfe6fe777d Climate of the Past, Vol 12, Iss 9, Pp 1933-1948 (2016) Environmental pollution TD172-193.5 Environmental protection TD169-171.8 Environmental sciences GE1-350 article 2016 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1933-2016 2022-12-31T00:07:58Z The last interglacial period (LIG, ∼ 129–116 thousand years ago) provides the most recent case study of multimillennial polar warming above the preindustrial level and a response of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets to this warming, as well as a test bed for climate and ice sheet models. Past changes in Greenland ice sheet thickness and surface temperature during this period were recently derived from the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) ice core records, northwest Greenland. The NEEM paradox has emerged from an estimated large local warming above the preindustrial level (7.5 ± 1.8 °C at the deposition site 126 kyr ago without correction for any overall ice sheet altitude changes between the LIG and the preindustrial period) based on water isotopes, together with limited local ice thinning, suggesting more resilience of the real Greenland ice sheet than shown in some ice sheet models. Here, we provide an independent assessment of the average LIG Greenland surface warming using ice core air isotopic composition ( δ 15 N) and relationships between accumulation rate and temperature. The LIG surface temperature at the upstream NEEM deposition site without ice sheet altitude correction is estimated to be warmer by +8.5 ± 2.5 °C compared to the preindustrial period. This temperature estimate is consistent with the 7.5 ± 1.8 °C warming initially determined from NEEM water isotopes but at the upper end of the preindustrial period to LIG temperature difference of +5.2 ± 2.3 °C obtained at the NGRIP (North Greenland Ice Core Project) site by the same method. Climate simulations performed with present-day ice sheet topography lead in general to a warming smaller than reconstructed, but sensitivity tests show that larger amplitudes (up to 5 °C) are produced in response to prescribed changes in sea ice extent and ice sheet topography. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Greenland Greenland ice core Greenland Ice core Project ice core Ice Sheet NGRIP North Greenland North Greenland Ice Core Project Sea ice Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Antarctic Greenland Climate of the Past 12 9 1933 1948 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental pollution TD172-193.5 Environmental protection TD169-171.8 Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental pollution TD172-193.5 Environmental protection TD169-171.8 Environmental sciences GE1-350 A. Landais V. Masson-Delmotte E. Capron P. M. Langebroek P. Bakker E. J. Stone N. Merz C. C. Raible H. Fischer A. Orsi F. Prié B. Vinther D. Dahl-Jensen How warm was Greenland during the last interglacial period? |
topic_facet |
Environmental pollution TD172-193.5 Environmental protection TD169-171.8 Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
description |
The last interglacial period (LIG, ∼ 129–116 thousand years ago) provides the most recent case study of multimillennial polar warming above the preindustrial level and a response of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets to this warming, as well as a test bed for climate and ice sheet models. Past changes in Greenland ice sheet thickness and surface temperature during this period were recently derived from the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) ice core records, northwest Greenland. The NEEM paradox has emerged from an estimated large local warming above the preindustrial level (7.5 ± 1.8 °C at the deposition site 126 kyr ago without correction for any overall ice sheet altitude changes between the LIG and the preindustrial period) based on water isotopes, together with limited local ice thinning, suggesting more resilience of the real Greenland ice sheet than shown in some ice sheet models. Here, we provide an independent assessment of the average LIG Greenland surface warming using ice core air isotopic composition ( δ 15 N) and relationships between accumulation rate and temperature. The LIG surface temperature at the upstream NEEM deposition site without ice sheet altitude correction is estimated to be warmer by +8.5 ± 2.5 °C compared to the preindustrial period. This temperature estimate is consistent with the 7.5 ± 1.8 °C warming initially determined from NEEM water isotopes but at the upper end of the preindustrial period to LIG temperature difference of +5.2 ± 2.3 °C obtained at the NGRIP (North Greenland Ice Core Project) site by the same method. Climate simulations performed with present-day ice sheet topography lead in general to a warming smaller than reconstructed, but sensitivity tests show that larger amplitudes (up to 5 °C) are produced in response to prescribed changes in sea ice extent and ice sheet topography. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
A. Landais V. Masson-Delmotte E. Capron P. M. Langebroek P. Bakker E. J. Stone N. Merz C. C. Raible H. Fischer A. Orsi F. Prié B. Vinther D. Dahl-Jensen |
author_facet |
A. Landais V. Masson-Delmotte E. Capron P. M. Langebroek P. Bakker E. J. Stone N. Merz C. C. Raible H. Fischer A. Orsi F. Prié B. Vinther D. Dahl-Jensen |
author_sort |
A. Landais |
title |
How warm was Greenland during the last interglacial period? |
title_short |
How warm was Greenland during the last interglacial period? |
title_full |
How warm was Greenland during the last interglacial period? |
title_fullStr |
How warm was Greenland during the last interglacial period? |
title_full_unstemmed |
How warm was Greenland during the last interglacial period? |
title_sort |
how warm was greenland during the last interglacial period? |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1933-2016 https://doaj.org/article/2f23b461616d462481193acfe6fe777d |
geographic |
Antarctic Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Greenland |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Greenland Greenland ice core Greenland Ice core Project ice core Ice Sheet NGRIP North Greenland North Greenland Ice Core Project Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Greenland Greenland ice core Greenland Ice core Project ice core Ice Sheet NGRIP North Greenland North Greenland Ice Core Project Sea ice |
op_source |
Climate of the Past, Vol 12, Iss 9, Pp 1933-1948 (2016) |
op_relation |
http://www.clim-past.net/12/1933/2016/cp-12-1933-2016.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1814-9324 https://doaj.org/toc/1814-9332 1814-9324 1814-9332 doi:10.5194/cp-12-1933-2016 https://doaj.org/article/2f23b461616d462481193acfe6fe777d |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1933-2016 |
container_title |
Climate of the Past |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
9 |
container_start_page |
1933 |
op_container_end_page |
1948 |
_version_ |
1766257078434791424 |