Lessons From Transient Simulations of the Last Deglaciation With CLIMBER‐X: GLAC1D Versus PaleoMist

Abstract The last deglaciation experienced the retreat of massive ice sheets and a transition from the cold Last Glacial Maximum to the warmer Holocene. Key simulation challenges for this period include the timing and extent of ice sheet decay and meltwater input into the oceans. Here, major uncerta...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical Research Letters
Main Authors: Ahmadreza Masoum, Lars Nerger, Matteo Willeit, Andrey Ganopolski, Gerrit Lohmann
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2024
Subjects:
paleoclimate
last deglaciation
Earth system modeling
climate dynamics
Geophysics. Cosmic physics
QC801-809
Antarctic
Greenland
Antarc*
Antarctica
Ice Sheet
North Atlantic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL107310
https://doaj.org/article/a3ee24d3689b429a9ce794f8b9cb3074
Description
Summary:Abstract The last deglaciation experienced the retreat of massive ice sheets and a transition from the cold Last Glacial Maximum to the warmer Holocene. Key simulation challenges for this period include the timing and extent of ice sheet decay and meltwater input into the oceans. Here, major uncertainties and forcing factors for the last deglaciation are evaluated. Two sets of transient simulations are performed based on the novel ice‐sheet reconstruction PaleoMist and the more established GLAC1D. The simulations reveal that the proximity of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) to a bifurcation point, where it can switch between on‐ and off‐modes, is primarily determined by the interplay of greenhouse gas concentrations, orbital forcing and freshwater forcing. The PaleoMist simulation qualitatively replicates the Bølling‐Allerød (BA)/Younger Dryas (YD) sequence: a warming in Greenland and Antarctica during the BA, followed by a cooling northern North Atlantic and an Antarctic warming during the YD.

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