Temperature and precipitation history of the Arctic

• Published in: Quaternary Science Reviews
• Main Authors: Miller, G. H., Brigham-Grette, J., Alley, R. B., Anderson, L., Bauch, H. A., Douglas, M. S. V., Edwards, M. E., Elias, S. A., Finney, B. P., Fitzpatrick, J. J., Funder, S. V., Herbert, T. D., Hinzman, L. D., Kaufman, D. S., MacDonald, G. M., Polyak, L., Robock, A., Serreze, M. C., Smol, J. P., Spielhagen, R., White, J. W. C., Wolfe, A. P., Wolff, E. W.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: ABRUPT CLIMATE-CHANGE; LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM; MEDIEVAL WARM PERIOD; GREENLAND ICE-SHEET; SOUTHWEST YUKON-TERRITORY; FOSSIL BEETLE ASSEMBLAGES; OXYGEN-ISOTOPE RECORDS; TREE-RING CHRONOLOGY; LONG-CHAIN ALKENONES; CENTRAL BROOKS RANGE; Faculty of Science\Geography; Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Greenland; Yukon; Antarc*; Antarctica; Brooks Range; Climate change; Ice Sheet; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://repository.royalholloway.ac.uk/items/13be7834-71a5-4f44-a065-baa18070a6da/1/; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.03.001

As the planet cooled from peak warmth in the early Cenozoic, extensive Northern Hemisphere ice sheets developed by 2.6 Ma ago, leading to changes in the circulation of both the atmosphere and oceans. From similar to 2.6 to similar to 1.0 Ma ago, ice sheets came and went about every 41 ka, in pace with cycles in the tilt of Earth's axis, but for the past 700 ka, glacial cycles have been longer, lasting 100 ka, separated by brief, warm interglaciations, when sea level and ice volumes were close to present. The cause of the shift from 41 ka to 100 ka glacial cycles is still debated. During the penultimate interglaciation, similar to 130 to similar to 120 ka ago, solar energy in summer in the Arctic was greater than at any time subsequently. As a consequence, Arctic summers were 5 degrees C warmer than at present, and almost all glaciers melted completely except for the Greenland Ice Sheet, and even it was reduced in size substantially from its present extent. With the loss of land ice, sea level was about 5 m higher than present, with the extra melt coming from both Greenland and Antarctica as well as small glaciers. The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) peaked similar to 21 ka ago, when mean annual temperatures over parts of the Arctic were as much as 20 degrees C lower than at present. Ice recession was well underway 16 ka ago, and most of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets had melted by 6 ka ago. Solar energy reached a summer maximum (9% higher than at present) similar to 11 ka ago and has been decreasing since then, primarily in response to the precession of the equinoxes. The extra energy elevated early Holocene summer temperatures throughout the Arctic 1-3 degrees C above 20th century averages, enough to completely melt many small glaciers throughout the Arctic, although the Greenland Ice Sheet was only slightly smaller than at present. Early Holocene summer sea ice limits were substantially smaller than their 20th century average, and the flow of Atlantic water into the Arctic Ocean was substantially greater. As ...