Iceberg discharges of the last glacial period driven by oceanic circulation changes
Periodic episodes of massive iceberg discharges from the large Northern Hemispheric ice sheets into the North Atlantic Ocean occurred throughout the last glacial cycle. It is still not clear whether they resulted from internal ice dynamics alone or were possibly externally driven. Results of our sim...
| Published in: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
National Academy of Sciences
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3799353 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24062437 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1306622110 |
| Summary: | Periodic episodes of massive iceberg discharges from the large Northern Hemispheric ice sheets into the North Atlantic Ocean occurred throughout the last glacial cycle. It is still not clear whether they resulted from internal ice dynamics alone or were possibly externally driven. Results of our simulations of the Laurentide Ice Sheet forced by oceanic circulation changes support the hypothesis that these ice discharges were induced by the collapse of a buttressing ice shelf and the subsequent acceleration of inland ice streams. This provides a new basis for understanding the dynamics of the coupled cryosphere–climate system of glacial cycles. Additionally, it has strong implications for the stability of the marine parts of the Antarctic ice sheet given anthropogenic oceanic warming. |
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