The spatial and temporal complexity of the Holocene thermal maximum
The Holocene thermal maximum, a period of relatively warm climate between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago1, 2, is most clearly recorded in the middle and high latitudes2, 3 of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is generally associated with the local orbitally forced summer insolation maximum. However, p...
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ftunistlouisbrus:oai:dial.uclouvain.be:boreal:71174 2024-05-12T08:05:16+00:00 The spatial and temporal complexity of the Holocene thermal maximum Renssen, Hans Sëppa, H. Heiri, O. Roche, Didier Goosse, Hugues Fichefet, Thierry UCL - SC/RSC - Rattachement SC UCL - SC/PHYS - Département de physique UCL - SST/ELI/ELIC - Earth & Climate 2009 http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/71174 https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO513 en eng boreal:71174 http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/71174 doi:10.1038/NGEO513 urn:ISSN:1752-0894 Nature Geoscience, Vol. 2, p. 411-414 (2009) 1443 info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2009 ftunistlouisbrus https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO513 2024-04-18T18:11:07Z The Holocene thermal maximum, a period of relatively warm climate between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago1, 2, is most clearly recorded in the middle and high latitudes2, 3 of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is generally associated with the local orbitally forced summer insolation maximum. However, proxy-based reconstructions have shown that both the timing and magnitude of the warming vary substantially between different regions2, 3, 4, suggesting the involvement of extra feedbacks and forcings. Here, we simulate the Holocene thermal maximum in a coupled global ocean–atmosphere–vegetation model. We find that before 7,000 years ago, summers were substantially cooler over regions directly influenced by the presence of the Laurentide ice sheet, whereas other regions of the Northern Hemisphere were dominated by orbital forcing. Our simulations suggest that the cool conditions arose from a combination of the inhibition of Labrador Sea deep convection by the flux of meltwater from the ice sheet, which weakened northward heat transport by the ocean, and the high surface albedo of the ice sheet. We thus conclude that interglacial climate is highly sensitive to relatively small changes in ice-sheet configuration. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice Sheet Labrador Sea DIAL@USL-B (Université Saint-Louis, Bruxelles) Nature Geoscience 2 6 411 414 |
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DIAL@USL-B (Université Saint-Louis, Bruxelles) |
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ftunistlouisbrus |
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English |
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1443 |
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1443 Renssen, Hans Sëppa, H. Heiri, O. Roche, Didier Goosse, Hugues Fichefet, Thierry The spatial and temporal complexity of the Holocene thermal maximum |
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1443 |
description |
The Holocene thermal maximum, a period of relatively warm climate between 11,000 and 5,000 years ago1, 2, is most clearly recorded in the middle and high latitudes2, 3 of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is generally associated with the local orbitally forced summer insolation maximum. However, proxy-based reconstructions have shown that both the timing and magnitude of the warming vary substantially between different regions2, 3, 4, suggesting the involvement of extra feedbacks and forcings. Here, we simulate the Holocene thermal maximum in a coupled global ocean–atmosphere–vegetation model. We find that before 7,000 years ago, summers were substantially cooler over regions directly influenced by the presence of the Laurentide ice sheet, whereas other regions of the Northern Hemisphere were dominated by orbital forcing. Our simulations suggest that the cool conditions arose from a combination of the inhibition of Labrador Sea deep convection by the flux of meltwater from the ice sheet, which weakened northward heat transport by the ocean, and the high surface albedo of the ice sheet. We thus conclude that interglacial climate is highly sensitive to relatively small changes in ice-sheet configuration. |
author2 |
UCL - SC/RSC - Rattachement SC UCL - SC/PHYS - Département de physique UCL - SST/ELI/ELIC - Earth & Climate |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Renssen, Hans Sëppa, H. Heiri, O. Roche, Didier Goosse, Hugues Fichefet, Thierry |
author_facet |
Renssen, Hans Sëppa, H. Heiri, O. Roche, Didier Goosse, Hugues Fichefet, Thierry |
author_sort |
Renssen, Hans |
title |
The spatial and temporal complexity of the Holocene thermal maximum |
title_short |
The spatial and temporal complexity of the Holocene thermal maximum |
title_full |
The spatial and temporal complexity of the Holocene thermal maximum |
title_fullStr |
The spatial and temporal complexity of the Holocene thermal maximum |
title_full_unstemmed |
The spatial and temporal complexity of the Holocene thermal maximum |
title_sort |
spatial and temporal complexity of the holocene thermal maximum |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/71174 https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO513 |
genre |
Ice Sheet Labrador Sea |
genre_facet |
Ice Sheet Labrador Sea |
op_source |
Nature Geoscience, Vol. 2, p. 411-414 (2009) |
op_relation |
boreal:71174 http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/71174 doi:10.1038/NGEO513 urn:ISSN:1752-0894 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO513 |
container_title |
Nature Geoscience |
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2 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
411 |
op_container_end_page |
414 |
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1798847551421546496 |