Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica
The future response of the Antarctic ice sheet to rising temperatures remains highly uncertain. A useful period for assessing the sensitivity of Antarctica to warming is the Last Interglacial (LIG) (129 to 116 ky), which experienced warmer polar temperatures and higher global mean sea level (GMSL) (...
Published in: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
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Natl Acad Sciences
2020
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902469117 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32047039 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/137451 |
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ftunivtasecite:oai:ecite.utas.edu.au:137451 2023-05-15T13:59:46+02:00 Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica Turney, CSM Fogwill, CJ Golledge, NR McKay, NP van Sebille, E Jones, RT Etheridge, D Rubino, M Thornton, DP Davies, SM Ramsey, CB Thomas, ZA Bird, MI Munksgard, NC Kohno, M Woodward, J Winter, K Weyrich, LS Rootes, CM Millman, H Albert, PG Rivera, A van Ommen, T Curran, M Moy, A Rahmstorf, S Kawamura, K Hillenbrand, C-D Weber, ME Manning, CJ Young, J Cooper, A 2020 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902469117 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32047039 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/137451 en eng Natl Acad Sciences http://ecite.utas.edu.au/137451/1/137451 - Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica.pdf http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902469117 Turney, CSM and Fogwill, CJ and Golledge, NR and McKay, NP and van Sebille, E and Jones, RT and Etheridge, D and Rubino, M and Thornton, DP and Davies, SM and Ramsey, CB and Thomas, ZA and Bird, MI and Munksgard, NC and Kohno, M and Woodward, J and Winter, K and Weyrich, LS and Rootes, CM and Millman, H and Albert, PG and Rivera, A and van Ommen, T and Curran, M and Moy, A and Rahmstorf, S and Kawamura, K and Hillenbrand, C-D and Weber, ME and Manning, CJ and Young, J and Cooper, A, Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America, 117, (8) pp. 3996-4006. ISSN 0027-8424 (2020) [Refereed Article] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32047039 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/137451 Earth Sciences Physical geography and environmental geoscience Palaeoclimatology Refereed Article PeerReviewed 2020 ftunivtasecite https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902469117 2021-02-01T23:16:32Z The future response of the Antarctic ice sheet to rising temperatures remains highly uncertain. A useful period for assessing the sensitivity of Antarctica to warming is the Last Interglacial (LIG) (129 to 116 ky), which experienced warmer polar temperatures and higher global mean sea level (GMSL) (+6 to 9 m) relative to present day. LIG sea level cannot be fully explained by Greenland Ice Sheet melt (∼2 m), ocean thermal expansion, and melting mountain glaciers (∼1 m), suggesting substantial Antarctic mass loss was initiated by warming of Southern Ocean waters, resulting from a weakening Atlantic meridional overturning circulation in response to North Atlantic surface freshening. Here, we report a blue-ice record of ice sheet and environmental change from the Weddell Sea Embayment at the periphery of the marine-based West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), which is underlain by major methane hydrate reserves. Constrained by a widespread volcanic horizon and supported by ancient microbial DNA analyses, we provide evidence for substantial mass loss across the Weddell Sea Embayment during the LIG, most likely driven by ocean warming and associated with destabilization of subglacial hydrates. Ice sheet modeling supports this interpretation and suggests that millennial-scale warming of the Southern Ocean could have triggered a multimeter rise in global sea levels. Our data indicate that Antarctica is highly vulnerable to projected increases in ocean temperatures and may drive iceclimate feedbacks that further amplify warming. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Greenland Ice Sheet Methane hydrate North Atlantic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Sea West Antarctic Ice Sheet Greenland Weddell Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117 8 3996 4006 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtasecite |
language |
English |
topic |
Earth Sciences Physical geography and environmental geoscience Palaeoclimatology |
spellingShingle |
Earth Sciences Physical geography and environmental geoscience Palaeoclimatology Turney, CSM Fogwill, CJ Golledge, NR McKay, NP van Sebille, E Jones, RT Etheridge, D Rubino, M Thornton, DP Davies, SM Ramsey, CB Thomas, ZA Bird, MI Munksgard, NC Kohno, M Woodward, J Winter, K Weyrich, LS Rootes, CM Millman, H Albert, PG Rivera, A van Ommen, T Curran, M Moy, A Rahmstorf, S Kawamura, K Hillenbrand, C-D Weber, ME Manning, CJ Young, J Cooper, A Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica |
topic_facet |
Earth Sciences Physical geography and environmental geoscience Palaeoclimatology |
description |
The future response of the Antarctic ice sheet to rising temperatures remains highly uncertain. A useful period for assessing the sensitivity of Antarctica to warming is the Last Interglacial (LIG) (129 to 116 ky), which experienced warmer polar temperatures and higher global mean sea level (GMSL) (+6 to 9 m) relative to present day. LIG sea level cannot be fully explained by Greenland Ice Sheet melt (∼2 m), ocean thermal expansion, and melting mountain glaciers (∼1 m), suggesting substantial Antarctic mass loss was initiated by warming of Southern Ocean waters, resulting from a weakening Atlantic meridional overturning circulation in response to North Atlantic surface freshening. Here, we report a blue-ice record of ice sheet and environmental change from the Weddell Sea Embayment at the periphery of the marine-based West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), which is underlain by major methane hydrate reserves. Constrained by a widespread volcanic horizon and supported by ancient microbial DNA analyses, we provide evidence for substantial mass loss across the Weddell Sea Embayment during the LIG, most likely driven by ocean warming and associated with destabilization of subglacial hydrates. Ice sheet modeling supports this interpretation and suggests that millennial-scale warming of the Southern Ocean could have triggered a multimeter rise in global sea levels. Our data indicate that Antarctica is highly vulnerable to projected increases in ocean temperatures and may drive iceclimate feedbacks that further amplify warming. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Turney, CSM Fogwill, CJ Golledge, NR McKay, NP van Sebille, E Jones, RT Etheridge, D Rubino, M Thornton, DP Davies, SM Ramsey, CB Thomas, ZA Bird, MI Munksgard, NC Kohno, M Woodward, J Winter, K Weyrich, LS Rootes, CM Millman, H Albert, PG Rivera, A van Ommen, T Curran, M Moy, A Rahmstorf, S Kawamura, K Hillenbrand, C-D Weber, ME Manning, CJ Young, J Cooper, A |
author_facet |
Turney, CSM Fogwill, CJ Golledge, NR McKay, NP van Sebille, E Jones, RT Etheridge, D Rubino, M Thornton, DP Davies, SM Ramsey, CB Thomas, ZA Bird, MI Munksgard, NC Kohno, M Woodward, J Winter, K Weyrich, LS Rootes, CM Millman, H Albert, PG Rivera, A van Ommen, T Curran, M Moy, A Rahmstorf, S Kawamura, K Hillenbrand, C-D Weber, ME Manning, CJ Young, J Cooper, A |
author_sort |
Turney, CSM |
title |
Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica |
title_short |
Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica |
title_full |
Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica |
title_sort |
early last interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from antarctica |
publisher |
Natl Acad Sciences |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902469117 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32047039 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/137451 |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Sea West Antarctic Ice Sheet Greenland Weddell |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Weddell Sea West Antarctic Ice Sheet Greenland Weddell |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Greenland Ice Sheet Methane hydrate North Atlantic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Greenland Ice Sheet Methane hydrate North Atlantic Southern Ocean Weddell Sea |
op_relation |
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/137451/1/137451 - Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica.pdf http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902469117 Turney, CSM and Fogwill, CJ and Golledge, NR and McKay, NP and van Sebille, E and Jones, RT and Etheridge, D and Rubino, M and Thornton, DP and Davies, SM and Ramsey, CB and Thomas, ZA and Bird, MI and Munksgard, NC and Kohno, M and Woodward, J and Winter, K and Weyrich, LS and Rootes, CM and Millman, H and Albert, PG and Rivera, A and van Ommen, T and Curran, M and Moy, A and Rahmstorf, S and Kawamura, K and Hillenbrand, C-D and Weber, ME and Manning, CJ and Young, J and Cooper, A, Early Last Interglacial ocean warming drove substantial ice mass loss from Antarctica, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America, 117, (8) pp. 3996-4006. ISSN 0027-8424 (2020) [Refereed Article] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32047039 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/137451 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902469117 |
container_title |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |
container_volume |
117 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
3996 |
op_container_end_page |
4006 |
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1766268543645515776 |