34. 34
WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF GLACIAL-INTERGLACIAL CYCLES?
Top:Solar radiation varies smoothly through time with a strong cyclicity of ~23,000 years, as seen in
this time-series of July incoming solar radiation at 65°N (Berger and Loutre, 1991).
Middle:Glacial-interglacial cycles last ~100,000 years and consist of stepwise cooling events followed
by rapid warmings, as seen in this time-series inferred from hydrogen isotopes in the Dome Fuji ice
core from Antarctica (Kawamura et al., 2007).
Bottom:Atmospheric CO2 measured from bubbles in Dome Fuji ice shows the same pattern as the
temperature time-series (Kawamura et al., 2007).
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Heinrich and Dansgaard-Oeschger events
Climate during the last glacial period was far from stable. Two different
types of climate changes, called Heinrich and Dansgaard-Oeschger
events, occurred repeatedly throughout most of this time. Dansgaard-
Oeschger (D-O) events were first reported in Greenland ice cores by
scientists Willi Dansgaard and Hans Oeschger. Each of the 25 observed D-O
events consist of an abrupt warming to near-interglacial conditions that
occurred in a matter of decades, and was followed by a gradual cooling.
36. 36
(Top) The δ18O record from the GISP2 ice core in Greenland, showing 20 of the 25 observed Dansgaard-Oeschger
events during the last glacial period (Grootes et al., 1993). (Bottom) A record of ice-rafted material during Heinrich
events from a deep-sea core in the North Atlantic (Bond and Lotti, 1995).
NOAA
37. 37
What caused Heinrich and Dansgaard-Oeschger events?
? The cause of these glacial events is still under debate.
? Currently, the leading hypothesis involves a slowdown of the ocean's
thermohaline circulation.
– During the last glacial time, large ice sheets rimmed the North Atlantic . At
certain times, these ice sheets released large amounts of freshwater into the
North Atlantic. Scientists have hypothesized that these freshwater dumps
reduced ocean salinity enough to slow the thermohaline circulation. Since the
thermohaline circulation plays an important role in transporting heat
northward, a slowdown would cause the North Atlantic to cool. Later, as the
addition of freshwater decreased, ocean salinity and deepwater formation
increased and climate conditions recovered.
38. 38
?The initial trigger for freshwater releases has not yet been identified.
?One suggestion is that small, gradual changes in solar output could have
influenced the timing of abrupt changes (Bond et al., 2001).
?Other ideas call upon natural oscillations of the ice sheets themselves
(MacAyeal, 1993; Hulbe et al., 2004; Alley et al., 2006) or of ocean processes
(Shaffer et al., 2004, Flückiger et al., 2006).
39. 39
? Even though Heinrich and D-O events seem to have been initiated in the North Atlantic,
they had a global footprint.
? The climate anomalies are consistent with a slowdown of the thermohaline circulation
and reduced ocean heat transport into the northern high latitudes.
? During cold phases in the North Atlantic, large regions of North America and Eurasia
became colder and drier. A southward shift of the tropical rain belt moistened many
parts of the Southern Hemisphere. Antarctic ice cores show warming, consistent with a
reduction of northward heat transport from the Southern Hemisphere.
41. 41
Ice cores extracted from the two-mile thick Greenland ice sheet preserve records of ancient air temperatures.
The Younger Dryas —about 12,700 years ago, average temperatures in the North Atlantic region abruptly
plummeted nearly 5°C and remained that way for 1,300 years before rapidly warming again.
The 8,200-Year Event —A similar abrupt cooling occurred. It was not so severe and lasted only about a
century. But if a similar cooling event occurred today, it would be catastrophic.
The Medieval Period —An abrupt warming took place about 1,000 years ago. It was not nearly so
dramatic as past events, but it nevertheless allowed the Norse to establish settlements in Greenland.
The Little Ice Age —The Norse abandoned their Greenland settlements when the climate turned abruptly
colder 700 years ago. Between 1300 and 1850, severe winters had profound agricultural, economic, and
political impacts in Europe.
R.B. Alley, from The Two-Mile Time Machine, 2000
44. 44
Climate changes associated with the Younger Dryas, highlighted here by the light blue bar,
include (from top to bottom): cooling and decreased snow accumulation in Greenland,
cooling in the tropical Cariaco Basin, and warming in Antarctica. Also shown is the flux of
meltwater from the Laurentide Ice Sheet down the St. Lawrence River
58. 58
(a) Observed changes in global average
surface temperature;
(b) global average sea level from tide
gauge (blue) and satellite (red) data;
(c) Northern Hemisphere snow cover for
March-April.
?All differences are relative to
corresponding averages for the period
1961-1990.
?Smoothed curves represent decadal
averaged values;
?Circles show yearly values;
?The shaded areas are the uncertainty
intervals estimated from a
comprehensive analysis of known
uncertainties (a and b) and from the time
series (c).
from IPCC (2007)