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On the timing and mechanism of millennial-scale climate variability during the last glacial cycle

On the timing and mechanism of millennial-scale climate variability during the last glacial cycle
On the timing and mechanism of millennial-scale climate variability during the last glacial cycle
The demonstration that natural climate variability during the last glacial cycle shifted rapidly between remarkable extremes has dramatically revised the understanding of climate change. To further advance our understanding, research continues into the timings, geographic distribution, and nature of the millennial-scale climate extremes, and into the mechanisms for intra- and inter-hemispheric transmission of variability through the climate/ocean system. Complementing the traditional definition of the timings of millennial-scale climate variability from ice-core d18O records, we here further narrow down the temporal constraints by determining statistically significant anomalies in the major ion series of the GISP2 ice core. This exercise offers an objective definition of the timing of climatic anomalies in Northern Hemisphere palaeoclimate proxy records of the last 110,000 years that significantly improves the potential for inter-calibration of ‘ice-core tuned’ chronostratigraphies. We then present a process-oriented synthesis of proxy records from the Northern Hemisphere. This leads to a conclusion that the Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) style fluctuations in these records are (virtually) in phase, since all fall within a clear (atmospheric) pattern of concerted relative dominance shifts between polar/westerly dominated winter-type conditions and tropical/monsoon dominated summer-type conditions. Finally, we speculate on a monsoon-related mechanism that could help explain the anomalously long duration of D-O interstadials 12, 8, and 1, which coincided with cooling trends in Antarctic records.
CLIMATIC CHANGES, PALAEOCLIMATE, OXYGEN ISOTOPES
0930-7575
257-267
Rohling, E.J.
a2a27ef2-fcce-4c71-907b-e692b5ecc685
Mayewski, P.A.
b7c3730e-b728-460a-abeb-f7a5678db934
Challenor, P.
a7e71e56-8391-442c-b140-6e4b90c33547
Rohling, E.J.
a2a27ef2-fcce-4c71-907b-e692b5ecc685
Mayewski, P.A.
b7c3730e-b728-460a-abeb-f7a5678db934
Challenor, P.
a7e71e56-8391-442c-b140-6e4b90c33547

Rohling, E.J., Mayewski, P.A. and Challenor, P. (2003) On the timing and mechanism of millennial-scale climate variability during the last glacial cycle. Climate Dynamics, 20 (2-3), 257-267. (doi:10.1007/s00382-002-0266-4).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The demonstration that natural climate variability during the last glacial cycle shifted rapidly between remarkable extremes has dramatically revised the understanding of climate change. To further advance our understanding, research continues into the timings, geographic distribution, and nature of the millennial-scale climate extremes, and into the mechanisms for intra- and inter-hemispheric transmission of variability through the climate/ocean system. Complementing the traditional definition of the timings of millennial-scale climate variability from ice-core d18O records, we here further narrow down the temporal constraints by determining statistically significant anomalies in the major ion series of the GISP2 ice core. This exercise offers an objective definition of the timing of climatic anomalies in Northern Hemisphere palaeoclimate proxy records of the last 110,000 years that significantly improves the potential for inter-calibration of ‘ice-core tuned’ chronostratigraphies. We then present a process-oriented synthesis of proxy records from the Northern Hemisphere. This leads to a conclusion that the Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) style fluctuations in these records are (virtually) in phase, since all fall within a clear (atmospheric) pattern of concerted relative dominance shifts between polar/westerly dominated winter-type conditions and tropical/monsoon dominated summer-type conditions. Finally, we speculate on a monsoon-related mechanism that could help explain the anomalously long duration of D-O interstadials 12, 8, and 1, which coincided with cooling trends in Antarctic records.

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More information

Published date: 2003
Keywords: CLIMATIC CHANGES, PALAEOCLIMATE, OXYGEN ISOTOPES

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 2212
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/2212
ISSN: 0930-7575
PURE UUID: 2fe6bf9e-cc60-4cdf-83fd-c9ab4ce8a6ef
ORCID for E.J. Rohling: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5349-2158

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 20 May 2004
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:46

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Contributors

Author: E.J. Rohling ORCID iD
Author: P.A. Mayewski
Author: P. Challenor

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