Interhemispheric Atlantic Seesaw Response During the Last Deglaciation

Overview

Journal Nature

Specialty Science

Date 2009 Feb 27

PMID 19242468

Citations 37

Authors

Stephen Barker

Paula Diz

Maryline J Vautravers

Jennifer Pike

Gregor Knorr

Ian R Hall

Wallace S Broecker

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The asynchronous relationship between millennial-scale temperature changes over Greenland and Antarctica during the last glacial period has led to the notion of a bipolar seesaw which acts to redistribute heat depending on the state of meridional overturning circulation within the Atlantic Ocean. Here we present new records from the South Atlantic that show rapid changes during the last deglaciation that were instantaneous (within dating uncertainty) and of opposite sign to those observed in the North Atlantic. Our results demonstrate a direct link between the abrupt changes associated with variations in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and the more gradual adjustments characteristic of the Southern Ocean. These results emphasize the importance of the Southern Ocean for the development and transmission of millennial-scale climate variability and highlight its role in deglacial climate change and the associated rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Citing Articles

Sea ice-ocean coupling during Heinrich Stadials in the Atlantic-Arctic gateway.

El Bani Altuna N, Ezat M, Smik L, Muschitiello F, Belt S, Knies J Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):1065.

PMID: 38212406 PMC: 10784495. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51532-7.

Arctic and Antarctic forcing of ocean interior warming during the last deglaciation.

Stewart J, Robinson L, Rae J, Burke A, Chen T, Li T Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):22410.

PMID: 38104174 PMC: 10725493. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49435-0.

Early sea ice decline off East Antarctica at the last glacial-interglacial climate transition.

Sadatzki H, Opdyke B, Menviel L, Leventer A, Hope J, Brocks J Sci Adv. 2023; 9(41):eadh9513.

PMID: 37824627 PMC: 10569715. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh9513.

Bipolar impact and phasing of Heinrich-type climate variability.

Martin K, Buizert C, Edwards J, Kalk M, Riddell-Young B, Brook E Nature. 2023; 617(7959):100-104.

PMID: 37095266 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05875-2.

Coupled atmosphere-ice-ocean dynamics during Heinrich Stadial 2.

Dong X, Kathayat G, Rasmussen S, Svensson A, Severinghaus J, Li H Nat Commun. 2022; 13(1):5867.

PMID: 36195764 PMC: 9532435. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33583-4.

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