The response of the southern Greenland ice sheet to the Holocene thermal maximum

Nicolaj Krog Larsen; Kurt H. Kjaer; Benoit Lecavalier; Anders A. Bjork; Sune Colding; Philippe Huybrechts; Karina E. Jakobsen; Kristian K. Kjeldsen; Karen-Luise Knudsen; Bent V. Odgaard; Jesper Olsen

doi:10.1130/G36476.1

The response of the southern Greenland ice sheet to the Holocene thermal maximum

Nicolaj Krog Larsen, Kurt H. Kjaer, Benoit Lecavalier^*, Anders A. Bjork, Sune Colding, Philippe Huybrechts, Karina E. Jakobsen, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Karen-Luise Knudsen, Bent V. Odgaard, Jesper Olsen

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

To determine the long-term sensitivity of the Greenland ice sheet to a warmer climate, we explored how it responded to the Holocene thermal maximum (8-5 cal. kyr B.P.; calibrated to calendar years before present, i.e., A.D. 1950), when lake records show that local atmospheric temperatures in Greenland were 2-4 degrees C warmer than the present. Records from five new threshold lakes complemented with existing geological data from south of 70 degrees N show that the ice margin was retracted behind its present-day extent in all sectors for a limited period between ca. 7 and 4 cal. kyr B.P. and in most sectors from ca. 1.5 to 1 cal. kyr B.P., in response to higher atmospheric and ocean temperatures. Ice sheet simulations constrained by observations show good correlation with the timing of minimum ice volume indicated by the threshold lake observations; the simulated volume reduction suggests a minimum contribution of 0.16 m sea-level equivalent from the entire Greenland ice sheet, with a centennial ice loss rate of as much as 100 Gt/yr for several millennia during the Holocene thermal maximum. Our results provide an estimate of the long-term rates of volume loss that can be expected in the future as regional air and ocean temperatures approach those reconstructed for the Holocene thermal maximum.

Original language	English
Journal	Geology
Volume	43
Issue	4
Pages (from-to)	291-294
Number of pages	4
ISSN	0091-7613
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1130/G36476.1
Publication status	Published - Apr 2015

Keywords

CENTRAL WEST GREENLAND
CLIMATE VARIATIONS
EAST GREENLAND
LAKE-SEDIMENTS
SEA-LEVEL
RETREAT
BE-10
HISTORY
EXTENT
VARIABILITY

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http://geology.gsapubs.org/content/43/4/291

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title = "The response of the southern Greenland ice sheet to the Holocene thermal maximum",

abstract = "To determine the long-term sensitivity of the Greenland ice sheet to a warmer climate, we explored how it responded to the Holocene thermal maximum (8-5 cal. kyr B.P.; calibrated to calendar years before present, i.e., A.D. 1950), when lake records show that local atmospheric temperatures in Greenland were 2-4 degrees C warmer than the present. Records from five new threshold lakes complemented with existing geological data from south of 70 degrees N show that the ice margin was retracted behind its present-day extent in all sectors for a limited period between ca. 7 and 4 cal. kyr B.P. and in most sectors from ca. 1.5 to 1 cal. kyr B.P., in response to higher atmospheric and ocean temperatures. Ice sheet simulations constrained by observations show good correlation with the timing of minimum ice volume indicated by the threshold lake observations; the simulated volume reduction suggests a minimum contribution of 0.16 m sea-level equivalent from the entire Greenland ice sheet, with a centennial ice loss rate of as much as 100 Gt/yr for several millennia during the Holocene thermal maximum. Our results provide an estimate of the long-term rates of volume loss that can be expected in the future as regional air and ocean temperatures approach those reconstructed for the Holocene thermal maximum.",

keywords = "CENTRAL WEST GREENLAND, CLIMATE VARIATIONS, EAST GREENLAND, LAKE-SEDIMENTS, SEA-LEVEL, RETREAT, BE-10, HISTORY, EXTENT, VARIABILITY",

author = "Larsen, {Nicolaj Krog} and Kjaer, {Kurt H.} and Benoit Lecavalier and Bjork, {Anders A.} and Sune Colding and Philippe Huybrechts and Jakobsen, {Karina E.} and Kjeldsen, {Kristian K.} and Karen-Luise Knudsen and Odgaard, {Bent V.} and Jesper Olsen",

year = "2015",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1130/G36476.1",

language = "English",

volume = "43",

pages = "291--294",

journal = "Geology",

issn = "0091-7613",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - The response of the southern Greenland ice sheet to the Holocene thermal maximum

AU - Larsen, Nicolaj Krog

AU - Kjaer, Kurt H.

AU - Lecavalier, Benoit

AU - Bjork, Anders A.

AU - Colding, Sune

AU - Huybrechts, Philippe

AU - Jakobsen, Karina E.

AU - Kjeldsen, Kristian K.

AU - Knudsen, Karen-Luise

AU - Odgaard, Bent V.

AU - Olsen, Jesper

PY - 2015/4

Y1 - 2015/4

N2 - To determine the long-term sensitivity of the Greenland ice sheet to a warmer climate, we explored how it responded to the Holocene thermal maximum (8-5 cal. kyr B.P.; calibrated to calendar years before present, i.e., A.D. 1950), when lake records show that local atmospheric temperatures in Greenland were 2-4 degrees C warmer than the present. Records from five new threshold lakes complemented with existing geological data from south of 70 degrees N show that the ice margin was retracted behind its present-day extent in all sectors for a limited period between ca. 7 and 4 cal. kyr B.P. and in most sectors from ca. 1.5 to 1 cal. kyr B.P., in response to higher atmospheric and ocean temperatures. Ice sheet simulations constrained by observations show good correlation with the timing of minimum ice volume indicated by the threshold lake observations; the simulated volume reduction suggests a minimum contribution of 0.16 m sea-level equivalent from the entire Greenland ice sheet, with a centennial ice loss rate of as much as 100 Gt/yr for several millennia during the Holocene thermal maximum. Our results provide an estimate of the long-term rates of volume loss that can be expected in the future as regional air and ocean temperatures approach those reconstructed for the Holocene thermal maximum.

AB - To determine the long-term sensitivity of the Greenland ice sheet to a warmer climate, we explored how it responded to the Holocene thermal maximum (8-5 cal. kyr B.P.; calibrated to calendar years before present, i.e., A.D. 1950), when lake records show that local atmospheric temperatures in Greenland were 2-4 degrees C warmer than the present. Records from five new threshold lakes complemented with existing geological data from south of 70 degrees N show that the ice margin was retracted behind its present-day extent in all sectors for a limited period between ca. 7 and 4 cal. kyr B.P. and in most sectors from ca. 1.5 to 1 cal. kyr B.P., in response to higher atmospheric and ocean temperatures. Ice sheet simulations constrained by observations show good correlation with the timing of minimum ice volume indicated by the threshold lake observations; the simulated volume reduction suggests a minimum contribution of 0.16 m sea-level equivalent from the entire Greenland ice sheet, with a centennial ice loss rate of as much as 100 Gt/yr for several millennia during the Holocene thermal maximum. Our results provide an estimate of the long-term rates of volume loss that can be expected in the future as regional air and ocean temperatures approach those reconstructed for the Holocene thermal maximum.

KW - CENTRAL WEST GREENLAND

KW - CLIMATE VARIATIONS

KW - EAST GREENLAND

KW - LAKE-SEDIMENTS

KW - SEA-LEVEL

KW - RETREAT

KW - BE-10

KW - HISTORY

KW - EXTENT

KW - VARIABILITY

U2 - 10.1130/G36476.1

DO - 10.1130/G36476.1

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0091-7613

VL - 43

SP - 291

EP - 294

JO - Geology

JF - Geology

IS - 4

ER -

The response of the southern Greenland ice sheet to the Holocene thermal maximum

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Keywords

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