Abrupt change of Antarctic moisture origin at the end of Termination II

TY - JOUR

T1 - Abrupt change of Antarctic moisture origin at the end of Termination II

AU - Masson-Delmotte...[et al.], V.

AU - Stenni, B.

AU - Blunier, Thomas

AU - Cattani, O.

AU - Johnsen, Sigfus Johann

PY - 2010/7/6

Y1 - 2010/7/6

N2 - The deuterium excess of polar ice cores documents past changes in evaporation conditions and moisture origin. New data obtained from the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica Dome C East Antarctic ice core provide new insights on the sequence of events involved in Termination II, the transition between the penultimate glacial and interglacial periods. This termination is marked by a north-south seesaw behavior, with first a slow methane concentration rise associated with a strong Antarctic temperature warming and a slow deuterium excess rise. This first step is followed by an abrupt north Atlantic warming, an abrupt resumption of the East Asian summer monsoon, a sharp methane rise, and a CO2 overshoot, which coincide within dating uncertainties with the end of Antarctic optimum. Here, we show that this second phase is marked by a very sharp Dome C centennial deuterium excess rise, revealing abrupt reorganization of atmospheric circulation in the southern Indian Ocean sector.

AB - The deuterium excess of polar ice cores documents past changes in evaporation conditions and moisture origin. New data obtained from the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica Dome C East Antarctic ice core provide new insights on the sequence of events involved in Termination II, the transition between the penultimate glacial and interglacial periods. This termination is marked by a north-south seesaw behavior, with first a slow methane concentration rise associated with a strong Antarctic temperature warming and a slow deuterium excess rise. This first step is followed by an abrupt north Atlantic warming, an abrupt resumption of the East Asian summer monsoon, a sharp methane rise, and a CO2 overshoot, which coincide within dating uncertainties with the end of Antarctic optimum. Here, we show that this second phase is marked by a very sharp Dome C centennial deuterium excess rise, revealing abrupt reorganization of atmospheric circulation in the southern Indian Ocean sector.

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.0914536107

DO - 10.1073/pnas.0914536107

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 20566887

SN - 0027-8424

VL - 107

SP - 12091

EP - 12094

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America

IS - 27

ER -