High-resolution Greenland Ice Core data show abrupt climate change happens in few years

Jørgen Peder Steffensen, Katrine Krogh Andersen, Matthias Bigler, Henrik Brink Clausen, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Hubertus Fischer, Kumiko Goto-Azuma, Margareta Hansson, Sigfus Johann Johnsen, Jean Jouzel, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Trevor James Popp, Sune Olander Rasmussen, Regine Röthlisberger, Urs Ruth, Bernhard Stauffer, Marie-Louise Siggaard-Andersen, Árný E. Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Anders Svensson, James W.C. White

549 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The last two abrupt warmings at the onset of our present warm interglacial period, interrupted by the Younger Dryas cooling event, were investigated at high temporal resolution from the North Greenland Ice Core Project ice core. The deuterium excess, a proxy of Greenland precipitation moisture source, switched mode within 1 to 3 years over these transitions and initiated a more gradual change (over 50 years) of the Greenland air temperature, as recorded by stable water isotopes. The onsets of both abrupt Greenland warmings were slightly preceded by decreasing Greenland dust deposition, reflecting the wetting of Asian deserts. A northern shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone could be the trigger of these abrupt shifts of Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation, resulting in changes of 2 to 4 kelvin in Greenland moisture source temperature from one year to the next.
Original languageEnglish
JournalScience
Volume321
Pages (from-to)680-684
Number of pages5
ISSN0036-8075
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008

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