Constraints on the amplitude of Mid-Pliocene (3.6–2.4 Ma) eustatic sea-level fluctuations from the New Zealand shallow-marine sediment record

2008 ◽  
Vol 367 (1886) ◽  
pp. 169-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim R Naish ◽  
Gary S Wilson
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Shallow Marine ◽  
Sea Level Fluctuations ◽  
Late Neogene ◽  
Sea Level Oscillations

Ice-volume calibrations of the deep-ocean foraminiferal δ 18 O record imply orbitally influenced sea-level fluctuations of up to 30 m amplitude during the Mid-Pliocene, and up to 30 per cent loss of the present-day mass of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) assuming complete deglaciation of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and Greenland. These sea-level oscillations have driven recurrent transgressions and regressions across the world's continental shelves. Wanganui Basin, New Zealand, contains the most complete shallow-marine Late Neogene stratigraphic record in the form of a continuous cyclostratigraphy representing every 41 and 100 ka sea-level cycle since ca 3.6 Ma. This paper presents a synthesis of faunally derived palaeobathymetric data for shallow-marine sedimentary cycles corresponding to marine isotope stages M2–100 ( ca 3.4–2.4 Ma). Our approach estimates the eustatic sea-level contribution to the palaeobathymetry curve by placing constraints on total subsidence and decompacted sediment accumulation. The sea-level estimates are consistent with those from δ 18 O curves and numerical ice sheet models, and imply a significant sensitivity of the WAIS and the coastal margins of the EAIS to orbital oscillations in insolation during the Mid-Pliocene period of relative global warmth. Sea-level oscillations of 10–30 m were paced by obliquity.

scholarly journals Late Neogene Sirius Group strata in Reedy Valley, Antarctica: a multiple-resolution record of climate, ice-sheet and sea-level events

1998 ◽  
Vol 44 (148) ◽  
pp. 437-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary S. Wilson ◽  
David M. Harwood ◽  
Rosemary A. Askin ◽  
Richard H. Levy
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Western Margin ◽  
Type Section ◽  
Late Neogene ◽  
Formation Type ◽  
Spur Formation ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractLate Neogene Sirius Group strata from Tillite Spur and Quartz Hills in the Reedy Glacier area, Antarctica, demonstrate the variability in Sirius Group facies and contrasts Sirius Group strata deposited at high and low paleo-elevation, respectively. The Tillite Spur and Quartz Hills Formations (Pliocene) are formally defined here.The Tillite Spur Formation type section crops out on the edge of the Wisconsin Plateau overlooking Tillite Spur. It comprises 32m of alternating coarse gray conglomerate and muddy olive-brown diamictites. The Quartz Hills Formation type section crops out above the western margin of Reedy Glacier in a pre-existing cirque towards the southern end of the Quartz Hills. It comprises c.100m of alternating massive diamictites and rhythmically interbedded sandstone and laminated mudstones which were deposited close to sea level and subsequently rapidly uplifted (>500 m Myr−1) to their present elevation at c. 1500 m. Three orders of paleoclimatic variability are recorded in the Sirius Group strata from Reedy Valley: (1) recycled marine microfloras in glacial diamictites indicate intervals of marine incursion into the Antarctic cratonic interior co-occurring with reductions in the East Antarctic ice sheet; (2) an advancing and retreating paleo-Reedy Glacier deposited a glacial/interglacial sequence alternating on a 10-100 kyr scale; 3) Centimeter and millimeter stratification in strata of the Quartz Hills Formation record annual kyr scale variability.

scholarly journals A new sea-level record for the Neogene/Quaternary boundary reveals transition to a more stable East Antarctic Ice Sheet

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (49) ◽  
pp. 30980-30987
Author(s):  
Kim A. Jakob ◽  
Paul A. Wilson ◽  
Jörg Pross ◽  
Thomas H. G. Ezard ◽  
Jens Fiebig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Ice Sheets ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Ice Volume ◽  
Warming World ◽  
East Antarctic Ice Sheet

Sea-level rise resulting from the instability of polar continental ice sheets represents a major socioeconomic hazard arising from anthropogenic warming, but the response of the largest component of Earth’s cryosphere, the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), to global warming is poorly understood. Here we present a detailed record of North Atlantic deep-ocean temperature, global sea-level, and ice-volume change for ∼2.75 to 2.4 Ma ago, when atmospheric partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) ranged from present-day (>400 parts per million volume, ppmv) to preindustrial (<280 ppmv) values. Our data reveal clear glacial–interglacial cycles in global ice volume and sea level largely driven by the growth and decay of ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere. Yet, sea-level values during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 101 (∼2.55 Ma) also signal substantial melting of the EAIS, and peak sea levels during MIS G7 (∼2.75 Ma) and, perhaps, MIS G1 (∼2.63 Ma) are also suggestive of EAIS instability. During the succeeding glacial–interglacial cycles (MIS 100 to 95), sea levels were distinctly lower than before, strongly suggesting a link between greater stability of the EAIS and increased land-ice volumes in the Northern Hemisphere. We propose that lower sea levels driven by ice-sheet growth in the Northern Hemisphere decreased EAIS susceptibility to ocean melting. Our findings have implications for future EAIS vulnerability to a rapidly warming world.

Insolation-paced sea level during the Early Pleistocene, Taiwan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romain Vaucher ◽  
Shahin E. Dashtgard ◽  
Chorng-Shern Horng ◽  
Christian Zeeden ◽  
Antoine Dillinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Benthic Foraminifera ◽  
Sediment Accumulation ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Glacial Cycles ◽  
Shallow Marine ◽  
Sea Level Fluctuations ◽  
Summer Insolation ◽  
O Isotope

&lt;p&gt;The Pleistocene was a phase of global cooling of the Earth through which glacial-interglacial cycles occurred, and the growth and decay of the ice-sheets resulted in quasi-cyclic sea-level fluctuations driven by orbital forcing. Despite that summer insolation is mostly controlled by precession, the records of the glacial cycles showcase a significant periodicity of ~41 kyrs during the Early Pleistocene forced by Earth&amp;#8217;s obliquity (tilt) that varies the latitudinal distribution of insolation especially in high latitudes. The dominance of obliquity over precession in marine archives is commonly attributed to the in-phase effect of obliquity-related insolation versus the opposite-phased influence of precession, which may cancel out the summer insolation signal received by the southern and northern hemispheres.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here, we present a clastic shallow marine record from the Cholan Formation (Early Pleistocene; Taiwan). Facies analysis indicates that quasi-cyclic deposition occurred in shoreface to offshore environments in the paleo-Taiwan Strait. The magnetobiostratigraphic framework indicates that the studied section occurs in the lower part of the Matuyama subchron (1.925 - 2.595 Ma) close to the lower limit of the Olduvai (1.925 Ma) normal polarity subchron. Comparison of the stratigraphy to a d&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O isotope record of benthic foraminifera and orbital curves of precession and obliquity at the time of sediment accumulation reveals a good correlation between depositional cycles and the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation, demonstrating precession dominated sea-level fluctuations during the Early Pleistocene. These results underpin recent findings suggesting that d&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O isotope records of benthic foraminifera have a more significant precession signal than previously described. This study also demonstrates that shallow-marine stratigraphic successions in high-accommodation and high-sedimentation basins can be outstanding climate archives, possibly even preserving sediment flux responding to half-precession cycles.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Late Neogene Sirius Group strata in Reedy Valley, Antarctica: a multiple-resolution record of climate, ice-sheet and sea-level events

1998 ◽  
Vol 44 (148) ◽  
pp. 437-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary S. Wilson ◽  
David M. Harwood ◽  
Rosemary A. Askin ◽  
Richard H. Levy
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Western Margin ◽  
Type Section ◽  
Late Neogene ◽  
Formation Type ◽  
Spur Formation ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractLate Neogene Sirius Group strata from Tillite Spur and Quartz Hills in the Reedy Glacier area, Antarctica, demonstrate the variability in Sirius Group facies and contrasts Sirius Group strata deposited at high and low paleo-elevation, respectively. The Tillite Spur and Quartz Hills Formations (Pliocene) are formally defined here.The Tillite Spur Formation type section crops out on the edge of the Wisconsin Plateau overlooking Tillite Spur. It comprises 32m of alternating coarse gray conglomerate and muddy olive-brown diamictites. The Quartz Hills Formation type section crops out above the western margin of Reedy Glacier in a pre-existing cirque towards the southern end of the Quartz Hills. It comprises c.100m of alternating massive diamictites and rhythmically interbedded sandstone and laminated mudstones which were deposited close to sea level and subsequently rapidly uplifted (>500 m Myr−1) to their present elevation at c. 1500 m. Three orders of paleoclimatic variability are recorded in the Sirius Group strata from Reedy Valley: (1) recycled marine microfloras in glacial diamictites indicate intervals of marine incursion into the Antarctic cratonic interior co-occurring with reductions in the East Antarctic ice sheet; (2) an advancing and retreating paleo-Reedy Glacier deposited a glacial/interglacial sequence alternating on a 10-100 kyr scale; 3) Centimeter and millimeter stratification in strata of the Quartz Hills Formation record annual kyr scale variability.

scholarly journals Ice Induced Sea Level Change in the Late Neogene

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Gary Steven Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Level Fluctuation ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Late Neogene ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
Sea Level Fluctuation ◽  
The Antarctic

<p>Two independent records of latest Neogene (2,0 - 6.0 Ma.) glacioeustasy are presented, one of Antarctic ice volume from East Antarctica and the other of eustatic sea level from the South Wanganui Basin, New Zealand. Glacial deposits in the Transantarctic Mountains (Sirius Group) and sediment at the Antarctic continental margin provide direct evidence of Antarctic ice sheet fluctuation. Evidence for deglaciation includes the occurrence of Pliocene marine diatoms in Sirius Group deposits, which are sourced from the East Antarctic interior. K/Ar and 39Ar/40Ar dating of a tuff in the CIROS-2 drill-core confirms their Pliocene age at high latitudes (78 [degrees] S) in Antarctica. Further evidence for Antarctic ice volume fluctuation is recorded by glaciomarine strata from the Ross Sea Sector cored by the CIROS-2 and DVDP-11 drill-holes. Magnetostratigraphy integrated with Beryllium-10, K/Ar and 39Ar/40Ar dating provides a high resolution ([plus or minus] 50 k.y.) chronology of events in these strata. In the Wanganui Basin, New Zealand, a 5 km thick succession of continental shelf sediments, now uplifted, records Late Neogene eustatic sea level fluctuation. In the Late Neogene, basin subsidence equalled sediment input allowing eustatic sea level fluctuation to produce a dynamic alternation of highstand, transgressive, and lowstand sediment wedges. This record of Late Neogene sea level variation is unequalled in its resolution and detail. Magnetostratigraphy provides a high resolution chronology for these sedimentary cycles as well as magnetic tie lines with the Antarctic margin record in McMurdo Sound. These two independent records of Late Neogene glacioeustasy are in good agreement and record the following history: The Late Miocene and Late Pliocene are times of low 'base level' glacioeustasy (here termed glacialism, rather than glacial), with growth of continental-scale ice sheets on the Antarctic continent causing a lowering of global sea level. The Early Pliocene was a time of high 'base level' glacioeustasy (here termed interglacialism, rather than interglacial), driven by collapsing of continental-scale ice sheets to local and subcontinental ice caps. The middle Pliocene is marked by a move into glacialism with an increasing 'base level' of glacioeustatic fluctuation. Higher-order glacial advances and associated eustatic sea-level lowering occurred at approximately 3.5 and 4.3 Ma., separating the Early Pliocene into 3 sea-level stages. Still higher-order glacioeustatic fluctuations are recognised in this study, with durations of 50 Ka. and 100 - 300 Ka.. The 100 - 300 Ka. duration cycles are prominent during interglacialisms, and the 50 Ka. duration cycles are prominent during glacialisms. These shorter duration fluctuations in glacioeustasy have already been recognised as glacial/deglacial cycles from detailed studies of the Quaternary. Four orders of sea-level fluctuation are recognised within the Late Neogene, these are of approximately 0.05 Ma., 0.1-0.3 Ma., 2 Ma., and 4 Ma. in duration. The 2 Ma. and 4 Ma. duration cycles are subdivisions of the third order cyclicity recognised by Vail et al. (1991) (referred to here as cyclicity orders 3a and 3b). The 0.1-0.3 Ma. duration cycles are a subset of the fourth order cyclicity recognised Vail et al. (1991), and the 0.05 Ma. Duration cycles are a subset of the 5 th order cyclicity recognised by Vail et al. (1991). 3a, 3b and 4 th order sea level fluctuations are driven by fluctuations in the volume of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Fifth order sea level fluctuations are also suggested to be at least partially driven by fluctuations in the volume of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Milankovitch cyclicities in glacioeustasy (<100 Ka., fifth order cyclicity) are prominent in the geologic record at times when there is large scale glaciation (glacialism) of the Antarctic Continent (e.g. for the Pleistocene). Conversely, at times when the Antarctic continent is in a deglaciated state (deglacialism) fourth order cyclicity is more prominent, with Milankovitch cyclicities present at a parasequence level.</p>

scholarly journals Ice Induced Sea Level Change in the Late Neogene

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Gary Steven Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Level Fluctuation ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Base Level ◽  
Late Neogene ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
Sea Level Fluctuation ◽  
The Antarctic

<p>Two independent records of latest Neogene (2,0 - 6.0 Ma.) glacioeustasy are presented, one of Antarctic ice volume from East Antarctica and the other of eustatic sea level from the South Wanganui Basin, New Zealand. Glacial deposits in the Transantarctic Mountains (Sirius Group) and sediment at the Antarctic continental margin provide direct evidence of Antarctic ice sheet fluctuation. Evidence for deglaciation includes the occurrence of Pliocene marine diatoms in Sirius Group deposits, which are sourced from the East Antarctic interior. K/Ar and 39Ar/40Ar dating of a tuff in the CIROS-2 drill-core confirms their Pliocene age at high latitudes (78 [degrees] S) in Antarctica. Further evidence for Antarctic ice volume fluctuation is recorded by glaciomarine strata from the Ross Sea Sector cored by the CIROS-2 and DVDP-11 drill-holes. Magnetostratigraphy integrated with Beryllium-10, K/Ar and 39Ar/40Ar dating provides a high resolution ([plus or minus] 50 k.y.) chronology of events in these strata. In the Wanganui Basin, New Zealand, a 5 km thick succession of continental shelf sediments, now uplifted, records Late Neogene eustatic sea level fluctuation. In the Late Neogene, basin subsidence equalled sediment input allowing eustatic sea level fluctuation to produce a dynamic alternation of highstand, transgressive, and lowstand sediment wedges. This record of Late Neogene sea level variation is unequalled in its resolution and detail. Magnetostratigraphy provides a high resolution chronology for these sedimentary cycles as well as magnetic tie lines with the Antarctic margin record in McMurdo Sound. These two independent records of Late Neogene glacioeustasy are in good agreement and record the following history: The Late Miocene and Late Pliocene are times of low 'base level' glacioeustasy (here termed glacialism, rather than glacial), with growth of continental-scale ice sheets on the Antarctic continent causing a lowering of global sea level. The Early Pliocene was a time of high 'base level' glacioeustasy (here termed interglacialism, rather than interglacial), driven by collapsing of continental-scale ice sheets to local and subcontinental ice caps. The middle Pliocene is marked by a move into glacialism with an increasing 'base level' of glacioeustatic fluctuation. Higher-order glacial advances and associated eustatic sea-level lowering occurred at approximately 3.5 and 4.3 Ma., separating the Early Pliocene into 3 sea-level stages. Still higher-order glacioeustatic fluctuations are recognised in this study, with durations of 50 Ka. and 100 - 300 Ka.. The 100 - 300 Ka. duration cycles are prominent during interglacialisms, and the 50 Ka. duration cycles are prominent during glacialisms. These shorter duration fluctuations in glacioeustasy have already been recognised as glacial/deglacial cycles from detailed studies of the Quaternary. Four orders of sea-level fluctuation are recognised within the Late Neogene, these are of approximately 0.05 Ma., 0.1-0.3 Ma., 2 Ma., and 4 Ma. in duration. The 2 Ma. and 4 Ma. duration cycles are subdivisions of the third order cyclicity recognised by Vail et al. (1991) (referred to here as cyclicity orders 3a and 3b). The 0.1-0.3 Ma. duration cycles are a subset of the fourth order cyclicity recognised Vail et al. (1991), and the 0.05 Ma. Duration cycles are a subset of the 5 th order cyclicity recognised by Vail et al. (1991). 3a, 3b and 4 th order sea level fluctuations are driven by fluctuations in the volume of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Fifth order sea level fluctuations are also suggested to be at least partially driven by fluctuations in the volume of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Milankovitch cyclicities in glacioeustasy (<100 Ka., fifth order cyclicity) are prominent in the geologic record at times when there is large scale glaciation (glacialism) of the Antarctic Continent (e.g. for the Pleistocene). Conversely, at times when the Antarctic continent is in a deglaciated state (deglacialism) fourth order cyclicity is more prominent, with Milankovitch cyclicities present at a parasequence level.</p>

Antarctic ice sheet response to upper-bound scenarios

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sainan Sun ◽  
Frank Pattyn
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Upper Bound ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Climate Forcing ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Basal Sliding ◽  
The Antarctic

&lt;p&gt;Mass loss of the Antarctic ice sheet contributes the largest uncertainty of future sea-level rise projections. Ice-sheet model predictions are limited by uncertainties in climate forcing and poor understanding of processes such as ice viscosity. The Antarctic BUttressing Model Intercomparison Project (ABUMIP) has investigated the 'end-member' scenario, i.e., a total and sustained removal of buttressing from all Antarctic ice shelves, which can be regarded as the upper-bound physical possible, but implausible contribution of sea-level rise due to ice-shelf loss. In this study, we add successive layers of &amp;#8216;realism&amp;#8217; to the ABUMIP scenario by considering sustained regional ice-shelf collapse and by introducing ice-shelf regrowth after collapse with the inclusion of ice-sheet and ice-shelf damage (Sun et al., 2017). Ice shelf regrowth has the ability to stabilize grounding lines, while ice shelf damage may reinforce ice loss. In combination with uncertainties from basal sliding and ice rheology, a more realistic physical upperbound to ice loss is sought. Results are compared in the light of other proposed mechanisms, such as MICI due to ice cliff collapse.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Antarctic Ice-Sheet Volume at 18000 Years B.P. and Holocene Sea-Level Changes at the West Antarctic Margin

1979 ◽  
Vol 24 (90) ◽  
pp. 213-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig S. Lingle ◽  
James A. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Relative Sea Level ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractThe Antarctic ice sheet has been reconstructed at 18000 years b.p. by Hughes and others (in press) using an ice-flow model. The volume of the portion of this reconstruction which contributed to a rise of post-glacial eustatic sea-level has been calculated and found to be (9.8±1.5) × 106 km3. This volume is equivalent to 25±4 m of eustatic sea-level rise, defined as the volume of water added to the ocean divided by ocean area. The total volume of the reconstructed Antarctic ice sheet was found to be (37±6) × 106 km3. If the results of Hughes and others are correct, Antarctica was the second largest contributor to post-glacial eustatic sea-level rise after the Laurentide ice sheet. The Farrell and Clark (1976) model for computation of the relative sea-level changes caused by changes in ice and water loading on a visco-elastic Earth has been applied to the ice-sheet reconstruction, and the results have been combined with the changes in relative sea-level caused by Northern Hemisphere deglaciation as previously calculated by Clark and others (1978). Three families of curves have been compiled, showing calculated relative sea-level change at different times near the margin of the possibly unstable West Antarctic ice sheet in the Ross Sea, Pine Island Bay, and the Weddell Sea. The curves suggest that the West Antarctic ice sheet remained grounded to the edge of the continental shelf until c. 13000 years b.p., when the rate of sea-level rise due to northern ice disintegration became sufficient to dominate emergence near the margin predicted otherwise to have been caused by shrinkage of the Antarctic ice mass. In addition, the curves suggest that falling relative sea-levels played a significant role in slowing and, perhaps, reversing retreat when grounding lines approached their present positions in the Ross and Weddell Seas. A predicted fall of relative sea-level beneath the central Ross Ice Shelf of as much as 23 m during the past 2000 years is found to be compatible with recent field evidence that the ice shelf is thickening in the south-east quadrant.

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