scholarly journals The response of Antarctic ice volume, global sea-level and southwest Pacific Ocean circulation to orbital variations during the Pliocene to Early Pleistocene

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Molly O'Rourke Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Ocean Drilling Program ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Southwest Pacific ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Antarctic

<p>This thesis investigates orbitally-paced variations in the extent of East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), and the “downstream” influence of these ice sheet variations on ocean circulation and sea level variability during the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene - a time period characterised by a major global cooling step that culminated in the development of a bipolar glaciated world. Three unique records are examined from (1) the Antarctic margin, (2) the southwest Pacific Ocean, and (3) shallow-marine sedimentary strata exposed in Wangnaui Basin, New Zealand.  The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1361 recovered a continuous sedimentary Early Pliocene to Early Pleistocene (4.3 to 2.0 Ma) record from the lowermost continental rise on the Wilkes Land margin offshore of the EAIS. A facies model and stratigraphic framework were developed that allowed for the identification of glacial advances (massive and laminated mudstones) and retreats (diatom-rich mudstones) across the continental shelf, with evidence for prolonged retreats spanning several glacial to interglacial cycles throughout the Pliocene. These cycles are followed by an extensive Early Pleistocene interval (~2.6 Ma) of diatom-rich mudstone with evidence for reworking by bottom currents, interpreted to be the consequence of downslope density currents associated with increased sea ice production after 2.6 Ma. Frequency analysis on Iceberg Rafted Debris (IBRD) from Site U1361 reveals that under an Early Pliocene warm climate state (4.3 to 3.3 Ma), that ice discharge off the EAIS occurred in response to climate change paced by the 40-kyr cycles of obliquity. Whereas, the colder climate state of Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene (3.3 to 2.0 Ma) resulted in a transferral of orbital variance to 20-kyr-duration, precession-dominated variability in IBRD preceding the development of a more stable marine-based margin of the EAIS at ~2.6 Ma, which is hypothesized to reflect the declining influence of oceanic forcing as the high-latitude Southern Ocean cooled thereby increasing the seasonal duration and extent of sea-ice. The precession-paced influence on IBRD and ice volume variability of the EAIS was strongly modulated by 100-kyr-eccentricity, which is expressed lithologically in cycles of two alternating lithofacies 1) diatom-rich mudstones and 2) massive and laminted mudstones in the Site U1361 record.  A compilation of benthic stable isotope records from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1123 in the southwest Pacific Ocean was also developed. The δ18O record identified a 40-kyr obliquity pacing, consistent with other benthic δ18O records globally for this time period, thus allowing for an orbitally-tuned timescale to be developed for this site. Long-term trends in both the δ18O and δ13C records at ODP Site 1123 coincide with major developments of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and Northern Hemisphere glaciation at 3.33 Ma and ~2.6 Ma respectively. A gradual reduction in the deep water δ13C gradient between the southwest Pacific (ODP Site 1123) and equatorial Pacific (ODP Site 849) between 3.33 and 2.6 Ma coincides with expansion of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, enhanced Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) production, invigorated atmospheric zonal circulation in the southern hemisphere mid-latitudes, and increased meridional sea surface temperature (SST) gradients in the Pacific Ocean.  Finally, a shallow-marine, continental margin stratigraphic section from the Turakina River Valley in the Wanganui Basin, New Zealand, was used to record local sea-level changes, dominated by orbitally-driven, global glacio-eustasy, during the mid-Pliocene interval (3.2 to 3.0 Ma). This interval was selected as it precedes the build-up of significant Northern Hemisphere Ice Sheet, thus allowing for an independent assessment of the orbtial-scale variability of Antarctic Ice Sheet volume. Grain size based proxy of percent mud was employed to reconstruct paleobathymetric changes, which displayed 100-kyr cycles consistent with ~20 m variations in local water depths during the mid-Pliocene. Combined with IBRD record from Site U1361, this reconstruction suggests that the marine margins of East Antarctica varied at orbital timescale, and provided a significant contribution to global eustatic sea-level variations during the mid Pliocene (consistent with global mean sea-level estimates of up to ~+20 m above present from related studies).</p>

scholarly journals The response of Antarctic ice volume, global sea-level and southwest Pacific Ocean circulation to orbital variations during the Pliocene to Early Pleistocene

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Molly O'Rourke Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Ocean Drilling Program ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Southwest Pacific ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Antarctic

<p>This thesis investigates orbitally-paced variations in the extent of East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS), and the “downstream” influence of these ice sheet variations on ocean circulation and sea level variability during the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene - a time period characterised by a major global cooling step that culminated in the development of a bipolar glaciated world. Three unique records are examined from (1) the Antarctic margin, (2) the southwest Pacific Ocean, and (3) shallow-marine sedimentary strata exposed in Wangnaui Basin, New Zealand.  The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1361 recovered a continuous sedimentary Early Pliocene to Early Pleistocene (4.3 to 2.0 Ma) record from the lowermost continental rise on the Wilkes Land margin offshore of the EAIS. A facies model and stratigraphic framework were developed that allowed for the identification of glacial advances (massive and laminated mudstones) and retreats (diatom-rich mudstones) across the continental shelf, with evidence for prolonged retreats spanning several glacial to interglacial cycles throughout the Pliocene. These cycles are followed by an extensive Early Pleistocene interval (~2.6 Ma) of diatom-rich mudstone with evidence for reworking by bottom currents, interpreted to be the consequence of downslope density currents associated with increased sea ice production after 2.6 Ma. Frequency analysis on Iceberg Rafted Debris (IBRD) from Site U1361 reveals that under an Early Pliocene warm climate state (4.3 to 3.3 Ma), that ice discharge off the EAIS occurred in response to climate change paced by the 40-kyr cycles of obliquity. Whereas, the colder climate state of Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene (3.3 to 2.0 Ma) resulted in a transferral of orbital variance to 20-kyr-duration, precession-dominated variability in IBRD preceding the development of a more stable marine-based margin of the EAIS at ~2.6 Ma, which is hypothesized to reflect the declining influence of oceanic forcing as the high-latitude Southern Ocean cooled thereby increasing the seasonal duration and extent of sea-ice. The precession-paced influence on IBRD and ice volume variability of the EAIS was strongly modulated by 100-kyr-eccentricity, which is expressed lithologically in cycles of two alternating lithofacies 1) diatom-rich mudstones and 2) massive and laminted mudstones in the Site U1361 record.  A compilation of benthic stable isotope records from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1123 in the southwest Pacific Ocean was also developed. The δ18O record identified a 40-kyr obliquity pacing, consistent with other benthic δ18O records globally for this time period, thus allowing for an orbitally-tuned timescale to be developed for this site. Long-term trends in both the δ18O and δ13C records at ODP Site 1123 coincide with major developments of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and Northern Hemisphere glaciation at 3.33 Ma and ~2.6 Ma respectively. A gradual reduction in the deep water δ13C gradient between the southwest Pacific (ODP Site 1123) and equatorial Pacific (ODP Site 849) between 3.33 and 2.6 Ma coincides with expansion of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, enhanced Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) production, invigorated atmospheric zonal circulation in the southern hemisphere mid-latitudes, and increased meridional sea surface temperature (SST) gradients in the Pacific Ocean.  Finally, a shallow-marine, continental margin stratigraphic section from the Turakina River Valley in the Wanganui Basin, New Zealand, was used to record local sea-level changes, dominated by orbitally-driven, global glacio-eustasy, during the mid-Pliocene interval (3.2 to 3.0 Ma). This interval was selected as it precedes the build-up of significant Northern Hemisphere Ice Sheet, thus allowing for an independent assessment of the orbtial-scale variability of Antarctic Ice Sheet volume. Grain size based proxy of percent mud was employed to reconstruct paleobathymetric changes, which displayed 100-kyr cycles consistent with ~20 m variations in local water depths during the mid-Pliocene. Combined with IBRD record from Site U1361, this reconstruction suggests that the marine margins of East Antarctica varied at orbital timescale, and provided a significant contribution to global eustatic sea-level variations during the mid Pliocene (consistent with global mean sea-level estimates of up to ~+20 m above present from related studies).</p>

IODP Exp. 374 provides clues into the Antarctic Ice Sheet contribution to sea level changes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura De Santis ◽  
Denise Kulhanek ◽  
Robert McKay
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Ross Sea ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Outer Shelf ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Global Sea Level ◽  
The Antarctic

&lt;p&gt;The five sites drilled during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 374 recovered the distal geological component of a Neogene latitudinal and depth transect across the Ross Sea continental shelf, slope and rise, that can be combined with previous records of ANDRILL and the Deep Sea Drilling Project Leg 28. This transect provides clues into the ocean and atmospheric forcings on marine ice sheet instabilities and provides new direct constraints for reconstructing the Antarctic Ice Sheet contribution to global sea level change. Site U1521 recovered a middle Miocene record that allows identification of the different processes that lead to the expansion and retreat of ice streams emanating from the East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets across the Ross Sea continental shelf. This site also recovered a semi-continuous, expanded, high-resolution record of the Miocene Climatic Optimum in an ice-proximal location. Site U1522 recovered a Pleistocene to upper Miocene sequence from the outer shelf, dating the step-wise continental shelf&amp;#8211;wide expansion and coalescing of marine-based ice streams from West Antarctica. Thin diatom-rich mudstone and diatomite beds were recovered in some intervals that provide snapshot records of a deglaciated outer shelf environment in the late Miocene. Site U1523 targeted a Miocene to Pleistocene sediment drift on the outermost continental shelf and informs about the changing vigor of the eastward flowing Antarctic Slope Current (ASC) through time. Changes in ASC vigor is a key control on regulating heat flux onto the continental shelf, making the ASC a key control on ice sheet mass balance. Sites U1524 and U1525 cored a continental rise levee system near the flank of the Hillary Canyon. The upper ~50 m at Site U1525 belong to a large trough-mouth fan deposited to the west of the site. The lower 100 m at Site U1525 and the entire 400 m succession of sediment at Site U1524 recovered near-continuous records of the downslope flow of Ross Sea Bottom Water and turbidity currents, but also of ASC vigor and iceberg discharge. Analyses of Exp. 374 sediments is ongoing, but following initial shipboard characterization, the intial results of sample analysis, the correlation between downhole synthetic logs and the associated seismic sections provide insight into the ages and the processes of erosion and deposition of glacial and marine strata. Exp. 374 sediments are providing key chronological constraints on the major Ross Sea seismic unconformities, enabling reconstruction of paleo-bathymetry and assessment of the geomorphological changes associated with Neogene ice sheet and ocean circulation changes. Exp. 374 results are fundamental for improving the boundary conditions of numerical ice sheet, ocean, and coupled climate models, which are critically required for understanding past ice sheet and global sea level response during warm climate intervals. Such data will enable more accurate predictions of ice sheet behavior and sea level rise anticipated with future warming.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

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 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 (&gt;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 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.

Ice-sheet surges and the geological record

1969 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 903-910 ◽  
Author(s):  
John T. Hollin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
The United States ◽  
Tectonic Activity ◽  
Ice Ages ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Geological Record ◽  
Glacial Time ◽  
The Antarctic

If they had occurred, ice-sheet surges would have caused sea-level rises of up to 50 m from Gondwanaland and say 20 m from Antarctica. The rises would have taken 100 years or much less, and the sub sequent falls would have taken 50 000 years or so, as the ice built up again. Such rises may explain the extensive (hundreds of miles ?) and sharp (submergence time 4 years ?) coal – marine shale contacts in the Carboniferous cyclothems. The chief rival explanation for these contacts is sudden subsidence. Tests should show (1) if such contacts are better correlated with periods of glaciation or with areas of tectonic activity, (2) how extensive the contacts really are, (3) if there is any evidence of erosion during sea-level falls, (4) if the amplitudes and periods of the cycles fit surges or subsidence, (5) how fast the submergences were, and (6) if any coolings began at the contacts. Wilson suggests that in the Pleistocene the surge coolings were sufficient to trigger the northern ice ages. If so, interglacial pollen profiles should show rapid but temporary marine transgressions beginning at the break of climate. Evidence suggesting such transgressions occurs in England and the United States, but is still insufficient to disprove explanations such as local downwarping. There is no evidence yet for surges in Wisconsin or Post-glacial time. There is some evidence that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is currently building up, but this could be a response to a Post-glacial accumulation increase rather than the prelude to a surge.

The Southern Ocean and its interaction with the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 367 (6484) ◽  
pp. 1326-1330
Author(s):  
David M. Holland ◽  
Keith W. Nicholls ◽  
Aurora Basinski
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Thermal Structure ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Circulation Changes

The Southern Ocean exerts a major influence on the mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, either indirectly, by its influence on air temperatures and winds, or directly, mostly through its effects on ice shelves. How much melting the ocean causes depends on the temperature of the water, which in turn is controlled by the combination of the thermal structure of the surrounding ocean and local ocean circulation, which in turn is determined largely by winds and bathymetry. As climate warms and atmospheric circulation changes, there will be follow-on changes in the ocean circulation and temperature. These consequences will affect the pace of mass loss of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

scholarly journals Nonlinear response of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to late Quaternary sea level and climate forcing

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2615-2631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Tigchelaar ◽  
Axel Timmermann ◽  
Tobias Friedrich ◽  
Malte Heinemann ◽  
David Pollard
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Volume Changes ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Glacial Ice ◽  
Ice Volume ◽  
Global Sea Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. Antarctic ice volume has varied substantially during the late Quaternary, with reconstructions suggesting a glacial ice sheet extending to the continental shelf break and interglacial sea level highstands of several meters. Throughout this period, changes in the Antarctic Ice Sheet were driven by changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions and global sea level; yet, so far modeling studies have not addressed which of these environmental forcings dominate and how they interact in the dynamical ice sheet response. Here, we force an Antarctic Ice Sheet model with global sea level reconstructions and transient, spatially explicit boundary conditions from a 408 ka climate model simulation, not only in concert with each other but, for the first time, also separately. We find that together these forcings drive glacial–interglacial ice volume changes of 12–14 ms.l.e., in line with reconstructions and previous modeling studies. None of the individual drivers – atmospheric temperature and precipitation, ocean temperatures, or sea level – single-handedly explains the full ice sheet response. In fact, the sum of the individual ice volume changes amounts to less than half of the full ice volume response, indicating the existence of strong nonlinearities and forcing synergy. Both sea level and atmospheric forcing are necessary to create full glacial ice sheet growth, whereas the contribution of ocean melt changes is found to be more a function of ice sheet geometry than climatic change. Our results highlight the importance of accurately representing the relative timing of forcings of past ice sheet simulations and underscore the need for developing coupled climate–ice sheet modeling frameworks that properly capture key feedbacks.

scholarly journals Impact of transient increases in atmospheric CO2 on the accumulation and mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet

1997 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 137-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhan P. O’Farrell ◽  
John L. McGregor ◽  
Leon D. Rotstayn ◽  
William F. Budd ◽  
Christopher Zweck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Negative Contribution ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Basal Melting ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Antarctic

The response of the Antarctic ice sheet to climate change over the next 500 years is calculated using the output of a transient-coupled ocean-atmosphere simulation assuming the atmospheric CO2value increases up to three times present levels. The main effects on the ice sheet on this time-scale include increasing rates of accumulation, minimal surface melting, and basal melting of ice shelves. A semi-Lagrangian transport scheme for moisture was used to improve the model’s ability to represent realistic rates of accumulation under present-day conditions, and thereby increase confidence in the anomalies calculated under a warmer climate. The response of the Antarctic ice sheet to the warming is increased accumulation inland, offset by loss from basal melting from the floating ice, and increased ice flow near the grounding line. The preliminary results of this study show that the change to the ice-sheet balance for the transient-coupled model forcing amounted to a minimal sea-level contribution in the next century, but a net positive sea-level rise of 0.21 m by 500 years. This new result supercedes earlier results that showed the Antarctic ice sheet made a net negative contribution to sea-level rise over the next century. However, the amplitude of the sea-level rise is still dominated In the much larger contributions expected from thermal expansion of the ocean of 0.25 m for 100 years and 1.00 m for 500 years.

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