scholarly journals The transient impact of the African monsoon on Plio-Pleistocene Mediterranean sediments

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 331-344
Author(s):  
Bas de Boer ◽  
Marit Peters ◽  
Lucas J. Lourens
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
African Monsoon ◽  
Transient Behaviour ◽  
African Climate ◽  
Continental Runoff ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 Concentrations ◽  
Sahel Region

Abstract. Over the Plio-Pleistocene interval a strong linkage exists between northern African climate changes and the supply of dust over the surrounding oceans and continental runoff towards the Mediterranean Sea. Both these signatures in the sedimentary record are determined by orbital cycles influencing glacial variability on the one hand and northern African monsoon intensity on the other hand. In this paper, we use the intermediate-complexity model CLIMBER-2 to simulate African climate during the Plio-Pleistocene between 3.2 and 2.3 million years ago (Ma) and compare our simulations with existing and new climate reconstructions. The CLIMBER-2 model is externally forced with atmospheric CO2 concentrations, ice sheet topography, and orbital variations, all of which strongly influence climate during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Our simulations indicate that the records of northern Africa climate oscillate in phase with climatic precession. For the Earth's obliquity cycle, the time lag between the 41 000-year component in insolation forcing and the climatic response increased after inception of Northern Hemisphere (NH) glaciation around 2.8 Ma. To test the outcome of our simulations, we have put emphasis on the comparison between the simulated runoff of grid boxes encompassing the Sahara desert and the Sahel region and the sedimentary records of marine sediment cores from ODP Site 659 (Atlantic Ocean) and ODP Site 967 (Mediterranean). In this study we will show for the first time an extended Ti∕Al record of Site 967 down to 3.2 Ma. This record strongly correlates with runoff in the Sahara and Sahel regions, whereas correlation with the dust record of Site 659 is moderate and slightly improves after NH ice sheet inception. We investigated the transient variability of the individual and combined contributions of the Sahel and Sahara regions and found significant transient behaviour overlapping the inception of NH ice sheets (2.8 Ma) and the Plio-Pleistocene transition (2.6 Ma). Prior to 2.8 Ma, a larger contribution from the Sahara region is required to explain the variability of Mediterranean dust input. After this transition, we found that a more equal contribution of the two regions is required, representing an increased influence of Sahel runoff and wet periods.

scholarly journals The transient impact of the African monsoon on Plio-Pleistocene Mediterranean sediments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bas de Boer ◽  
Marit Peters ◽  
Lucas J. Lourens
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
African Monsoon ◽  
Transient Behaviour ◽  
African Climate ◽  
Continental Runoff ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 Concentrations ◽  
Sahel Region

Abstract. Over the Plio-Pleistocene interval a strong linkage exists between Northern African climate changes with the supply of dust over the surrounding oceans and continental runoff towards the Mediterranean Sea. Both these signatures in the sedimentary record are determined by orbital cycles influencing on the one hand glacial variability and on the other hand Northern African monsoon intensity. In this paper, we use the intermediate complexity model CLIMBER-2 to simulate African climate during the Plio-Pleistocene between 3.2 and 2.3 million years ago (Myr ago) and compare our simulations with existing and new climate reconstructions. The CLIMBER-2 model is externally forced with atmospheric CO2 concentrations, ice-sheet topography and orbital variations, all of which strongly influence climate during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Our simulations indicate that the records of Northern Africa climate oscillate in phase with climatic precession. For the Earth's obliquity cycle, the time lag between the 41,000-year component in insolation forcing and the climatic response increased after inception of Northern Hemisphere (NH) glaciation around 2.8 Myr ago. To test the outcome of our simulations, we have put emphasis on the comparison between the simulated runoff of grid boxes encompassing the Sahara desert and the Sahel region and the sedimentary records of marine sediment cores ODP Site 659 (Atlantic Ocean) and ODP Site 967 (Mediterranean). In this study we will show for the first time an extended Ti/Al record of Site 967 down to 3.2 Myr ago. This record strongly correlates with runoff in the Sahara and Sahel regions, whereas correlation with the dust record of Site 659 is moderate and slightly improves after NH ice-sheet inception. We investigated the transient variability of the individual and combined contributions of the Sahel and Sahara regions and found significant transient behaviour, overlapping with the Plio-Pleistocene transition and inception of NH ice sheets. Prior to 2.8 Myr ago, a larger contribution from the Sahara region is required to explain variability of Mediterranean dust input. After this transition, we found that a more equal contribution of the two regions is required, representing an increased influence of Sahel runoff and wet periods.

scholarly journals Late Quaternary paleoenvironment of the Ross Sea continental shelf, Antarctica

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 275-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Nishimura ◽  
Toru Nakasone ◽  
Chikara Hiramatsu ◽  
Manabu Tanahashi
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ross Sea ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Sedimentary Environment ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Accelerator Mass Spectrometer

Based on sedimenlological and micropaleontological work on three sediment cores collected at about 167° Ε in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica, and accelerator mass spectrometer l4C ages of organic carbon, we have reconstructed environmental changes in the area during the late Quaternary. Since 38 ka BP at latest, this area was a marine environment with low productivity. A grounded ice sheet advanced and loaded the sediments before about 30-25 ka BP. After 25 ka BP, the southernmost site (76°46'S) was covered by floating ice (shelf ice), preventing deposition of coarse terrigenous materials and maintaining a supply of diatom tests and organic carbon until 20 ka BP. The northernmost site (74°33'S) was in a marine environment with a moderate productivity influenced by shelf ice/ice sheet after about 20 ka BP. Since about 10 ka BP, a sedimentary environment similar to the present-day one has prevailed over this area.

scholarly journals A dynamic continental runoff routing model applied to the last Northern Hemisphere deglaciation

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2723-2750
Author(s):  
H. Goelzer ◽  
I. Janssens ◽  
J. Nemec ◽  
P. Huybrechts
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Isostatic Adjustment ◽  
Freshwater Fluxes ◽  
Continental Runoff ◽  
Grid Points ◽  
Lake Drainage ◽  
Spatially Varying ◽  
Runoff Routing

Abstract. We describe and evaluate a dynamical continental runoff routing model for the Northern Hemisphere that calculates the runoff pathways in response to topographic modifications due to changes in ice thickness and isostatic adjustment. The algorithm is based on the steepest gradient method and takes as simplifying assumption that depressions are filled at all times and water drains through the lowest outlet points. It also considers changes in water storage and lake drainage that become important in the presence of large ice dammed proglacial lakes. Although applicable to other scenarios as well, the model was conceived to study the routing of freshwater fluxes during the last Northern Hemisphere deglaciation. For that specific application we simulated the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets with an existing 3-D thermomechanical ice sheet model, which calculates changes in topography due to changes in ice cover and isostatic adjustment, as well as the evolution of freshwater fluxes resulting from surface ablation, iceberg calving and basal melt. The continental runoff model takes this input, calculates the drainage pathways and routes the freshwater fluxes to the surface grid points of an existing ocean model. This results in a chronology of temporally and spatially varying freshwater fluxes from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present day. We analyse the dependence of the runoff routing to grid resolution and parameters of the isostatic adjustment module of the ice sheet model.

scholarly journals Heterogeneous CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub> content of glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet and implications for subglacial carbon processes

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1627-1644
Author(s):  
Andrea J. Pain ◽  
Jonathan B. Martin ◽  
Ellen E. Martin ◽  
Åsa K. Rennermalm ◽  
Shaily Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Mineral Weathering ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Co2 Concentrations ◽  
Geochemical Models ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 Concentrations ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Accelerated melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet has increased freshwater delivery to the Arctic Ocean and amplified the need to understand the impact of Greenland Ice Sheet meltwater on Arctic greenhouse gas budgets. We evaluate subglacial discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet for carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) concentrations and δ13C values and use geochemical models to evaluate subglacial CH4 and CO2 sources and sinks. We compare discharge from southwest (a sub-catchment of the Isunnguata Glacier, sub-Isunnguata, and the Russell Glacier) and southern Greenland (Kiattut Sermiat). Meltwater CH4 concentrations vary by orders of magnitude between sites and are saturated with respect to atmospheric concentrations at Kiattut Sermiat. In contrast, meltwaters from southwest sites are supersaturated, even though oxidation reduces CH4 concentrations by up to 50 % during periods of low discharge. CO2 concentrations range from supersaturated at sub-Isunnguata to undersaturated at Kiattut Sermiat. CO2 is consumed by mineral weathering throughout the melt season at all sites; however, differences in the magnitude of subglacial CO2 sources result in meltwaters that are either sources or sinks of atmospheric CO2. At the sub-Isunnguata site, the predominant source of CO2 is organic matter (OM) remineralization. However, multiple or heterogeneous subglacial CO2 sources maintain atmospheric CO2 concentrations at Russell but not at Kiattut Sermiat, where CO2 is undersaturated. These results highlight a previously unrecognized degree of heterogeneity in greenhouse gas dynamics under the Greenland Ice Sheet. Future work should constrain the extent and controls of heterogeneity to improve our understanding of the impact of Greenland Ice Sheet melt on Arctic greenhouse gas budgets, as well as the role of continental ice sheets in greenhouse gas variations over glacial–interglacial timescales.

scholarly journals Last Glacial Maximum-Holocene Glacial and Depositional History From Sediment Cores at Coulman High Beneath the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sanne M Maas
Keyword(s):  
Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Ross Sea ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Glacial Maximum ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Grounding Line

<p>Sediment Cores collected from the shallow sub-sea floor beneath the Ross Ice Shelf at Coulman High have been analysed using sedimentological techniques to constrain the retreat history of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ice sheet in the Ross Embayment, and to determine when the modern-day calving line location of the Ross Ice Shelf was established. A characteristic vertical succession of facies was identified in these cores, that can be linked to ice sheet and ice shelf extent in the Ross Embayment. The base of this succession consists of unconsolidated, clast rich muddy diamicts, and is interpreted to be deposited subglacially or in a grounding line proximal environment on account of a distinct provenance in the clast content which can only be attributed to subglacial transport from the Byrd Glacier 400 km to the south of the drill site. This is overlain by a mud with abundant clasts, similar in character to a granulated facies that has been documented previously in the Ross Sea, and is interpreted as being a characteristic grounding line lift-o facies in a sub-ice shelf setting. These glacial proximal facies pass upward into a mud, which comprises three distinctive units. i) Muds with sub-mm scale laminae resulting from traction currents occurring near the grounding line in a sub-ice shelf environment overlain by, ii) muds with sub-mm scale laminae and elevated biogenic content (diatoms and foraminifera) and sand/gravel clasts, interpreted as being deposited in open water conditions, passing up into a iii) bioturbated mud, interpreted as being deposited in sub-ice shelf environment, proximal to the calving line. The uppermost facies consists of a 20 cm thick diatom ooze with abundant clasts and pervasive bioturbation, indicative of a condensed section deposited during periodically open marine conditions. During post-LGM retreat of the ice sheet margin in western Ross Sea, and prior to the first open marine conditions at Coulman High, it is hypothesized that the grounding and calving line were in relative close proximity to each other. As the calving line became "pinned" in the Ross Island region, the grounding line likely continued its retreat toward its present day location. New corrected radiocarbon ages on the foraminifera shells in the interval of laminated muds with clasts, provide some of the first inorganic ages from the Ross Sea, and strengthen inferences from previous studies, that the first open marine conditions in the vicinity of Ross Island were 7,600 14C yr BP. While retreat of the calving line south of its present day position is implied during this period of mid-Holocene warmth prior to its re-advance, at present it is not possible to constrain the magnitude of retreat or attribute this to climate change rather than normal calving dynamics.</p>

scholarly journals Assessing ice margin fluctuations on differing timescales: Chronological constraints from Sermeq Kujatdleq and Nordenskiöld Gletscher, central West Greenland

The Holocene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1160-1172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel E Kelley ◽  
Jason P Briner ◽  
Sandy L O’Hara
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Dynamics ◽  
West Greenland ◽  
Southern Site ◽  
Ice Velocity ◽  
Observational Record ◽  
Local Variability

The observational record of ice margin position reveals asynchrony in both the timing and magnitude of Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) margin fluctuations and illustrates the complex reactions of ice sheets to climatic perturbations. In this study, we reconstruct the timing and pattern of middle- and late-Holocene GrIS margin fluctuations at two locations, ~190 km apart, in central West Greenland using radiocarbon-dated sediment cores from proglacial-threshold lakes. Our results demonstrate that deglaciation occurs at both sites during the early Holocene, with the ice sheet remaining in a smaller-than-present ice margin configuration until ~500 years ago when it readvanced into lake catchments at both sites. At our northern site, Sermeq Kujatdleq, the late-Holocene advance of the GrIS approached maximum position during the past 280 years, with the culmination of the advance occurring at AD 1992–1994, and modern retreat was underway by AD 1998–2001. In contrast, field and observational evidence suggest that the GrIS at our southern site, Nordenskiöld Gletscher, has been advancing or stable throughout the 20th century. These results, in conjunction with previous work in the region, highlight the asynchronous nature of late-Holocene advances and subsequent modern retreat, implying that local variability, such as ice velocity or ice dynamics, is responsible for modulating ice margin response to changes in climate on these decadal to centennial timescales. Additional high-resolution records of past ice sheet fluctuations are needed to inform and more accurately constrain our predictions of future cryosphere response to changes in climate.

scholarly journals O09 Drug delivery kinetics of intravenous gentamicin in a population of neonates

2019 ◽  
Vol 104 (6) ◽  
pp. e4.2-e4
Author(s):  
G Salis ◽  
N Medlicott ◽  
D Reith
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Medical Science ◽  
Compartment Model ◽  
Pharmacokinetic Parameters ◽  
List Type ◽  
First Order ◽  
Model Drug ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Kinetics Of

BackgroundGentamicin is commonly used in the NICU setting and is often administered via long lines, which increases variability in the rate of administration. We aimed to model drug delivery pharmacokinetic parameters for intravenous gentamicin administered via umbilical venous catheters (UVCs).MethodsData was modelled from infusion simulations of gentamicin delivery using UVCs with a background flow rate of 0.5 ml/h.1 Different combinations of dose (2 mg, 5 mg) were given by bolus injection over 3–5 minutes, followed by a normal saline flush (1 ml, 2 ml). Gentamicin levels were measured at 5 minute intervals over an hour via high pressure liquid chromatography.Phoenix Certara (version 8.1) was used for modelling. An extravascular model with clearance removed was used to predict parameters: absorption constant (Ka), time lag (Tlag), and bioavailability (F). F was used to enable an estimate of the variability in dose administered. Different error models were tested to ascertain which best described the data.ResultsAn extravascular one compartment model with first order absorption and additive error best described the data. Estimates for the model with a 2 mg dose and 1 ml flush were Ka 0.34L/min, Tlag 1.28min, F 0.97, standard deviation (stdev) 0.14. For 2 mg, 2 ml flush, estimates were Ka 0.86L/min, Tlag 3.01min, F 0.87, stdev 0.01. For 5 mg, 1 ml flush, estimates were Ka 0.48L/min, Tlag 3.13min, F 1.03, stdev 0.12. For 5 mg, 2 ml flush, estimates were Ka 0.83L/min, Tlag 3.29min, F 1.09, stdev 0.02. For each model epsshrinkage and nshrinkage for Tlag and F were low, however nshrinkage for ka was 0.9999.ConclusionThis is the first known modelling of gentamicin delivery kinetics. The studies all had high nshrinkage for Ka, therefore the individual estimates of ka may be unreliable. Further studies with a higher number of replicates would provide more favourable data for estimating Ka.ReferenceLala AC ( 2016). Variability in neonatal gentamicin administration influencing drug delivery kinetics (Thesis, Master of Medical Science). University of Otago.Disclosure(s)No conflict of interest declared. Funding for research via the Freemasons Society of New Zealand.

scholarly journals Late Pliocene Cordilleran Ice Sheet development with warm northeast Pacific sea surface temperatures

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 299-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Luisa Sánchez-Montes ◽  
Erin L. McClymont ◽  
Jeremy M. Lloyd ◽  
Juliane Müller ◽  
Ellen A. Cowan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Gulf Of Alaska ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Late Pliocene ◽  
Subarctic Pacific ◽  
Cordilleran Ice Sheet ◽  
Forcing Mechanisms ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 Concentrations

Abstract. The initiation and evolution of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet are relatively poorly constrained. International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 341 recovered marine sediments at Site U1417 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Here we present alkenone-derived sea surface temperature (SST) analyses alongside ice-rafted debris (IRD), terrigenous, and marine organic matter inputs to the GOA through the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. The first IRD contribution from tidewater glaciers in southwest Alaska is recorded at 2.9 Ma, indicating that the Cordilleran Ice Sheet extent increased in the late Pliocene. A higher occurrence of IRD and higher sedimentation rates in the GOA during the early Pleistocene, at 2.5 Ma, occur in synchrony with SSTs warming on the order of 1 ∘C relative to the Pliocene. All records show a high degree of variability in the early Pleistocene, indicating highly efficient ocean–climate–ice interactions through warm SST–ocean evaporation–orographic precipitation–ice growth mechanisms. A climatic shift towards ocean circulation in the subarctic Pacific similar to the pattern observed during negative Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) conditions today occurs with the development of more extensive Cordilleran glaciation and may have played a role through increased moisture supply to the subarctic Pacific. The drop in atmospheric CO2 concentrations since 2.8 Ma is suggested as one of the main forcing mechanisms driving the Cordilleran glaciation.

scholarly journals Numerical modelling of a fast-flowing outlet glacier: experiments with different basal conditions

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 237-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Pattyn
Keyword(s):  
Deformation Process ◽  
Drainage Basin ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Outlet Glacier ◽  
Transient Behaviour ◽  
Cyclic Behaviour ◽  
System A ◽  
Basal Ice ◽  
Equal Importance ◽  
Fully Coupled

Recent observations in Shirase Drainage Basin. Enderby Land, Antarctica, show that the ice sheet is thinning at the considerable rate of 0.5–1.0 m a −1. Surface velocities in the stream area reach more than 2000 ma−1, making Shirase Glacier one of the fastest-flowing glaciers in East Antarctica. A numerical investigation of the present stress field in Shirase Glacier shows the existence of a large transition zone 200 km in length where both shearing and stretching are of equal importance, followed by a stream zone of approximately 50 km, where stretching is the major deformation process.In order to improve insight into the present transient behaviour of the ice-sheet system, a two-dimensional time-dependent flowline model has been developed, taking into account the ice-stream mechanics. Both bedrock adjustment and ice temperature are taken into account and the temperature field is fully coupled to the ice-sheet velocity field.Experiments were carried out with different basal motion conditions in order to understand their influence on the dynamic behaviour of the ice sheet and the stream area in particular. Results revealed that when basal motion becomes the dominant deformation process, (partial) disintegration of the ice sheet is counteracted by colder basal-ice temperatures due to higher advection rates. This gives rise to a cyclic behaviour in ice-sheets response and large changes in local imbalance values.

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document