Holocene climatic instability: A prominent, widespread event 8200 yr ago
- 1Earth System Science Center and Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
- 2Climate Change Research Center, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824
- 3Department of Geological Sciences and Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195
- 4Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada System, Reno, Nevada 89506
- 5Department of Geosciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331
Abstract
The most prominent Holocene climatic event in Greenland ice-core proxies, with approximately half the amplitude of the Younger Dryas, occurred ∼8000 to 8400 yr ago. This Holocene event affected regions well beyond the North Atlantic basin, as shown by synchronous increases in windblown chemical indicators together with a significant decrease in methane. Widespread proxy records from the tropics to the north polar regions show a short-lived cool, dry, or windy event of similar age. The spatial pattern of terrestrial and marine changes is similar to that of the Younger Dryas event, suggesting a role for North Atlantic thermohaline circulation. Possible forcings identified thus far for this Holocene event are small, consistent with recent model results indicating high sensitivity and strong linkages in the climatic system.
Footnotes
- Geological Society of America
