Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
4736149 Quaternary Science Reviews 2008 6 Pages PDF
Abstract

The Younger Dryas cold event is a relatively unique feature of the last deglaciation when compared to previous deglaciations, suggesting a unique trigger rather than the commonly held forcing mechanism of North American freshwater routing to the North Atlantic. Here, I compare the last (T-I) and penultimate (T-II) deglaciations and provide new support for the argument that the lack of a Younger Dryas-like event during T-II is due to the rapidity of Northern Hemisphere ice sheet retreat under greater boreal summer insolation forcing. Faster ice retreat suppressed Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) until near the end of T-II, while during T-I AMOC increased relatively early. During T-I, the eastward routing of freshwater that caused the Younger Dryas happened after AMOC resumption, whereas during T-II this routing occurred prior to the resumption of AMOC. Thus the increased flux of freshwater to the North Atlantic during T-II had little effect on AMOC, explaining the lack of a Younger Dryas-like climate oscillation during this deglaciation.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Earth and Planetary Sciences Geology
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