North Pacific atmosphere-ocean variability over the past millennium inferred from coastal glaciers and tree rings

Conference · Sat Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:535511

Wiles, G ^[1]

---

1. Macalester College, St. Paul, MN (United States)

Ocean-atmosphere system fluctuations from annual to centennial time scales in the North Pacific are recorded in histories of coastal glacier advances and in temperature records inferred from coastal tree-ring series. Calendar dates obtained by dating glacially overrun forests with tree rings, show two major intervals of ice expansion over the last millennium. The first occurred between AD 1250 and 1300 and the second between AD 1650 and 1750. This glacial record indicates the onset of the Little Ice Age by AD 1250 and the most widespread advance of the past millennium from the mid 17th to the mid 18th century. Moreover, temperature variations inferred from tree-ring records since AD 1600 show multiple decade-long changes in the climate system, suggesting that lower frequency variation can be derived from these records. Decade-long cool intervals are most frequent between AD 1650 and 1750, a time of general glacier expansion. The warmest decades occur in the 20th century, a time of glacier retreat. 16 refs., 4 figs.

• OSTI ID: 535511
• Report Number(s): CONF-970207--; CNN: Grant OPP9221213; Grant NA56GP0235
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
AIR-WATER INTERACTIONS
ALASKA
CLIMATIC CHANGE
GLACIERS
PACIFIC OCEAN
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
TREE RINGS