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Title: Advance of East Antarctic outlet glaciers during the Hypsithermal: Implications for the volume state of the Antarctic ice sheet under global warming

Abstract

The authors present the first circum-East Antarctic chronology for the Holocene, based on 17 radiocarbon dates generated by the accelerator method. Marine sediments form around East Antarctica contain a consistent, high-resolution record of terrigenous (ice-proximal) and biogenic (open-marine) sedimentation during Holocene time. This record demonstrates that biogenic sedimentation beneath the open-marine environment on the continental shelf has been restricted to approximately the past 4 ka, whereas a period of terrigenous sedimentation related to grounding line advance of ice tongues and ice shelves took place between 7 and 4 ka. An earlier period of open-marine (biogenic sedimentation) conditions following the late Pleistocene glacial maximum is recognized from the Prydz Bay (Ocean Drilling Program) record between 10.7 and 7.3 ka. Clearly, the response of outlet systems along the periphery of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the mid-Holocene was expansion. This may have been a direct consequence of climate warming during an Antarctic Hypsithermal. Temperature-accumulation relations for the Antarctic indicate that warming will cause a significant increase in accumulation rather than in ablation. Models that predict a positive mass balance (growth) of the Antarctic ice sheet under global warming are supported by the mid-Holocene data presented herein.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Hamilton College, Clinton, NY (United States)
  2. Univ. of Arizona, Tucson (United States)
  3. Geological Survey of Japan, Ibaraki (Japan)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
5963776
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Geology; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 19:11; Journal ID: ISSN 0091-7613
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; ANTARCTICA; ICE CAPS; PALEOCLIMATOLOGY; VOLUME; AGE ESTIMATION; CARBON 14; CLIMATE MODELS; CLIMATIC CHANGE; CONTINENTAL SHELF; GLACIERS; ISOTOPE DATING; QUATERNARY PERIOD; SEDIMENTATION; SEDIMENTS; ANTARCTIC REGIONS; BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; CARBON ISOTOPES; CENOZOIC ERA; CONTINENTAL MARGIN; EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI; GEOLOGIC AGES; ICE; ISOTOPES; LIGHT NUCLEI; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; NUCLEI; PALEONTOLOGY; POLAR REGIONS; RADIOISOTOPES; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 580000* - Geosciences; 540110

Citation Formats

Domack, E W, Jull, A J.T., and Nakao, Seizo. Advance of East Antarctic outlet glaciers during the Hypsithermal: Implications for the volume state of the Antarctic ice sheet under global warming. United States: N. p., 1991. Web. doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<1059:AOEAOG>2.3.CO;2.
Domack, E W, Jull, A J.T., & Nakao, Seizo. Advance of East Antarctic outlet glaciers during the Hypsithermal: Implications for the volume state of the Antarctic ice sheet under global warming. United States. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<1059:AOEAOG>2.3.CO;2
Domack, E W, Jull, A J.T., and Nakao, Seizo. 1991. "Advance of East Antarctic outlet glaciers during the Hypsithermal: Implications for the volume state of the Antarctic ice sheet under global warming". United States. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<1059:AOEAOG>2.3.CO;2.
@article{osti_5963776,
title = {Advance of East Antarctic outlet glaciers during the Hypsithermal: Implications for the volume state of the Antarctic ice sheet under global warming},
author = {Domack, E W and Jull, A J.T. and Nakao, Seizo},
abstractNote = {The authors present the first circum-East Antarctic chronology for the Holocene, based on 17 radiocarbon dates generated by the accelerator method. Marine sediments form around East Antarctica contain a consistent, high-resolution record of terrigenous (ice-proximal) and biogenic (open-marine) sedimentation during Holocene time. This record demonstrates that biogenic sedimentation beneath the open-marine environment on the continental shelf has been restricted to approximately the past 4 ka, whereas a period of terrigenous sedimentation related to grounding line advance of ice tongues and ice shelves took place between 7 and 4 ka. An earlier period of open-marine (biogenic sedimentation) conditions following the late Pleistocene glacial maximum is recognized from the Prydz Bay (Ocean Drilling Program) record between 10.7 and 7.3 ka. Clearly, the response of outlet systems along the periphery of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the mid-Holocene was expansion. This may have been a direct consequence of climate warming during an Antarctic Hypsithermal. Temperature-accumulation relations for the Antarctic indicate that warming will cause a significant increase in accumulation rather than in ablation. Models that predict a positive mass balance (growth) of the Antarctic ice sheet under global warming are supported by the mid-Holocene data presented herein.},
doi = {10.1130/0091-7613(1991)019<1059:AOEAOG>2.3.CO;2},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5963776}, journal = {Geology; (United States)},
issn = {0091-7613},
number = ,
volume = 19:11,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1991},
month = {Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1991}
}