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Title: Evidence for ephemeral middle Eocene to early Oligocene Greenland glacial ice and pan-Arctic sea ice

Abstract

Earth’s modern climate is defined by the presence of ice at both poles, but that ice is now disappearing. Therefore understanding the origin and causes of polar ice stability is more critical than ever. Here we provide novel geochemical data that constrain past dynamics of glacial ice on Greenland and Arctic sea ice. Based on accurate source determinations of individual ice-rafted Fe-oxide grains, we find evidence for episodic glaciation of distinct source regions on Greenland as far-ranging as ~68°N and ~80°N synchronous with ice-rafting from circum-Arctic sources, beginning in the middle Eocene. Glacial intervals broadly coincide with reduced CO2, with a potential threshold for glacial ice stability near ~500 p.p.m.v. The middle Eocene represents the Cenozoic onset of a dynamic cryosphere, with ice in both hemispheres during transient glacials and substantial regional climate heterogeneity. A more stable cryosphere developed at the Eocene-Oligocene transition, and is now threatened by anthropogenic emissions.

Authors:
 [1];  [2]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, California Nanosystems Institute; Univ. of Western Brittany, Brest (France). European Inst. of Marine Sciences (IUEM)
  2. Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA (United States). Dept. of Ocean, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1523507
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0010288
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Nature Communications
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 9; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats

Tripati, Aradhna, and Darby, Dennis. Evidence for ephemeral middle Eocene to early Oligocene Greenland glacial ice and pan-Arctic sea ice. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-03180-5.
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Tripati, Aradhna, & Darby, Dennis. Evidence for ephemeral middle Eocene to early Oligocene Greenland glacial ice and pan-Arctic sea ice. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03180-5
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Tripati, Aradhna, and Darby, Dennis. Mon . "Evidence for ephemeral middle Eocene to early Oligocene Greenland glacial ice and pan-Arctic sea ice". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03180-5. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1523507.
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@article{osti_1523507,
title = {Evidence for ephemeral middle Eocene to early Oligocene Greenland glacial ice and pan-Arctic sea ice},
author = {Tripati, Aradhna and Darby, Dennis},
abstractNote = {Earth’s modern climate is defined by the presence of ice at both poles, but that ice is now disappearing. Therefore understanding the origin and causes of polar ice stability is more critical than ever. Here we provide novel geochemical data that constrain past dynamics of glacial ice on Greenland and Arctic sea ice. Based on accurate source determinations of individual ice-rafted Fe-oxide grains, we find evidence for episodic glaciation of distinct source regions on Greenland as far-ranging as ~68°N and ~80°N synchronous with ice-rafting from circum-Arctic sources, beginning in the middle Eocene. Glacial intervals broadly coincide with reduced CO2, with a potential threshold for glacial ice stability near ~500 p.p.m.v. The middle Eocene represents the Cenozoic onset of a dynamic cryosphere, with ice in both hemispheres during transient glacials and substantial regional climate heterogeneity. A more stable cryosphere developed at the Eocene-Oligocene transition, and is now threatened by anthropogenic emissions.},
doi = {10.1038/s41467-018-03180-5},
journal = {Nature Communications},
number = 1,
volume = 9,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Mar 12 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Mon Mar 12 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03180-5
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