Timing of iceberg scours and massive ice-rafting events in the subtropical North Atlantic

Condron, Alan; Hill, Jenna C.

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-23924-0

Title: Timing of iceberg scours and massive ice-rafting events in the subtropical North Atlantic

Journal Article · Wed Jun 16 00:00:00 UTC 2021 · Nature Communications

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23924-0 · OSTI ID:1797323

; Hill, Jenna C.

Abstract High resolution seafloor mapping shows extraordinary evidence that massive (>300 m thick) icebergs once drifted >5,000 km south along the eastern United States, with >700 iceberg scours now identified south of Cape Hatteras. Here we report on sediment cores collected from several buried scours that show multiple plow marks align with Heinrich Event 3 (H3), ~31,000 years ago. Numerical glacial iceberg simulations indicate that the transport of icebergs to these sites occurs during massive, but short-lived, periods of elevated meltwater discharge. Transport of icebergs to the subtropics, away from deep water formation sites, may explain why H3 was associated with only a modest increase in ice-rafting across the subpolar North Atlantic, and implies a complex relationship between freshwater forcing and climate change. Stratigraphy from subbottom data across the scour marks shows there are additional features that are both older and younger, and may align with other periods of elevated meltwater discharge.

View Journal Article

Cite

Export

Save

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Earth and Environmental Systems Science Division

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0019263

OSTI ID:: 1797323

Journal Information:: Nature Communications, Journal Name: Nature Communications Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 12; ISSN 2041-1723

Publisher:: Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

References (29)

Delayed Holocene reappearance of G . menardii Broecker, Wally; Pena, Leopoldo D. Paleoceanography, Vol. 29, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1002/2013PA002590	journal	April 2014
Water mass linkages between the Middle and South Atlantic bights Pietrafesa, L. J.; Morrison, J. M.; McCann, M. P. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, Vol. 41, Issue 2-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/0967-0645(94)90028-0	journal	January 1994
Modelling the dynamics and thermodynamics of icebergs Bigg, Grant R.; Wadley, Martin R.; Stevens, David P. Cold Regions Science and Technology, Vol. 26, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-232X(97)00012-8	journal	October 1997
A brief study of the force balance between a small iceberg, the ocean, sea ice, and atmosphere in the Weddell Sea Morison, Jamie; Goldberg, Dan Cold Regions Science and Technology, Vol. 76-77 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2011.10.014	journal	June 2012
Operational iceberg drift forecasting in Northwest Greenland Turnbull, Ian D.; Fournier, Nicolas; Stolwijk, Michiel Cold Regions Science and Technology, Vol. 110 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2014.10.006	journal	February 2015
A new constraint on the size of Heinrich Events from an iceberg/sediment model Roberts, William H. G.; Valdes, Paul J.; Payne, Antony J. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 386 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.10.020	journal	January 2014
Seismic and bathymetric evidence for four different episodes of iceberg scouring on the New Jersey outer shelf: Possible correlation to Heinrich events Goff, John A.; Austin, James A. Marine Geology, Vol. 266, Issue 1-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2009.08.012	journal	October 2009
On the formulation of sea-ice models. Part 1: Effects of different solver implementations and parameterizations Losch, Martin; Menemenlis, Dimitris; Campin, Jean-Michel Ocean Modelling, Vol. 33, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2009.12.008	journal	January 2010
Paleohydraulics of the last outburst flood from glacial Lake Agassiz and the 8200BP cold event Clarke, Garry K. C.; Leverington, David W.; Teller, James T. Quaternary Science Reviews, Vol. 23, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2003.06.004	journal	February 2004
Buoyant gravity currents along a sloping bottom in a rotating fluid Lentz, Steven J.; Helfrich, Karl R. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 464 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112002008868	journal	August 2002
Surface and deep ocean variability in the northern Sargasso Sea during marine isotope stage 3 Keigwin, Lloyd D.; Boyle, Edward A. Paleoceanography, Vol. 14, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1029/1998PA900026	journal	April 1999
Persistence of Gulf Stream separation during the Last Glacial Period: Implications for current separation theories Matsumoto, Katsumi Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 108, Issue C6 https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JC000861	journal	January 2003
Heinrich events: Massive late Pleistocene detritus layers of the North Atlantic and their global climate imprint Hemming, Sidney R. Reviews of Geophysics, Vol. 42, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1029/2003RG000128	journal	January 2004
Deglacial diatom productivity and surface ocean properties over the Bermuda Rise, northeast Sargasso Sea: CURRENTS Gil, Isabelle M.; Keigwin, Lloyd D.; Abrantes, Fatima G. Paleoceanography, Vol. 24, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2008PA001729	journal	December 2009
Modeling iceberg-rafted sedimentation in high-latitude fjord environments Mugford, R. I.; Dowdeswell, J. A. Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 115, Issue F3 https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JF001564	journal	January 2010
The sizes, frequencies, and freeboards of East Greenland icebergs observed using ship radar and sextant Dowdeswell, Julian A.; Whittington, Robert J.; Hodgkins, Richard Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 97, Issue C3 https://doi.org/10.1029/91JC02821	journal	January 1992
Patterns of Ice-Rafted Detritus in the Glacial North Atlantic (40-55°N) Grousset, F. E.; Labeyrie, L.; Sinko, J. A. Paleoceanography, Vol. 8, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1029/92PA02923	journal	April 1993
A finite-volume, incompressible Navier Stokes model for studies of the ocean on parallel computers Marshall, John; Adcroft, Alistair; Hill, Chris Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, Vol. 102, Issue C3 https://doi.org/10.1029/96JC02775	journal	March 1997
Provenance of icebergs during Heinrich Event 3 and the contrast to their sources during other Heinrich episodes Gwiazda, R. H.; Hemming, S. R.; Broecker, W. S. Paleoceanography, Vol. 11, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1029/96PA01022	journal	August 1996
Coupled ocean-atmosphere model response to freshwater input: Comparison to Younger Dryas Event Manabe, Syukuro; Stouffer, Ronald J. Paleoceanography, Vol. 12, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1029/96PA03932	journal	April 1997
Forcing of the cold event of 8,200 years ago by catastrophic drainage of Laurentide lakes Barber, D. C.; Dyke, A.; Hillaire-Marcel, C. Nature, Vol. 400, Issue 6742 https://doi.org/10.1038/22504	journal	July 1999
Rapid changes of glacial climate simulated in a coupled climate model Ganopolski, Andrey; Rahmstorf, Stefan Nature, Vol. 409, Issue 6817 https://doi.org/10.1038/35051500	journal	January 2001
Subtropical iceberg scours and meltwater routing in the deglacial western North Atlantic Hill, Jenna C.; Condron, Alan Nature Geoscience, Vol. 7, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2267	journal	October 2014
Meltwater routing and the Younger Dryas Condron, A.; Winsor, P. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 109, Issue 49 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1207381109	journal	November 2012
North Atlantic ocean circulation and abrupt climate change during the last glaciation Henry, L. G.; McManus, J. F.; Curry, W. B. Science, Vol. 353, Issue 6298 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf5529	journal	June 2016
Late Quaternary deposition of ice-rafted sand in the subpolar North Atlantic (lat 40° to 65°N) Ruddiman, William F. Geological Society of America Bulletin, Vol. 88, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1977)88<1813:LQDOIS>2.0.CO;2	journal	January 1977
Iceberg scours along the southern U.S. Atlantic margin Hill, Jenna C.; Gayes, Paul T.; Driscoll, Neal W. Geology, Vol. 36, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1130/G24651A.1	journal	January 2008
Last Glacial Maximum and Holocene Climate in CCSM3 Otto-Bliesner, Bette L.; Brady, Esther C.; Clauzet, Gabriel Journal of Climate, Vol. 19, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI3748.1	journal	June 2006
Icebergs and Iceberg Rafted Detritus (IRD) in the North Atlantic: Facts and Assumptions Andrews, John Oceanography, Vol. 13, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2000.19	journal	January 2000

Similar Records

Iceberg scouring on the Norwegian continental shelf

Conference · Sun May 01 04:00:00 UTC 1983 · Offshore Technol. Conf.; (United States) · OSTI ID:5463124

Lien, R

Model study of iceberg scouring in the North Atlantic

Journal Article · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 UTC 1980 · J. Pet. Technol.; (United States) · OSTI ID:5782815

Chari, T R

Assessing Global Ocean Circulation Sensitivity to Changes in Antarctic Ice Discharge

Technical Report · Thu Mar 11 04:00:00 UTC 2021 · OSTI ID:1560641

Condron, Alan

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
climate change
cryospheric science
palaeoclimate

Title: Timing of iceberg scours and massive ice-rafting events in the subtropical North Atlantic

Citation Formats

References (29)

Similar Records

Related Subjects