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Last glacial ice‐rafted debris off southwestern Europe: the role of the British–Irish Ice Sheet
Author(s) -
Bigg Grant R.,
Levine Richard C.,
Clark Chris D.,
Greenwood Sarah L.,
Haflidason Haflidi,
Hughes Anna L. C.,
Nygård Atlé,
Sejrup Hans Petter
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/jqs.1345
Subject(s) - geology , ice sheet , oceanography , iceberg , glacial period , debris , greenland ice sheet , ice sheet model , irish sea , ice stream , sea ice , climatology , physical geography , cryosphere , paleontology , geography
Ice‐rafted debris (IRD) seeded into the ocean from Northern Hemisphere ice sheets is found in ocean cores along the southwestern European margin through the last glacial period. It is known that the origin of this IRD, especially off Iberia, can vary between North America and western Europe during short‐lived episodes of greatly enhanced iceberg flux, known as Heinrich events, although in most Heinrich events the IRD has a North American source. During the longer times of much lower IRD fluxes between Heinrich events, use of an intermediate complexity climate model, coupled to an iceberg dynamic and thermodynamic model, shows that background levels of IRD most likely originate from western Europe, particularly the British–Irish Ice Sheet. Combining modelling with palaeoceanographic evidence supports reconstructions of a short‐lived, but substantial, Celtic and Irish Sea Ice Stream around 23 ka. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.