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Centennial‐scale compound‐specific hydrogen isotope record of Pleistocene–Holocene climate transition from southern New England
Author(s) -
Hou Juzhi,
Huang Yongsong,
Oswald W. Wyatt,
Foster David R.,
Shuman Bryan
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2007gl030303
Subject(s) - holocene , geology , pleistocene , climate change , abrupt climate change , ice core , physical geography , climatology , oceanography , transect , ice sheet , temperature record , global warming , paleontology , geography , effects of global warming
Northeastern North America experienced major climate shifts during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. However, there have been no high‐resolution isotopic records of climate change from this region. Here, we present a centennial‐scale record of climate change during the transition based on D/H ratios of behenic acid (C 22 n ‐acid) or δ D BA from a sediment core in Blood Pond, Massachusetts. Surface calibrations from a transect of 19 lakes in eastern North America show that δ D BA values track mean annual atmospheric temperature variations. The abrupt climate events observed in Blood Pond records show remarkable similarity with Greenland ice core δ 18 O records during the Pleistocene. During the early Holocene, the northeastern North America δ D BA record was more variable than Greenland, possibly due to the close proximity of the Laurentide ice sheet, and impact of freshwater outbursts as the ice sheet rapidly retreated.