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Megatides in the Arctic Ocean under glacial conditions
Author(s) -
Griffiths Stephen D.,
Peltier W. R.
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1029/2008gl033263
Subject(s) - oceanography , geology , arctic , archipelago , ocean current , glacial period , climatology , arctic dipole anomaly , stratification (seeds) , arctic sea ice decline , the arctic , last glacial maximum , ocean surface topography , thermohaline circulation , ice sheet , arctic ice pack , drift ice , holocene , paleontology , seed dormancy , botany , germination , dormancy , biology
Over the history of the Earth, changes in ocean depth and coastal configuration have led to considerable variations in the pattern and amplitude of ocean tides. Here we perform global simulations of ocean tides for the Last Glacial Maximum, using new data sets for both ocean depth and density stratification. We show how the configuration of the Arctic Ocean, which was almost entirely enclosed by continents at that time, leads to the near‐resonant excitation of large semi‐diurnal tides. Under certain conditions, this previously unidentified Arctic tide is massively amplified in the Canadian Archipelago. Such tides may have played a role in destabilizing the coastal margins of North American ice sheets, with implications for rapid changes in the Earth's climate and ocean circulation.