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Out of the Ice Age: Megatides of the Arctic Ocean and the Bølling‐Ållerød, Younger Dryas Transition
Author(s) -
Velay-Vitow Jesse,
Richard Peltier W.
Publication year - 2020
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 - 10.1029/2020gl089870
Subject(s) - younger dryas , deglaciation , geology , ice sheet , oceanography , arctic ice pack , abrupt climate change , sea ice , climatology , northern hemisphere , cryosphere , last glacial maximum , arctic , glacial period , climate change , global warming , holocene , effects of global warming , geomorphology
The most recent deglaciation of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets began slowly subsequent to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) but was soon thereafter marked by a series of extremely rapid climate events, namely, Heinrich Event 1 (H1), the Bølling‐Ållerød (B‐A), and the Younger Dryas (YD). We show that a tidally forced marine ice stream instability mechanism, recently implicated as responsible for H1, may also have created the conditions required for the occurrence of the YD. Strong buoyancy forcing acting at the point of entry of the Amundsen Gulf Ice Stream (AGIS) into the Arctic Ocean would have destabilized the ice stream leading to its elimination. This buoyancy forcing was initially provided by the intense polar warming associated with the B‐A acting in conjunction with the moderately high‐amplitude tides that had existed since LGM. This initial destabilization led to a highly significant amplification of the tidal egime and thus AGIS destruction.