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Reappraisal of Antarctic seasonal sea‐ice at the Last Glacial Maximum
Author(s) -
Crosta Xavier,
Pichon JeanJacques,
Burckle Lloyd H.
Publication year - 1998
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 - 10.1029/98gl02012
Subject(s) - oceanography , southern hemisphere , sea ice , geology , glacial period , climatology , antarctic sea ice , arctic ice pack , cryosphere , last glacial maximum , paleontology , holocene
We used modern analog technique applied to Antarctic diatoms to quantitatively reconstruct seasonal sea‐ice extent at the Last Glacial Maximum. Winter maximum sea‐ice limit occurred around 48°S in the Atlantic and western Indian sectors, around 55°S in the eastern Indian and western Pacific sectors, and around 58–60°S in the eastern Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. Summer maximum sea‐ice extents during the last ice age and today are similar, which contradicts CLIMAP's findings. This implies a reduced summer albedo feedback of the Southern Hemisphere and a greater transfer of heat and moisture from the ocean to the atmosphere than shown by previous qualitative studies.