Accelerated drawdown of meridional overturning in the late-glacial Atlantic triggered by transient pre-H event freshwater perturbation

Abrupt decreases of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) during the Late Pleistocene have been directly linked to catastrophic discharges of glacimarine freshwater, triggering disruption of northward marine heat transport and causing global climate changes. Here we provide measureme...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Hall, Ian R., Moran, S. B., Zahn, Rainer, Knutz, Paul C., Shen, C.-C., Edwards, R. Lawrence
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2006
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:158082
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/158082
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1029/2006GL026239
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Global climate changes
Late Pleistocene
Meridional overturning circulation
MOC
Descripción
Sumario:Abrupt decreases of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) during the Late Pleistocene have been directly linked to catastrophic discharges of glacimarine freshwater, triggering disruption of northward marine heat transport and causing global climate changes. Here we provide measurements of excess sedimentary ²³¹Pa/²³⁰Th from a high-accumulation sediment drift deposit in the NE Atlantic that record a sequence of sudden variations in the rate of MOC, associated deep ocean ventilation and surface-ocean climatology. The data series reveal a sequential decrease in the MOC rate at ~18.0 ka BP ago that coincides with only transient and localized freshwater inputs. This change represents a substantial, though not total, cessation in MOC that predates the major Heinrich (H1) meltwater event by at least 1,200 years. These results highlight the potential of targeted freshwater perturbations in promoting substantial MOC changes without a direct linking with catastrophic freshwater surges