Rapid Reductions in North Atlantic Deep Water During the Peak of the Last Interglacial Period

During the last interglacial period, global temperatures were ~2°C warmer than at present and sea level was 6 to 8 meters higher. Southern Ocean sediments reveal a spike in authigenic uranium 127,000 years ago, within the last interglacial, reflecting decreased oxygenation of deep water by Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW). Unlike ice age reductions in AABW, the interglacial stagnation event appears decoupled from open ocean conditions and may have resulted from coastal freshening due to mass loss from the Antarctic ice sheet. AABW reduction coincided with increased North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation, and the subsequent reinvigoration in AABW coincided with reduced NADW formation. Thus, alternation of deep water formation between the Antarctic and the North Atlantic, believed to characterize ice ages, apparently also occurs in warm climates.

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Variability in surface and deep water conditions in the nordic seas during the last interglacial period

Quaternary Science Reviews ◽

10.1016/s0277-3791(98)00038-9 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 17 (9-10) ◽

pp. 963-985 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

Torben Fronval ◽

Eystein Jansen ◽

Haflidi Haflidason ◽

Hans Petter Sejrup

Keyword(s):

Deep Water ◽

Interglacial Period ◽

Last Interglacial ◽

Nordic Seas ◽

Last Interglacial Period ◽

Water Conditions

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Absence of deep-water formation in the Labrador Sea during the last interglacial period

Nature ◽

10.1038/35074059 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 410 (6832) ◽

pp. 1073-1077 ◽

Cited By ~ 170

Author(s):

C. Hillaire-Marcel ◽

A. de Vernal ◽

G. Bilodeau ◽

A. J. Weaver

Keyword(s):

Deep Water ◽

Labrador Sea ◽

Interglacial Period ◽

Deep Water Formation ◽

Last Interglacial ◽

Last Interglacial Period ◽

Water Formation

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Variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation during the last interglacial period

Nature ◽

10.1038/36540 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 390 (6656) ◽

pp. 154-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 153

Author(s):

Jess F. Adkins§ ◽

Edward A. Boyle ◽

Lloyd Keigwin ◽

Elsa Cortijo

Keyword(s):

North Atlantic ◽

Thermohaline Circulation ◽

Interglacial Period ◽

Last Interglacial ◽

The North ◽

Last Interglacial Period ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation

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Changes in Meridional Temperature and Salinity Gradients in the North Atlantic Ocean (30°-72°N) during the Last Interglacial Period

Paleoceanography ◽

10.1029/1998pa900004 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 23-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 100

Author(s):

Elsa Cortijo ◽

Scott Lehman ◽

Lloyd Keigwin ◽

Mark Chapman ◽

Didier Paillard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Ocean ◽

North Atlantic ◽

North Atlantic Ocean ◽

Interglacial Period ◽

Last Interglacial ◽

The North ◽

Salinity Gradients ◽

Last Interglacial Period ◽

The North Atlantic

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Lower oceanic <i>δ</i><sup>13</sup>C during the last interglacial period compared to the Holocene

Climate of the Past ◽

10.5194/cp-17-507-2021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 507-528

Author(s):

Shannon A. Bengtson ◽

Laurie C. Menviel ◽

Katrin J. Meissner ◽

Lise Missiaen ◽

Carlye D. Peterson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

North Atlantic ◽

Interglacial Period ◽

Oceanic Circulation ◽

Last Interglacial ◽

The Holocene ◽

Last Interglacial Period ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Depth Extent ◽

Global Carbon

Abstract. The last time in Earth's history when high latitudes were warmer than during pre-industrial times was the last interglacial period (LIG, 129–116 ka BP). Since the LIG is the most recent and best documented interglacial, it can provide insights into climate processes in a warmer world. However, some key features of the LIG are not well constrained, notably the oceanic circulation and the global carbon cycle. Here, we use a new database of LIG benthic δ13C to investigate these two aspects. We find that the oceanic mean δ13C was ∼ 0.2 ‰ lower during the LIG (here defined as 125–120 ka BP) when compared to the Holocene (7–2 ka BP). A lower terrestrial carbon content at the LIG than during the Holocene could have led to both lower oceanic δ13C and atmospheric δ13CO2 as observed in paleo-records. However, given the multi-millennial timescale, the lower oceanic δ13C most likely reflects a long-term imbalance between weathering and burial of carbon. The δ13C distribution in the Atlantic Ocean suggests no significant difference in the latitudinal and depth extent of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) between the LIG and the Holocene. Furthermore, the data suggest that the multi-millennial mean NADW transport was similar between these two time periods.

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