Articles | Volume 17, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-775-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-775-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
06 Apr 2021
Research article |
| 06 Apr 2021
| 06 Apr 2021
Cryogenic cave carbonates in the Dolomites (northern Italy): insights into Younger Dryas cooling and seasonal precipitation
Gabriella Koltai
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52d, 6020
Innsbruck, Austria
Christoph Spötl
Institute of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52d, 6020
Innsbruck, Austria
Alexander H. Jarosch
ThetaFrame Solutions, Hörfarterstrasse 14, 6330 Kufstein, Austria
Hai Cheng
Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong
University, Xi'an, China
State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of
Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis,
MN, USA
Related authors
Paul Töchterle, Anna Baldo, Julian B. Murton, Frederik Schenk, R. Lawrence Edwards, Gabriella Koltai, and Gina E. Moseley
Clim. Past, 20, 1521–1535, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1521-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1521-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present a reconstruction of permafrost and snow cover on the British Isles for the Younger Dryas period, a time of extremely cold winters that happened approximately 12 000 years ago. Our results indicate that seasonal sea ice in the North Atlantic was most likely a crucial factor to explain the observed climate shifts during this time.
Charlotte Honiat, Gabriella Koltai, Yuri Dublyansky, R. Lawrence Edwards, Haiwei Zhang, Hai Cheng, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 19, 1177–1199, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1177-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1177-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A look at the climate evolution during the last warm period may allow us to test ground for future climate conditions. We quantified the temperature evolution during the Last Interglacial using a tiny amount of water trapped in the crystals of precisely dated stalagmites in caves from the southeastern European Alps. Our record indicates temperatures up to 2 °C warmer than today and an unstable climate during the first half of the Last Interglacial.
Gabriella Koltai, Hai Cheng, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 14, 369–381, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-369-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-369-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Here we present a multi-proxy study of flowstones in fractures of crystalline rocks with the aim of assessing the palaeoclimate significance of this new type of speleothem archive. Our results indicate a high degree of spatial heterogeneity, whereby changes in speleothem mineralogy and carbon isotope composition are likely governed by aquifer-internal processes. In contrast, the oxygen isotope composition reflects first-order climate variability.
Hubert B. Vonhof, Sophie Verheyden, Dominique Bonjean, Stéphane Pirson, Michael Weber, Denis Scholz, John Hellstrom, Hai Cheng, Xue Jia, Kévin Di Modica, Gregory Abrams, Marjan A. P. van Nunen, Joost Ruiter, Michèlle van der Does, Daniel Böhl, and Jeroen H. J. L. van der Lubbe
Clim. Past, 20, 2741–2758, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2741-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2741-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The sedimentary sequence in Scladina Cave (Belgium) is well-known for its rich archeological assemblages and its numerous faunal remains. Of particular interest is the presence of a nearly complete jaw bone of a Neanderthal child. In this study, we present new uranium series ages of stalagmites from the archeological sequence that allow more precise dating of the archeological finds. One key result is that the Neanderthal child may be slightly older than previously thought.
Juan Luis Bernal-Wormull, Ana Moreno, Yuri Dublyansky, Christoph Spötl, Reyes Giménez, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Miguel Bartolomé, Martin Arriolabengoa, Eneko Iriarte, Isabel Cacho, Richard Lawrence Edwards, and Hai Cheng
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3612, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3612, 2024
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Climate of the Past (CP).
Short summary
Short summary
We present in this manuscript a record of temperature changes during the last deglaciation and the Holocene using isotopes of fluid inclusions in stalagmites from the northeastern region of the Iberian Peninsula. This innovative climate proxy for this study region provides a quantitative understanding of the abrupt temperature changes in southern Europe of the last 16500 years before present.
Timothy J. Pollard, Jon D. Woodhead, Russell N. Drysdale, R. Lawrence Edwards, Xianglei Li, Ashlea N. Wainwright, Mathieu Pythoud, Hai Cheng, John C. Hellstrom, Ilaria Isola, Eleonora Regattieri, Giovanni Zanchetta, and Dylan S. Parmenter
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3594, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3594, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The uranium-thorium and uranium-lead radiometric dating methods are both capable of dating carbonate samples ranging in age from about 400,000 to 650,000 years. Here we test agreement between the two methods by 'double dating' speleothems (i.e. secondary cave mineral deposits) that grew within this age range. We demonstrate excellent agreement between the two dating methods and discuss their relative strengths and weaknesses.
Alexander H. Jarosch, Paul Hofer, and Christoph Spötl
The Cryosphere, 18, 4811–4816, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4811-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4811-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Mechanical damage to stalagmites is commonly observed in mid-latitude caves. In this study we investigate ice flow along the cave bed as a possible mechanism for stalagmite damage. Utilizing models which simulate forces created by ice flow, we study the structural integrity of different stalagmite geometries. Our results suggest that structural failure of stalagmites caused by ice flow is possible, albeit unlikely.
Hu Yang, Xiaoxu Shi, Xulong Wang, Qingsong Liu, Yi Zhong, Xiaodong Liu, Youbin Sun, Yanjun Cai, Fei Liu, Gerrit Lohmann, Martin Werner, Zhimin Jian, Tainã M. L. Pinho, Hai Cheng, Lijuan Lu, Jiping Liu, Chao-Yuan Yang, Qinghua Yang, Yongyun Hu, Xing Cheng, Jingyu Zhang, and Dake Chen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2778, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2778, 2024
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Climate of the Past (CP).
Short summary
Short summary
The precession driven low-latitude hydrological cycle is not paced by hemispheric summer insolation, but shifting perihelion.
Paul Töchterle, Anna Baldo, Julian B. Murton, Frederik Schenk, R. Lawrence Edwards, Gabriella Koltai, and Gina E. Moseley
Clim. Past, 20, 1521–1535, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1521-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1521-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present a reconstruction of permafrost and snow cover on the British Isles for the Younger Dryas period, a time of extremely cold winters that happened approximately 12 000 years ago. Our results indicate that seasonal sea ice in the North Atlantic was most likely a crucial factor to explain the observed climate shifts during this time.
Pengzhen Duan, Hanying Li, Zhibang Ma, Jingyao Zhao, Xiyu Dong, Ashish Sinha, Peng Hu, Haiwei Zhang, Youfeng Ning, Guangyou Zhu, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 20, 1401–1414, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1401-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1401-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use multi-proxy speleothem records to reveal a two droughts–one pluvial pattern during 8.5–8.0 ka. The different rebounded rainfall quantity after two droughts causes different behavior of δ13C, suggesting the dominant role of rainfall threshold on the ecosystem. A comparison of different records suggests the prolonged 8.2 ka event is a globally common phenomenon rather than a regional signal. The variability of the AMOC strength is mainly responsible for these climate changes.
Alexander H. Jarosch, Eyjólfur Magnússon, Krista Hannesdóttir, Joaquín M. C. Belart, and Finnur Pálsson
The Cryosphere, 18, 2443–2454, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2443-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2443-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Geothermally active regions beneath glaciers not only influence local ice flow as well as the mass balance of glaciers but also control changes of subglacial water reservoirs and possible subsequent glacier lake outburst floods. In Iceland, such outburst floods impose danger to people and infrastructure and are therefore monitored. We present a novel computer-simulation-supported method to estimate the activity of such geothermal areas and to monitor its evolution.
Miguel Bartolomé, Ana Moreno, Carlos Sancho, Isabel Cacho, Heather Stoll, Negar Haghipour, Ánchel Belmonte, Christoph Spötl, John Hellstrom, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 20, 467–494, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-467-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-467-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Reconstructing past temperatures at regional scales during the Common Era is necessary to place the current warming in the context of natural climate variability. We present a climate reconstruction based on eight stalagmites from four caves in the Pyrenees, NE Spain. These stalagmites were dated precisely and analysed for their oxygen isotopes, which appear dominated by temperature changes. Solar variability and major volcanic eruptions are the two main drivers of observed climate variability.
Heather M. Stoll, Chris Day, Franziska Lechleitner, Oliver Kost, Laura Endres, Jakub Sliwinski, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Hai Cheng, and Denis Scholz
Clim. Past, 19, 2423–2444, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2423-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2423-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Stalagmites formed in caves provide valuable information about past changes in climate and vegetation conditions. In this contribution, we present a new method to better estimate past changes in soil and vegetation productivity using carbon isotopes and trace elements measured in stalagmites. Applying this method to other stalagmites should provide a better indication of past vegetation feedbacks to climate change.
Giselle Utida, Francisco W. Cruz, Mathias Vuille, Angela Ampuero, Valdir F. Novello, Jelena Maksic, Gilvan Sampaio, Hai Cheng, Haiwei Zhang, Fabio Ramos Dias de Andrade, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 19, 1975–1992, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1975-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1975-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstruct the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) behavior during the past 3000 years over northeastern Brazil based on oxygen stable isotopes of stalagmites. Paleoclimate changes were mainly forced by the tropical South Atlantic and tropical Pacific sea surface temperature variability. We describe an ITCZ zonal behavior active around 1100 CE and the period from 1500 to 1750 CE. The dataset also records historical droughts that affected modern human population in this area of Brazil.
Anika Donner, Paul Töchterle, Christoph Spötl, Irka Hajdas, Xianglei Li, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Gina E. Moseley
Clim. Past, 19, 1607–1621, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1607-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1607-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the first finding of fine-grained cryogenic cave minerals in Greenland, a type of speleothem that has been notably difficult to date. We present a successful approach for determining the age of these minerals using 230Th / U disequilibrium and 14C dating. We relate the formation of the cryogenic cave minerals to a well-documented extreme weather event in 1889 CE. Additionally, we provide a detailed report on the mineralogical and isotopic composition of these minerals.
Charlotte Honiat, Gabriella Koltai, Yuri Dublyansky, R. Lawrence Edwards, Haiwei Zhang, Hai Cheng, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 19, 1177–1199, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1177-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1177-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A look at the climate evolution during the last warm period may allow us to test ground for future climate conditions. We quantified the temperature evolution during the Last Interglacial using a tiny amount of water trapped in the crystals of precisely dated stalagmites in caves from the southeastern European Alps. Our record indicates temperatures up to 2 °C warmer than today and an unstable climate during the first half of the Last Interglacial.
Miguel Bartolomé, Gérard Cazenave, Marc Luetscher, Christoph Spötl, Fernando Gázquez, Ánchel Belmonte, Alexandra V. Turchyn, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, and Ana Moreno
The Cryosphere, 17, 477–497, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-477-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-477-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this work we study the microclimate and the geomorphological features of Devaux ice cave in the Central Pyrenees. The research is based on cave monitoring, geomorphology, and geochemical analyses. We infer two different thermal regimes. The cave is impacted by flooding in late winter/early spring when the main outlets freeze, damming the water inside. Rock temperatures below 0°C and the absence of drip water indicate frozen rock, while relict ice formations record past damming events.
Paul Töchterle, Simon D. Steidle, R. Lawrence Edwards, Yuri Dublyansky, Christoph Spötl, Xianglei Li, John Gunn, and Gina E. Moseley
Geochronology, 4, 617–627, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-617-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-617-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Cryogenic cave carbonates (CCCs) provide a marker for past permafrost conditions. Their formation age is determined by Th / U dating. However, samples can be contaminated with small amounts of Th at formation, which can cause inaccurate ages and require correction. We analysed multiple CCCs and found that varying degrees of contamination can cause an apparent spread of ages, when samples actually formed within distinguishable freezing events. A correction method using isochrons is presented.
Maria Wind, Friedrich Obleitner, Tanguy Racine, and Christoph Spötl
The Cryosphere, 16, 3163–3179, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3163-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3163-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present a thorough analysis of the thermal conditions of a sag-type ice cave in the Austrian Alps using temperature measurements for the period 2008–2021. Apart from a long-term increasing temperature trend in all parts of the cave, we find strong interannual and spatial variations as well as a characteristic seasonal pattern. Increasing temperatures further led to a drastic decrease in cave ice. A first attempt to model ablation based on temperature shows promising results.
Jan Pfeiffer, Thomas Zieher, Jan Schmieder, Thom Bogaard, Martin Rutzinger, and Christoph Spötl
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2219–2237, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2219-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2219-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The activity of slow-moving deep-seated landslides is commonly governed by pore pressure variations within the shear zone. Groundwater recharge as a consequence of precipitation therefore is a process regulating the activity of landslides. In this context, we present a highly automated geo-statistical approach to spatially assess groundwater recharge controlling the velocity of a deep-seated landslide in Tyrol, Austria.
Caroline Welte, Jens Fohlmeister, Melina Wertnik, Lukas Wacker, Bodo Hattendorf, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 17, 2165–2177, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2165-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2165-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Stalagmites are valuable climate archives, but unlike other proxies the use of stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) is still difficult. A stalagmite from the Austrian Alps was analyzed using a new laser ablation method for fast radiocarbon (14C) analysis. This allowed 14C and δ13C to be combined, showing that besides soil and bedrock a third source is contributing during periods of warm, wet climate: old organic matter.
Kathleen A. Wendt, Xianglei Li, R. Lawrence Edwards, Hai Cheng, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 17, 1443–1454, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1443-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1443-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we tested the upper limits of U–Th dating precision by analyzing three stalagmites from the Austrian Alps that have high U concentrations. The composite record spans the penultimate interglacial (MIS 7) with an average 2σ age uncertainty of 400 years. This unprecedented age control allows us to constrain the timing of temperature shifts in the Alps during MIS 7 while offering new insight into millennial-scale changes in the North Atlantic leading up to Terminations III and IIIa.
Chao-Jun Chen, Dao-Xian Yuan, Jun-Yun Li, Xian-Feng Wang, Hai Cheng, You-Feng Ning, R. Lawrence Edwards, Yao Wu, Si-Ya Xiao, Yu-Zhen Xu, Yang-Yang Huang, Hai-Ying Qiu, Jian Zhang, Ming-Qiang Liang, and Ting-Yong Li
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2021-20, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2021-20, 2021
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Xianglei Li, Kathleen A. Wendt, Yuri Dublyansky, Gina E. Moseley, Christoph Spötl, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Geochronology, 3, 49–58, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-49-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-49-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we built a statistical model to determine the initial δ234U in submerged calcite crusts that coat the walls of Devils Hole 2 (DH2) cave (Nevada, USA) and, using a 234U–238U dating method, extended the chronology of the calcite deposition beyond previous well-established 230Th ages and determined the oldest calcite deposited in this cave, a time marker for cave genesis. The novel method presented here may be used in future speleothem studies in similar hydrogeological settings.
Anna Wirbel and Alexander Helmut Jarosch
Geosci. Model Dev., 13, 6425–6445, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-6425-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-6425-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We present an open-source numerical tool to simulate the free-surface evolution of gravity-driven flows (e.g. glaciers) constrained by bed topography. No ad hoc post-processing is required to enforce positive ice thickness and mass conservation. We utilise finite elements, define benchmark tests, and showcase glaciological examples. In addition, we provide a thorough analysis of the applicability and robustness of different spatial stabilisation and time discretisation methods.
Yue Hu, Xiaoming Sun, Hai Cheng, and Hong Yan
Clim. Past, 16, 597–610, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-597-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-597-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Tridacna, as the largest marine bivalves, can be used for high-resolution paleoclimate reconstruction in its carbonate skeleton. In this contribution, the modern δ18O shell is suggested to be a proxy for sea surface temperature in the Xisha Islands, South China Sea. Data from a fossil Tridacna (3673 ± 28 BP) indicate a warmer climate and intense ENSO-related variability but reduced ENSO frequency and more extreme El Niño winters compared to modern Tridacna.
Haiwei Zhang, Hai Cheng, Yanjun Cai, Christoph Spötl, Ashish Sinha, Gayatri Kathayat, and Hanying Li
Clim. Past, 16, 211–225, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-211-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-211-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Few studies have paid attention to the important effect of nonsummer monsoon (NSM) precipitation on the speleothem δ18O in SE China. We find the summer monsoon precipitation is equivalent to NSM precipitation amount in the area of spring persistent rain in SE China, and we discuss the relationships between seasonal precipitation amount, moisture source, δ18O, and ENSO. Characterizing the spatial differences in seasonal precipitation is key to interpreting the speleothem δ18O record.
Gina E. Moseley, Christoph Spötl, Susanne Brandstätter, Tobias Erhardt, Marc Luetscher, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 16, 29–50, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-29-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-29-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Abrupt climate change during the last ice age can be used to provide important insights into the timescales on which the climate is capable of changing and the mechanisms that drive those changes. In this study, we construct climate records for the period 60 to 120 ka using stalagmites that formed in caves along the northern rim of the European Alps and find good agreement with the timing of climate changes in Greenland and the Asian monsoon.
Mike Rogerson, Yuri Dublyansky, Dirk L. Hoffmann, Marc Luetscher, Paul Töchterle, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 15, 1757–1769, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1757-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1757-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Rainfall in North Africa is known to vary through time and is likely to change as global climate warms. Here, we provide a new level of understanding about past rainfall in North Africa by looking at a stalagmite which formed within northeastern Libya between 67 and 30 thousand years ago. We find that at times more rain falls, and the associated moisture is mostly derived from the western Mediterranean during winter storms. Sometimes, water comes from the eastern Mediterranean.
Fabien Maussion, Anton Butenko, Nicolas Champollion, Matthias Dusch, Julia Eis, Kévin Fourteau, Philipp Gregor, Alexander H. Jarosch, Johannes Landmann, Felix Oesterle, Beatriz Recinos, Timo Rothenpieler, Anouk Vlug, Christian T. Wild, and Ben Marzeion
Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 909–931, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-909-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-909-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Mountain glaciers are one of the few remaining subsystems of the global climate system for which no globally applicable community-driven model exists. Here we present the Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM; www.oggm.org), developed to provide a modular and open-source numerical model framework for simulating past and future change of any glacier in the world.
Hanying Li, Hai Cheng, Ashish Sinha, Gayatri Kathayat, Christoph Spötl, Aurèle Anquetil André, Arnaud Meunier, Jayant Biswas, Pengzhen Duan, Youfeng Ning, and Richard Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 14, 1881–1891, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1881-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1881-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The
4.2 ka eventbetween 4.2 and 3.9 ka has been widely discussed in the Northern Hemsiphere but less reported in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we use speleothem records from Rodrigues in the southwestern Indian Ocean spanning from 6000 to 3000 years ago to investigate the regional hydro-climatic variability. Our records show no evidence for an unusual climate anomaly between 4.2 and 3.9 ka. Instead, it shows a multi-centennial drought between 3.9 and 3.5 ka.
Gayatri Kathayat, Hai Cheng, Ashish Sinha, Max Berkelhammer, Haiwei Zhang, Pengzhen Duan, Hanying Li, Xianglei Li, Youfeng Ning, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 14, 1869–1879, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1869-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1869-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The 4.2 ka event is generally characterized as an approximately 300-year period of major global climate anomaly. However, the climatic manifestation of this event remains unclear in the Indian monsoon domain. Our high-resolution and precisely dated speleothem record from Meghalaya, India, characterizes the event as consisting of a series of multi-decadal droughts between 3.9 and 4.0 ka rather than a singular pulse of multi-centennial drought as previously thought.
Haiwei Zhang, Hai Cheng, Yanjun Cai, Christoph Spötl, Gayatri Kathayat, Ashish Sinha, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Liangcheng Tan
Clim. Past, 14, 1805–1817, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1805-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1805-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The collapses of several Neolithic cultures in China are considered to have been associated with abrupt climate change during the 4.2 ka BP event; however, the hydroclimate of this event in China is still poorly known. Based on stalagmite records from monsoonal China, we found that north China was dry but south China was wet during this event. We propose that the rain belt remained longer at its southern position, giving rise to a pronounced humidity gradient between north and south China.
Florian Adolphi, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Tobias Erhardt, R. Lawrence Edwards, Hai Cheng, Chris S. M. Turney, Alan Cooper, Anders Svensson, Sune O. Rasmussen, Hubertus Fischer, and Raimund Muscheler
Clim. Past, 14, 1755–1781, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1755-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1755-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The last glacial period was characterized by a number of rapid climate changes seen, for example, as abrupt warmings in Greenland and changes in monsoon rainfall intensity. However, due to chronological uncertainties it is challenging to know how tightly coupled these changes were. Here we exploit cosmogenic signals caused by changes in the Sun and Earth magnetic fields to link different climate archives and improve our understanding of the dynamics of abrupt climate change.
Giri Gopalan, Birgir Hrafnkelsson, Guðfinna Aðalgeirsdóttir, Alexander H. Jarosch, and Finnur Pálsson
The Cryosphere, 12, 2229–2248, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2229-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2229-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Geophysical systems can often contain scientific parameters whose values are uncertain, complex underlying dynamics, and field measurements with errors. These components are naturally modeled together within what is known as a Bayesian hierarchical model (BHM). This paper constructs such a model for shallow glaciers based on an approximation of the underlying dynamics. The evaluation of this model is aided by the use of exact analytical solutions from the literature.
Gabriella Koltai, Hai Cheng, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 14, 369–381, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-369-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-369-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Here we present a multi-proxy study of flowstones in fractures of crystalline rocks with the aim of assessing the palaeoclimate significance of this new type of speleothem archive. Our results indicate a high degree of spatial heterogeneity, whereby changes in speleothem mineralogy and carbon isotope composition are likely governed by aquifer-internal processes. In contrast, the oxygen isotope composition reflects first-order climate variability.
Anna Wirbel, Alexander H. Jarosch, and Lindsey Nicholson
The Cryosphere, 12, 189–204, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-189-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-189-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
As debris cover affects the meltwater production and behaviour of glaciers it is important to understand how, and over what timescales, it forms. Here we develop an advanced 3-D numerical model that describes transport of sediment through a glacier to the point where it emerges at the surface. The numerical performance of the model is satisfactory and it reproduces debris structures observed within real-world glaciers, thereby offering a useful tool for future studies of debris-covered glaciers.
Ny Riavo Gilbertinie Voarintsoa, Loren Bruce Railsback, George Albert Brook, Lixin Wang, Gayatri Kathayat, Hai Cheng, Xianglei Li, Richard Lawrence Edwards, Amos Fety Michel Rakotondrazafy, and Marie Olga Madison Razanatseheno
Clim. Past, 13, 1771–1790, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1771-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1771-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This research has been an investigation of two stalagmites from two caves in NW Madagascar to reconstruct the region's paleoenvironmental changes, and to understand the linkage of such changes to the dynamics of the ITCZ. Stable isotopes, mineralogy, and petrography suggest wetter climate conditions than today during the early and late Holocene, when the mean ITCZ was south, and drier during the mid-Holocene when the ITCZ was north.
Joaquín M. C. Belart, Etienne Berthier, Eyjólfur Magnússon, Leif S. Anderson, Finnur Pálsson, Thorsteinn Thorsteinsson, Ian M. Howat, Guðfinna Aðalgeirsdóttir, Tómas Jóhannesson, and Alexander H. Jarosch
The Cryosphere, 11, 1501–1517, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1501-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1501-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Sub-meter satellite stereo images (Pléiades and WorldView2) are used to accurately measure snow accumulation and winter mass balance of Drangajökull ice cap. This is done by creating and comparing accurate digital elevation models. A glacier-wide geodetic mass balance of 3.33 ± 0.23 m w.e. is derived between October 2014 and May 2015. This method could be easily transposable to remote glaciated areas where seasonal mass balance measurements (especially winter accumulation) are lacking.
Stef Vansteenberge, Sophie Verheyden, Hai Cheng, R. Lawrence Edwards, Eddy Keppens, and Philippe Claeys
Clim. Past, 12, 1445–1458, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1445-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1445-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The use of stalagmites for last interglacial continental climate reconstructions in Europe has been successful in the past; however to expand the geographical coverage, additional data from Belgium is presented. It has been shown that stalagmite growth, morphology and stable isotope content reflect regional and local climate conditions, with Eemian optimum climate occurring between 125.3 and 117.3 ka. The start the Weichselian is expressed by a stop of growth caused by a drying climate.
B. Marzeion, P. W. Leclercq, J. G. Cogley, and A. H. Jarosch
The Cryosphere, 9, 2399–2404, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2399-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2399-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We show that estimates of global glacier mass change during the 20th century, obtained from glacier-length-based reconstructions and from a glacier model driven by gridded climate observations are now consistent with each other and also with an estimate for the years 2003-2009 that is mostly based on remotely sensed data. This consistency is found throughout the entire common periods of the respective data sets. Inconsistencies of reconstructions and observations persist on regional scales.
C. Spötl and H. Cheng
Clim. Past, 10, 1349–1362, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1349-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1349-2014, 2014
M. Luetscher, M. Borreguero, G. E. Moseley, C. Spötl, and R. L. Edwards
The Cryosphere, 7, 1073–1081, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1073-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1073-2013, 2013
A. H. Jarosch, C. G. Schoof, and F. S. Anslow
The Cryosphere, 7, 229–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-229-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-229-2013, 2013
V. E. Johnston, A. Borsato, C. Spötl, S. Frisia, and R. Miorandi
Clim. Past, 9, 99–118, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-99-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-99-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Subject: Continental Surface Processes | Archive: Terrestrial Archives | Timescale: Pleistocene
Improving the age constraints on the archeological record in Scladina Cave (Belgium): new speleothem U–Th ages
The climate and vegetation of Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East during the Last Glacial Maximum (21 000 yr BP) based on pollen data
Subaqueous speleothems as archives of groundwater recharge on Australia’s southern arid margin
Spatio-temporal dynamics of speleothem growth and glaciation in the British Isles
Climate changes during the Late Glacial in southern Europe: new insights based on pollen and brGDGTs of Lake Matese in Italy
Late Pleistocene glacial chronologies and paleoclimate in the northern Rocky Mountains
Younger Dryas ice margin retreat in Greenland: new evidence from southwestern Greenland
Pleistocene glacial history of the New Zealand subantarctic islands
Palaeoclimate characteristics in interior Siberia of MIS 6–2: first insights from the Batagay permafrost mega-thaw slump in the Yana Highlands
Hydroclimate of the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation in southern Australia's arid margin interpreted from speleothem records (23–15 ka)
High-amplitude lake-level changes in tectonically active Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan) revealed by high-resolution seismic reflection data
Constant wind regimes during the Last Glacial Maximum and early Holocene: evidence from Little Llangothlin Lagoon, New England Tablelands, eastern Australia
Late Pleistocene–Holocene ground surface heat flux changes reconstructed from borehole temperature data (the Urals, Russia)
Sediment sequence and site formation processes at the Arbreda Cave, NE Iberian Peninsula, and implications on human occupation and climate change during the Last Glacial
Past freeze and thaw cycling in the margin of the El'gygytgyn crater deduced from a 141 m long permafrost record
Geochronological reconsideration of the eastern European key loess section at Stayky in Ukraine
Pre-LGM Northern Hemisphere ice sheet topography
Heinrich event 4 characterized by terrestrial proxies in southwestern Europe
Tephrostratigraphic studies on a sediment core from Lake Prespa in the Balkans
Past climate changes and permafrost depth at the Lake El'gygytgyn site: implications from data and thermal modeling
Depositional dynamics in the El'gygytgyn Crater margin: implications for the 3.6 Ma old sediment archive
Coarsely crystalline cryogenic cave carbonate – a new archive to estimate the Last Glacial minimum permafrost depth in Central Europe
Hydrological variability in the Northern Levant: a 250 ka multi-proxy record from the Yammoûneh (Lebanon) sedimentary sequence
Hubert B. Vonhof, Sophie Verheyden, Dominique Bonjean, Stéphane Pirson, Michael Weber, Denis Scholz, John Hellstrom, Hai Cheng, Xue Jia, Kévin Di Modica, Gregory Abrams, Marjan A. P. van Nunen, Joost Ruiter, Michèlle van der Does, Daniel Böhl, and Jeroen H. J. L. van der Lubbe
Clim. Past, 20, 2741–2758, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2741-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2741-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The sedimentary sequence in Scladina Cave (Belgium) is well-known for its rich archeological assemblages and its numerous faunal remains. Of particular interest is the presence of a nearly complete jaw bone of a Neanderthal child. In this study, we present new uranium series ages of stalagmites from the archeological sequence that allow more precise dating of the archeological finds. One key result is that the Neanderthal child may be slightly older than previously thought.
Basil A. S. Davis, Marc Fasel, Jed O. Kaplan, Emmanuele Russo, and Ariane Burke
Clim. Past, 20, 1939–1988, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1939-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1939-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
During the last ice age (21 000 yr BP) in Europe, the composition and extent of forest and its associated climate remain unclear, with models indicating more forest north of the Alps and a warmer and somewhat wetter climate than suggested by the data. A new compilation of pollen records with improved dating suggests greater agreement with model climates but still suggests models overestimate forest cover, especially in the west.
Calla N. Gould-Whaley, Russell N. Drysdale, Pauline C. Treble, Jan-Hendrik May, Stacey C. Priestley, John C. Hellstrom, and Clare Buswell
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1959, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1959, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change is causing enhanced aridity across many regions of the globe, leading to increased reliance on groundwater resources. We need to understand how groundwater recharge behaves in arid regions over long timescales, unfortunately, arid landscapes tend to preserve very little evidence of their climatic past. We present evidence to suggest that carbonate formations that grow in groundwater can be used as archives of past groundwater recharge in Australia's arid zone.
Sina Panitz, Michael Rogerson, Jack Longman, Nick Scroxton, Tim J. Lawson, Tim C. Atkinson, Vasile Ersek, James Baldini, Lisa Baldini, Stuart Umbo, Mahjoor A. Lone, Gideon M. Henderson, and Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2024-48, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2024-48, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for CP
Short summary
Short summary
Reconstructions of past glaciations tell us about how ice sheets grow and retreat. In this study, we use speleothems (cave deposits, e.g., stalagmites) in the British Isles to help constrain the extent of past glaciations both in time and space. Speleothems require liquid water to grow, and therefore, their presence indicates the absence of ice above the cave. By dating these speleothems we can improve existing reconstructions of past ice sheets.
Mary Robles, Odile Peyron, Guillemette Ménot, Elisabetta Brugiapaglia, Sabine Wulf, Oona Appelt, Marion Blache, Boris Vannière, Lucas Dugerdil, Bruno Paura, Salomé Ansanay-Alex, Amy Cromartie, Laurent Charlet, Stephane Guédron, Jacques-Louis de Beaulieu, and Sébastien Joannin
Clim. Past, 19, 493–515, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-493-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-493-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Quantitative climate reconstructions based on pollen and brGDGTs reveal, for the Late Glacial, a warm Bølling–Allerød and a marked cold Younger Dryas in Italy, showing no latitudinal differences in terms of temperatures across Italy. In terms of precipitation, no latitudinal differences are recorded during the Bølling–Allerød, whereas 40–42° N appears as a key junction point between wetter conditions in southern Italy and drier conditions in northern Italy during the Younger Dryas.
Brendon J. Quirk, Elizabeth Huss, Benjamin J. C. Laabs, Eric Leonard, Joseph Licciardi, Mitchell A. Plummer, and Marc W. Caffee
Clim. Past, 18, 293–312, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-293-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-293-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers in the northern Rocky Mountains began retreating 17 000 to 18 000 years ago, after the end of the most recent global ice volume maxima. Climate in the region during this time was likely 10 to 8.5° colder than modern with less than or equal to present amounts of precipitation. Glaciers across the Rockies began retreating at different times but eventually exhibited similar patterns of retreat, suggesting a common mechanism influencing deglaciation.
Svend Funder, Anita H. L. Sørensen, Nicolaj K. Larsen, Anders A. Bjørk, Jason P. Briner, Jesper Olsen, Anders Schomacker, Laura B. Levy, and Kurt H. Kjær
Clim. Past, 17, 587–601, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-587-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-587-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Cosmogenic 10Be exposure dates from outlying islets along 300 km of the SW Greenland coast indicate that, although affected by inherited 10Be, the ice margin here was retreating during the Younger Dryas. These results seem to be corroborated by recent studies elsewhere in Greenland. The apparent mismatch between temperatures and ice margin behaviour may be explained by the advection of warm water to the ice margin on the shelf and by increased seasonality, both caused by a weakened AMOC.
Eleanor Rainsley, Chris S. M. Turney, Nicholas R. Golledge, Janet M. Wilmshurst, Matt S. McGlone, Alan G. Hogg, Bo Li, Zoë A. Thomas, Richard Roberts, Richard T. Jones, Jonathan G. Palmer, Verity Flett, Gregory de Wet, David K. Hutchinson, Mathew J. Lipson, Pavla Fenwick, Ben R. Hines, Umberto Binetti, and Christopher J. Fogwill
Clim. Past, 15, 423–448, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-423-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-423-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The New Zealand subantarctic islands, in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, provide valuable records of past environmental change. We find that the Auckland Islands hosted a small ice cap around 384 000 years ago, but that there was little glaciation during the Last Glacial Maximum, around 21 000 years ago, in contrast to mainland New Zealand. This shows that the climate here is susceptible to changes in regional factors such as sea-ice expanse and the position of ocean fronts.
Kseniia Ashastina, Lutz Schirrmeister, Margret Fuchs, and Frank Kienast
Clim. Past, 13, 795–818, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-795-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-795-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present the first detailed description and sedimentological analyses of an 80 m permafrost sequence exposed in a mega-thaw slump near Batagay in the Yana Highlands, Russia, and attempt to deduce its genesis. First dating results (14C, OSL) show that the sequence represents a continental climate record spanning from the Middle Pleistocene to the Holocene. We suggest that the characteristics of the studied deposits are a result of various seasonally controlled climatically induced processes.
Pauline C. Treble, Andy Baker, Linda K. Ayliffe, Timothy J. Cohen, John C. Hellstrom, Michael K. Gagan, Silvia Frisia, Russell N. Drysdale, Alan D. Griffiths, and Andrea Borsato
Clim. Past, 13, 667–687, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-667-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-667-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Little is known about the climate of southern Australia during the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation owing to sparse records for this region. We present the first high-resolution data, derived from speleothems that grew 23–5 ka. It appears that recharge to the Flinders Ranges was higher than today, particularly during 18.9–15.8 ka, argued to be due to the enhanced availability of tropical moisture. An abrupt shift to aridity is recorded at 15.8 ka, associated with restored westerly airflow.
Andrea Catalina Gebhardt, Lieven Naudts, Lies De Mol, Jan Klerkx, Kanatbek Abdrakhmatov, Edward R. Sobel, and Marc De Batist
Clim. Past, 13, 73–92, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-73-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-73-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Seismic profiles from the western and eastern deltas of Lake Issyk-Kul were used to identify lake-level changes of up to 400 m. Seven stratigraphic sequences were identified, each containing a series of delta lobes that were formed during former lake-level stillstands. Lake-level fluctuations point to significant changes in the strength and position of the Siberian High and the mid-latitude Westerlies. Their interplay is responsible for the amount of moisture that reaches this area.
James Shulmeister, Justine Kemp, Kathryn E. Fitzsimmons, and Allen Gontz
Clim. Past, 12, 1435–1444, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1435-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1435-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This paper highlights that small dunes (lunettes) formed on the eastern side of a lake in the Australian sub-tropics at the height of the last ice age (about 21,000 years ago) and in the early part of the current interglacial (9–6,000 years ago). This means that it was fairly wet at these times and also that there were strong westerly winds to form the dunes. Today strong westerly winds occur in winter, and we infer that the same was also true at those times, suggesting no change in circulation.
D. Y. Demezhko and A. A. Gornostaeva
Clim. Past, 11, 647–652, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-11-647-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-11-647-2015, 2015
M. Kehl, E. Eckmeier, S. O. Franz, F. Lehmkuhl, J. Soler, N. Soler, K. Reicherter, and G.-C. Weniger
Clim. Past, 10, 1673–1692, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1673-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1673-2014, 2014
G. Schwamborn, H. Meyer, L. Schirrmeister, and G. Fedorov
Clim. Past, 10, 1109–1123, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1109-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1109-2014, 2014
A. Kadereit and G. A. Wagner
Clim. Past, 10, 783–796, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-783-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-783-2014, 2014
J. Kleman, J. Fastook, K. Ebert, J. Nilsson, and R. Caballero
Clim. Past, 9, 2365–2378, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2365-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2365-2013, 2013
J. M. López-García, H.-A. Blain, M. Bennàsar, M. Sanz, and J. Daura
Clim. Past, 9, 1053–1064, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-1053-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-1053-2013, 2013
M. Damaschke, R. Sulpizio, G. Zanchetta, B. Wagner, A. Böhm, N. Nowaczyk, J. Rethemeyer, and A. Hilgers
Clim. Past, 9, 267–287, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-267-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-267-2013, 2013
D. Mottaghy, G. Schwamborn, and V. Rath
Clim. Past, 9, 119–133, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-119-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-119-2013, 2013
G. Schwamborn, G. Fedorov, N. Ostanin, L. Schirrmeister, A. Andreev, and the El'gygytgyn Scientific Party
Clim. Past, 8, 1897–1911, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-8-1897-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-8-1897-2012, 2012
K. Žák, D. K. Richter, M. Filippi, R. Živor, M. Deininger, A. Mangini, and D. Scholz
Clim. Past, 8, 1821–1837, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-8-1821-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-8-1821-2012, 2012
F. Gasse, L. Vidal, A.-L. Develle, and E. Van Campo
Clim. Past, 7, 1261–1284, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-7-1261-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-7-1261-2011, 2011
Cited articles
Affolter, S., Häuselmann, A., Fleitmann, D., Edwards, R. L., Cheng, H.,
and Leuenberger, M.: Central Europe temperature constrained by speleothem
fluid inclusion water isotopes over the past 14,000 years, Sci. Adv., 5,
eaav3809, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aav3809, 2019.
Alley, R. B.: The Younger Dryas cold interval as viewed from central
Greenland, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 19, 213–226,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-3791(99)00062-1, 2000.
Bakke, J., Lie, Ø., Heegaard, E., Dokken, T., Haug, G. H., Birks, H. H.,
Dulski, P., and Nilsen, T.: Rapid oceanic and atmospheric changes during the
Younger Dryas cold period, Nat. Geosci., 2, 202–205,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo439, 2009.
Baldini, J. U. L., Brown, R. J., and Mawdsley, N.: Evaluating the link between the sulfur-rich Laacher See volcanic eruption and the Younger Dryas climate anomaly, Clim. Past, 14, 969–990, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-969-2018, 2018.
Baldini, L. M., McDermott, F., Baldini, J. U. L., Arias, P., Cueto, M.,
Fairchild, I. J., Hoffmann, D. L., Mattey, D. P., Müller, W., Nita, D.
C., Ontañón, R., Garciá-Moncó, C., and Richards, D. A.:
Regional temperature, atmospheric circulation, and sea-ice variability
within the Younger Dryas Event constrained using a speleothem from northern
Iberia, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 419, 101–110,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.03.015, 2015.
Baroni, C., Casale, S., Salvatore, M. C., Ivy-Ochs, S., Christl, M.,
Carturan, L., Seppi, R., and Carton, A.: Double response of glaciers in the
Upper Peio Valley (Rhaetian Alps, Italy) to the Younger Dryas climatic
deterioration, Boreas, 46, 783–798, https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12284, 2017.
Bartolomé, M., Moreno, A., Sancho, C., Stoll, H. M., Cacho, I.,
Spötl, C., Belmonte, Á., Edwards, R. L., Cheng, H., and Hellstrom, J.
C.: Hydrological change in Southern Europe responding to increasing North
Atlantic overturning during Greenland Stadial 1, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA,
112, 6568–6572, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1503990112, 2015.
Belli, R., Borsato, A., Frisia, S., Drysdale, R., Maas, R. and Greig, A.: Investigating the hydrological significance of stalagmite geochemistry (Mg, Sr) using Sr isotope and particulate element records across the Late Glacial-to-Holocene transition, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 199, 247–263, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2016.10.024, 2017.
Brauer, A., Haug, G. H., Dulski, P., Sigman, D. M., and Negendank, J. F. W.:
An abrupt wind shift in western Europe at the onset of the Younger Dryas
cold period, Nat. Geosci., 1, 520–523, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo263, 2008.
Broecker, W. S.: Abrupt climate change revisited, Glob. Planet. Change, 56, 211–215, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GM001139, 2006.
Broecker, W. S., Kennett, J. P., Flower, B. P., Teller, J. T., Trumbore, S.,
Bonani, G., and Wolfli, W.: Routing of meltwater from the Laurentide Ice
Sheet during the Younger Dryas cold episode, Nature, 341, 318–321,
https://doi.org/10.1038/341318a0, 1989.
Broecker, W. S., Denton, G. H., Edwards, R. L., Cheng, H., Alley, R. B. and Putnam, A. E.: Putting the Younger Dryas cold event into context, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 29, 1078–1081, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.02.019, 2010.
Cheng, H., Edwards, R. L., Shen, C.-C., Polyak, V. J., Asmerom, Y.,
Woodhead, J., Hellstrom, J., Wang, Y., Kong, X., Spötl, C., Wang, X., and
Calvin Alexander, E.: Improvements in 230Th dating, 230Th and
234U half-life values, and U–Th isotopic measurements by
multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, Earth Planet.
Sci. Lett., 371–372, 82–91, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.04.006, 2013.
Cheng, H., Zhang, H., Spötl, C., Baker, J., Sinha, A., Li, H.,
Bartolomé, M., Moreno, A., Kathayat, G., Zhao, J., Dong, X., Li, Y.,
Ning, Y., Jia, X., Zong, B., Ait Brahim, Y., Pérez-Mejías, C., Cai,
Y., Novello, V. F., Cruz, F. W., Severinghaus, J. P., An, Z., and Edwards, R.
L.: Timing and structure of the Younger Dryas event and its underlying
climate dynamics., P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 117, 23408–23417,
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2007869117, 2020.
Denton, G. H., Alley, R. B., Comer, G. C., and Broecker, W. S.: The role of
seasonality in abrupt climate change, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 24,
1159–1182, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2004.12.002, 2005.
Edwards, R. L., Chen, J. H., and Wasserburg, G. J.:
238U-234U-230Th-232Th systematics and the precise
measurement of time over the past 500,000 years, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.,
81, 175–192, https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(87)90154-3, 1987.
Frauenfelder, R., Haeberli, W., Hoelzle, M. and Maisch, M.: Using relict
rockglaciers in GIS-based modelling to reconstruct Younger Dryas permafrost
distribution patterns in the Err-Julier area, Swiss Alps, Nor. Geogr.
Tidsskr., 55, 195–202, https://doi.org/10.1080/00291950152746522, 2001.
Ghadiri, E., Vogel, N., Brennwald, M. S., Maden, C., Häuselmann, A. D., Fleitmann, D., Cheng, H., and Kipfer, R.: Noble gas based temperature reconstruction on a Swiss stalagmite from the last glacial–interglacial transition and its comparison with other climate records, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 495, 192–201, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.05.019, 2018.
Hanley, E. J., Dewitt, D. P., and Roy, R. F.: The thermal diffusivity of
eight well-characterized rocks for the temperature range 300–1000 K, Eng.
Geol., 12, 31–47, https://doi.org/10.1016/0013-7952(78)90003-0, 1978.
Heiri, O., Brooks, S. J., Renssen, H., Bedford, A., Hazekamp, M., Ilyashuk,
B., Jeffers, E. S., Lang, B., Kirilova, E., Kuiper, S., Millet, L.,
Samartin, S., Toth, M., Verbruggen, F., Watson, J. E., van Asch, N.,
Lammertsma, E., Amon, L., Birks, H. H., Birks, H. J. B., Mortensen, M. F.,
Hoek, W. Z., Magyari, E., Muñoz Sobrino, C., Seppä, H., Tinner, W.,
Tonkov, S., Veski, S., and Lotter, A. F.: Validation of climate
model-inferred regional temperature change for late-glacial Europe, Nat.
Commun., 5, 4914, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5914, 2014a.
Heiri, O., Koinig, K. A., Spötl, C., Barrett, S., Brauer, A.,
Drescher-Schneider, R., Gaar, D., Ivy-Ochs, S., Kerschner, H., Luetscher,
M., Moran, A., Nicolussi, K., Preusser, F., Schmidt, R., Schoeneich, P.,
Schwörer, C., Sprafke, T., Terhorst, B., and Tinner, W.: Palaeoclimate
records 60–8 ka in the Austrian and Swiss Alps and their forelands, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 106, 186–205, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.05.021, 2014b.
Hepp, J., Wüthrich, L., Bromm, T., Bliedtner, M., Schäfer, I. K., Glaser, B., Rozanski, K., Sirocko, F., Zech, R., and Zech, M.: How dry was the Younger Dryas? Evidence from a coupled δ2H–δ18O biomarker paleohygrometer applied to the Gemündener Maar sediments, Western Eifel, Germany, Clim. Past, 15, 713–733, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-713-2019, 2019.
Ilyashuk, B., Gobet, E., Heiri, O., Lotter, A. F., van Leeuwen, J. F. N.,
van der Knaap, W. O., Ilyashuk, E., Oberli, F., and Ammann, B.: Lateglacial
environmental and climatic changes at the Maloja Pass, Central Swiss Alps,
as recorded by chironomids and pollen, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 28,
1340–1353, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.01.007, 2009.
Isarin, R. F. B., Renssen, H. and Vandenberghe, J.: The impact of the North
Atlantic Ocean on the Younger Dryas climate in northwestern and central
Europe, J. Quaternary Sci., 13, 447–453,
https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1099-1417(1998090)13:5<447::aid-jqs402>3.3.co;2-2, 1998.
Ivy-Ochs, S.: Glacier variations in the European Alps at the end of the last
glaciation, Cuadern. Investig. Geogr., 41, 295–315,
https://doi.org/10.18172/cig.2750, 2015.
Ivy-Ochs, S., Kerschner, H., Maisch, M., Christl, M., Kubik, P. W., and
Schlüchter, C.: Latest Pleistocene and Holocene glacier variations in
the European Alps, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 28, 2137–2149,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.03.009, 2009.
Jarosch, A.: alexjarosch/diffusion_1D_temp: Version 1.2 – TMP details (Version v1.2), Zenodo, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3982221, 2020.
Kerschner, H. and Ivy-Ochs, S.: Palaeoclimate from glaciers: Examples from
the Eastern Alps during the Alpine Lateglacial and early Holocene, Glob.
Planet. Change, 60, 58–71, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.07.034, 2008.
Kerschner, H., Kaser, G., and Sailer, R.: Alpine Younger Dryas glaciers as
palaeo-precipitation gauges, Ann. Glaciol., 31, 80–84, 2000.
Kerschner, H., Moran, A., and Ivy-Ochs, S.: Younger Dryas equilibrium line
altitudes and precipitation patterns in the Alps, Geophys. Res. Abstr., 18,
21136, 2016.
Lane, C. S., Brauer, A., Blockley, S. P. E., and Dulski, P.: Volcanic ash
reveals time-transgressive abrupt climate change during the Younger Dryas,
Geology, 41, 1251–1254, https://doi.org/10.1130/G34867.1, 2013.
Lauterbach, S., Brauer, A., Andersen, N., Danielopol, D. L., Dulski, P., Hüls, M., Milecka, K., Namiotko, T., Obremska, M., and von Grafenstein, U.: Environmental responses to Lateglacial climatic fluctuations recorded in the sediments of pre-Alpine Lake Mondsee (northeastern Alps), J. Quaternary Sci., 26, 253–267, https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.1448, 2011.
Li, H., Spötl, C. and Cheng, H.: A high-resolution speleothem proxy
record of the Late Glacial in the European Alps: extending the NALPS19
record until the beginning of the Holocene, J. Quaternary Sci., 36, 29–39,
https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3255, 2021.
Lotter, A. F., Birks, H. J. B., Eicher, U., Hofmann, W., Schwander, J., and Wick, L.: Younger Dryas and Allerød summer temperatures at Gerzensee (Switzerland) inferred from fossil pollen and cladoceran assemblages, Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol., 159, 349–361, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-0182(00)00093-6, 2000.
Luetscher, M. and Jeannin, P.: The role of winter air circulations for the
presence of subsurface ice accumulations: an example from Monlési ice
cave (Switzerland), Theor. Appl. Karstology, 17, 19–25, 2004.
Luetscher, M., Borreguero, M., Moseley, G. E., Spötl, C., and Edwards, R. L.: Alpine permafrost thawing during the Medieval Warm Period identified from cryogenic cave carbonates, The Cryosphere, 7, 1073–1081, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1073-2013, 2013.
Luetscher, M., Hellstrom, J., Müller, W., Barrett, S., and Dublyansky,
Y.: A Younger Dryas temperature reconstruction from alpine speleothems,
Geophys. Res. Abstr., 18, 11602, 2016.
Moran, A. P., Ivy-Ochs, S., Schuh, M., Christl, M., and Kerschner, H.:
Evidence of central Alpine glacier advances during the Younger Dryas–early
Holocene transition period, Boreas, 45, 398–410, https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12170,
2016.
Naughton, F., Costas, S., Gomes, S. D., Desprat, S., Rodrigues, T., Sanchez
Goñi, M. F., Renssen, H., Trigo, R., Bronk-Ramsey, C., Oliveira, D.,
Salgueiro, E., Voelker, A. H. L., and Abrantes, F.: Coupled ocean and
atmospheric changes during Greenland stadial 1 in southwestern Europe, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 212, 108–120, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.03.033, 2019.
Park, H., Fedorov, A. N., and Walsh, J. E.: Effect of snow cover on
pan-Arctic permafrost thermal regimes, Clim. Dyn., 44, 2873–2895,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-014-2356-5, 2014.
Perşoiu, A.: Ice caves climate, in Ice Caves, edited by: Perşoiu, A. and Lauritzen, S.-E., Elsevier, Amsterdam, 21–32, 2018.
Rasmussen, S. O., Bigler, M., Blockley, S. P., Blunier, T., Buchardt, S. L., Clausen, H. B., Cvijanovic, I., Dahl-Jensen, D., Johnsen, S. J., Fischer, H., Gkinis, V., Guillevic, M., Hoek, W. Z., Lowe, J. J., Pedro, J. B., Popp, T., Seierstad, I. K., Steffensen, J. P., Svensson, A. M., Vallelonga, P., Vinther, B. M., Walker, M. J. C., Wheatley, J. J., and Winstrup, M.: A stratigraphic framework for abrupt climatic changes during the Last Glacial period based on three synchronized Greenland ice-core records: refining and extending the INTIMATE event stratigraphy, Quat. Sci. Rev., 106, 14–28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.09.007, 2014
Rea, B. R., Pellitero, R., Spagnolo, M., Hughes, P., Ivy-ochs, S., Renssen,
H., Ribolini, A., Bakke, J., Lukas, S., and Braithwaite, R. J.: Atmospheric
circulation over Europe during the Younger Dryas, Sci. Adv., 6,
eaba4844, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aba4844, 2020.
Renssen, H., Lautenschlager, M., and Schuurmans, C. J. E.: The atmospheric
winter circulation during the Younger Dryas stadial in the Atlantic/European
sector, Clim. Dyn., 12, 813–824, https://doi.org/10.1007/s003820050145, 1996.
Renssen, H., Mairesse, A., Goosse, H., Mathiot, P., Heiri, O., Roche, D. M.,
Nisancioglu, K. H., Mairesse, A., and Valdes, P. J.: Multiple causes of the
Younger Dryas cold period, Nat. Geosci., 8, 946–949,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2557, 2015.
Rossi, C., Bajo, P., Lozano, R. P., and Hellstrom, J.: Younger Dryas to Early
Holocene paleoclimate in Cantabria (N Spain): Constraints from speleothem
Mg, annual fluorescence banding and stable isotope records, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 192, 71–85, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.05.025, 2018.
Šafanda, J. and Rajver, D.: Signature of the last ice age in the present subsurface temperatures in the Czech Republic and Slovenia, Glob. Planet. Change, 29, 241–257, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8181(01)00093-5, 2001.
Sailer, R. and Kerschner, H.: Equilibrium-line altitudes and rock glaciers during the Younger Dryas cooling event, Ferwall group, western Tyrol, Austria, Ann. Glaciol., 28, 141–145, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756499781821698, 1999.
Schenk, F., Väliranta, M., Muschitiello, F., Tarasov, L., Heikkilä, M., Björck, S., Brandefelt, J., Johansson, A. V., Näslund, J.-O., and Wohlfarth, B.: Warm summers during the Younger Dryas cold reversal, Nat.
Commun., 9, 1634, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04071-5, 2018.
Schlolaut, G., Brauer, A., Nakagawa, T., Lamb, H. F., Tyler, J. J., Staff, R. A., Marshall, M. H., Bronk Ramsey, C., Bryant, C. L., and Tarasov, P. E.: Evidence for a bi-partition of the Younger Dryas Stadial in East Asia associated with inversed climate characteristics compared to Europe, Sci. Rep.-UK, 7, 44983, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep44983, 2017.
Spötl, C. and Cheng, H.: Holocene climate change, permafrost and cryogenic carbonate formation: insights from a recently deglaciated, high-elevation cave in the Austrian Alps, Clim. Past, 10, 1349–1362, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1349-2014, 2014.
Spötl, C. and Vennemann, T. W.: Continuous-flow isotope ratio mass
spectrometric analysis of carbonate minerals, Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom.,
17, 1004–1006, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.1010, 2003.
Spötl, C., Koltai, G., Jarosch, A., and Cheng, H.: Increased autumn and winter precipitation during the Last Glacial Maximum in the European Alps, Nat. Commun., 12, 1839, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22090-7, 2021.
Stute, M. and Deák, J.: Environmental isotope study (14C, 13C,
18O, D, noble gases) on deep groundwater circulation systems in Hungary
with reference to paleoclimate, Radiocarbon, 31, 902–918, 1989.
Varsányi, I., Palcsu, L., and Kovács, L. Ó.: Groundwater flow
system as an archive of palaeotemperature: Noble gas, radiocarbon, stable
isotope and geochemical study in the Pannonian Basin, Hungary, Appl. Geoch.,
26, 91–104, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2010.11.006, 2011.
Wurth, G., Niggemann, S., Richter, D. K., and Mangini, A.: The Younger Dryas
and Holocene climate record of a stalagmite from Hölloch Cave (Bavarian
Alps, Germany), J. Quaternary Sci., 19, 291–298, https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.837, 2004.
von Grafenstein, U., Erlenkeuser, H., Brauer, A., Jouzel, J., and Johnsen,
S. J.: A mid-European decadal isotope-climate record from 15,500 to 5000
years B. P., Science 284, 1654–1657, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.284.5420.1654, 1999.
von Grafenstein, U. , Eicher, U., Erlenkeuser, H., Ruch, P., Schwander, J., and Ammann, B.: Isotope signature of the Younger Dryas and two minor oscillations at Gerzensee (Switzerland): Palaeoclimatic and palaeolimnologic interpretation based on bulk and biogenic carbonates, Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol., 159, 215–229,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-0182(00)00086-9, 2000.
Žák, K., Onac, B. P., and Perşoiu, A.: Cryogenic carbonates in
cave environments: A review, Quat. Int., 187, 84–96,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2007.02.022, 2008.
Žák, K., Richter, D. K., Filippi, M., Živor, R., Deininger, M., Mangini, A., and Scholz, D.: Coarsely crystalline cryogenic cave carbonate – a new archive to estimate the Last Glacial minimum permafrost depth in Central Europe, Clim. Past, 8, 1821–1837, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-8-1821-2012, 2012.
Žák, K., Onac, B. P., Kadebskaya, O. I., Filippi, M., Dublyansky, Y., and Luetscher, M.: Cryogenic mineral formation in Caves, in: Ice Caves, edited by: Perşoiu, A. and Lauritzen, S.-E., Elsevier, 123–162, 2018.
Zhang, T.: Influence of the seasonal snow cover on the ground thermal
regime: an overview, Rev. Geophys., 43, RG4002, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004RG000157,
2005.
Short summary
This paper utilises a novel palaeoclimate archive from caves, cryogenic cave carbonates, which allow for precisely constraining permafrost thawing events in the past. Our study provides new insights into the climate of the Younger Dryas (12 800 to 11 700 years BP) in mid-Europe from the perspective of a high-elevation cave sensitive to permafrost development. We quantify seasonal temperature and precipitation changes by using a heat conduction model.
This paper utilises a novel palaeoclimate archive from caves, cryogenic cave carbonates, which...
