Articles | Volume 21, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-261-2025
© Author(s) 2025. 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-21-261-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
29 Jan 2025
Research article |
| 29 Jan 2025
| 29 Jan 2025
Spatio-temporal dynamics of speleothem growth and glaciation in the British Isles
Sina Panitz
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, NE1 8ST, UK
School of Health & Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, TS1 3BX, UK
Michael Rogerson
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, NE1 8ST, UK
Jack Longman
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, NE1 8ST, UK
Nick Scroxton
Department of Geography, Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland
Tim J. Lawson
School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, UK
Tim C. Atkinson
Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, WC1E 6BS, UK
Vasile Ersek
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, NE1 8ST, UK
James Baldini
Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
Lisa Baldini
School of Health & Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, TS1 3BX, UK
Stuart Umbo
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, NE1 8ST, UK
Mahjoor A. Lone
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, NE1 8ST, UK
Gideon M. Henderson
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3AN, UK
Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, NE1 8ST, UK
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Lutz Schirrmeister, Margret C. Fuchs, Thomas Opel, Andrei Andreev, Frank Kienast, Andrea Schneider, Larisa Nazarova, Larisa Frolova, Svetlana Kuzmina, Tatiana Kuznetsova, Vladimir Tumskoy, Heidrun Matthes, Gerit Lohmann, Guido Grosse, Viktor Kunitsky, Hanno Meyer, Heike H. Zimmermann, Ulrike Herzschuh, Thomas Boehmer, Stuart Umbo, Sevi Modestou, Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach, Anfisa Pismeniuk, Georg Schwamborn, Stephanie Kusch, and Sebastian Wetterich
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2024-74, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2024-74, 2024
Preprint under review for CP
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The strong ecosystem response to the Last Interglacial warming, reflected in the high diversity of proxies, shows the sensitivity of permafrost regions to rising temperatures. In particular, the development of thermokarst landscapes created a mosaic of terrestrial, wetland, and aquatic habitats, fostering an increase in biodiversity. This biodiversity is evident in the rich variety of terrestrial insects, vegetation, and aquatic invertebrates preserved in these deposits.
Virgil Drăgușin, Nicolaie Alexandru, Mihai Caminschi, Florina Chitea, Vasile Ersek, Alina Floroiu, Liviu Giosan, Georgiana Alexandra Grigore, Diana Hanganu, Maria Ilie, Dumitru Ioane, Marius Mocuța, Adrian Iulian Pantia, Iulian Popa, Gabriela Sava, Tiberiu Sava, Răsvan Stochici, and Constantin Ungureanu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2385, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2385, 2024
Preprint archived
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We discovered marine sediments on the Black Sea coast in eastern Romania at an altitude of 10 m and reveal that a tectonic block quickly descended 4 m below sea level, allowed for the deposition of sediments, and was then suddenly raised by 10 m sometimes during the last 200–300 years. This type of displacement needs to be taken into account when calculating past sea levels, while their recent and strong character should be seen as hazardous for coastal settlements.
Stuart Umbo, Franziska Lechleitner, Thomas Opel, Sevasti Modestou, Tobias Braun, Anton Vaks, Gideon Henderson, Pete Scott, Alexander Osintzev, Alexandr Kononov, Irina Adrian, Yuri Dublyansky, Alena Giesche, and Sebastian Breitenbach
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1691, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1691, 2024
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We use cave rocks to reconstruct northern Siberian climate 8.68 ± 0.09 million years ago. We show that when global average temperature was about 4.5 °C warmer than today (similar to what’s expected in the coming decades should carbon emissions continue unabated), Arctic temperature increased by more than 18 °C. Similar levels of Arctic warming in the future would see huge areas of permafrost (permanently frozen ground) thaw and release greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
Jade Margerum, Julia Homann, Stuart Umbo, Gernot Nehrke, Thorsten Hoffmann, Anton Vaks, Aleksandr Kononov, Alexander Osintsev, Alena Giesche, Andrew Mason, Franziska A. Lechleitner, Gideon M. Henderson, Ola Kwiecien, and Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1707, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1707, 2024
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We analyse a southern Siberian stalagmite to reconstruct soil respiration, wildfire, and vegetation trends, during the last interglacial (LIG) (124.1 – 118.8 ka BP) and Holocene (10 – 0 ka BP). We show that wildfires were greater during the LIG than the Holocene and were supported by fire prone-species, low soil respiration, and a greater difference between summer and winter temperature. We show that vegetation type and summer/winter temperature contrast are strong drivers of Siberian wildfires.
Madeleine L. Vickers, Morgan T. Jones, Jack Longman, David Evans, Clemens V. Ullmann, Ella Wulfsberg Stokke, Martin Vickers, Joost Frieling, Dustin T. Harper, Vincent J. Clementi, and IODP Expedition 396 Scientists
Clim. Past, 20, 1–23, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1-2024, 2024
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The discovery of cold-water glendonite pseudomorphs in sediments deposited during the hottest part of the Cenozoic poses an apparent climate paradox. This study examines their occurrence, association with volcanic sediments, and speculates on the timing and extent of cooling, fitting this with current understanding of global climate during this period. We propose that volcanic activity was key to both physical and chemical conditions that enabled the formation of glendonites in these sediments.
Julius Eberhard, Oliver E. Bevan, Georg Feulner, Stefan Petri, Jeroen van Hunen, and James U. L. Baldini
Clim. Past, 19, 2203–2235, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2203-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2203-2023, 2023
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During at least two phases in its past, Earth was more or less covered in ice. These “snowball Earth” events probably started suddenly upon undercutting a certain threshold in the carbon-dioxide concentration. This threshold can vary considerably under different conditions. In our study, we find the thresholds for different distributions of continents, geometries of Earth’s orbit, and volcanic eruptions. The results show that the threshold might have varied by up to 46 %.
Julia Homann, Niklas Karbach, Stacy A. Carolin, Daniel H. James, David Hodell, Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach, Ola Kwiecien, Mark Brenner, Carlos Peraza Lope, and Thorsten Hoffmann
Biogeosciences, 20, 3249–3260, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3249-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3249-2023, 2023
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Cave stalagmites contain substances that can be used to reconstruct past changes in local and regional environmental conditions. We used two classes of biomarkers (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and monosaccharide anhydrides) to detect the presence of fire and to also explore changes in fire regime (e.g. fire frequency, intensity, and fuel source). We tested our new method on a stalagmite from Mayapan, a large Maya city on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Cinthya Esther Nava Fernandez, Tobias Braun, Bethany Fox, Adam Hartland, Ola Kwiecien, Chelsea Pederson, Sebastian Hoepker, Stefano Bernasconi, Madalina Jaggi, John Hellstrom, Fernando Gázquez, Amanda French, Norbert Marwan, Adrian Immenhauser, and Sebastian Franz Martin Breitenbach
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2021-172, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2021-172, 2022
Manuscript not accepted for further review
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We provide a ca. 1000 year long (6.4–5.4 ka BP) stalagmite-based reconstruction of mid-Holocene rainfall variability in the tropical western Pacific. The annually laminated multi-proxy (δ13C, δ18O, X/Ca, gray values) record comes from Niue island and informs on El Nino-Southern Oscillation and South Pacific Convergence Zone dynamics. Our data suggest that ENSO was active and influenced rainfall seasonality over the covered time interval. Rainfall seasonality was subdued during active ENSO phases
Andrew J. Mason, Anton Vaks, Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach, John N. Hooker, and Gideon M. Henderson
Geochronology, 4, 33–54, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-33-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-33-2022, 2022
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A novel technique for the uranium–lead dating of geologically young carbonates is described and tested. The technique expands our ability to date geological events such as fault movements and past climate records.
Jack Longman, Daniel Veres, Aritina Haliuc, Walter Finsinger, Vasile Ersek, Daniela Pascal, Tiberiu Sava, and Robert Begy
Clim. Past, 17, 2633–2652, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2633-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2633-2021, 2021
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Peatlands are some of the best environments for storing carbon; thus, comprehending how much carbon can be stored and how amounts have changed through time is important to understand carbon cycling. We analysed nine peatlands from central–eastern Europe to look at how carbon storage in mountain bogs has changed over the last 10 000 years. We conclude that human activity is the main driver of changes in storage levels over the past 4000 years; prior to this, climate was the primary driver.
Inken Heidke, Adam Hartland, Denis Scholz, Andrew Pearson, John Hellstrom, Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach, and Thorsten Hoffmann
Biogeosciences, 18, 2289–2300, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2289-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2289-2021, 2021
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We analyzed lignin oxidation products (LOPs) in leaf litter and different soil horizons as well as dripwater and flowstone samples from four different cave sites from different vegetation zones in New Zealand using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. We test whether the original source-dependent LOP signal of the overlying vegetation is preserved and can be recovered from flowstone samples and investigate how the signal is altered by the transport from the soil to the cave.
Nick Scroxton, Stephen J. Burns, David McGee, Laurie R. Godfrey, Lovasoa Ranivoharimanana, and Peterson Faina
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2020-138, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2020-138, 2020
Revised manuscript not accepted
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The end of the Harappan civilization in the Indus Valley around 4,200 years ago has been attributed to monsoon failure associated with a global megadrought. Using a suite of high resolution paleoclimate records from around the Indian Ocean basin we find that two consecutive droughts contributed to the end of the Harappa. A winter drought starting 4,200 years ago was followed by monsoon failure at 3,900 years ago. The double hit caused civilization decline first, and abandonment later.
Nick Scroxton, Stephen J. Burns, David McGee, Laurie R. Godfrey, Lovasoa Ranivoharimanana, and Peterson Faina
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2020-137, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2020-137, 2020
Revised manuscript not accepted
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The 4.2 kyr climatic event caused drought in the Mediterranean and Middle East and the collapse of the Akkadian Civilization. Outside of this region the global footprint of this event, be it drought or flood conditions, is poorly understood. This study uses a stalagmite from Madagascar to determine how the 4.2 kyr event influenced the South-East African Monsoon. We find drought in Madagascar and around Lake Malawi but wet conditions elsewhere, a pattern that resembles modern climate variability.
Laia Comas-Bru, Kira Rehfeld, Carla Roesch, Sahar Amirnezhad-Mozhdehi, Sandy P. Harrison, Kamolphat Atsawawaranunt, Syed Masood Ahmad, Yassine Ait Brahim, Andy Baker, Matthew Bosomworth, Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach, Yuval Burstyn, Andrea Columbu, Michael Deininger, Attila Demény, Bronwyn Dixon, Jens Fohlmeister, István Gábor Hatvani, Jun Hu, Nikita Kaushal, Zoltán Kern, Inga Labuhn, Franziska A. Lechleitner, Andrew Lorrey, Belen Martrat, Valdir Felipe Novello, Jessica Oster, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Denis Scholz, Nick Scroxton, Nitesh Sinha, Brittany Marie Ward, Sophie Warken, Haiwei Zhang, and SISAL Working Group members
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 2579–2606, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2579-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2579-2020, 2020
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This paper presents an updated version of the SISAL (Speleothem Isotope Synthesis and Analysis) database. This new version contains isotopic data from 691 speleothem records from 294 cave sites and new age–depth models, including their uncertainties, for 512 speleothems.
Cinthya Nava-Fernandez, Adam Hartland, Fernando Gázquez, Ola Kwiecien, Norbert Marwan, Bethany Fox, John Hellstrom, Andrew Pearson, Brittany Ward, Amanda French, David A. Hodell, Adrian Immenhauser, and Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 3361–3380, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3361-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-3361-2020, 2020
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Speleothems are powerful archives of past climate for understanding modern local hydrology and its relation to regional circulation patterns. We use a 3-year monitoring dataset to test the sensitivity of Waipuna Cave to seasonal changes and El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) dynamics. Drip water data suggest a fast response to rainfall events; its elemental composition reflects a seasonal cycle and ENSO variability. Waipuna Cave speleothems have a high potential for past ENSO reconstructions.
Laia Comas-Bru, Sandy P. Harrison, Martin Werner, Kira Rehfeld, Nick Scroxton, Cristina Veiga-Pires, and SISAL working group members
Clim. Past, 15, 1557–1579, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1557-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1557-2019, 2019
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We use an updated version of the Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and Analysis (SISAL) database and palaeoclimate simulations generated using the ECHAM5-wiso isotope-enabled climate model to provide a protocol for using speleothem isotopic data for model evaluation, including screening the observations and the optimum period for the modern observational baseline. We also illustrate techniques through which the absolute isotopic values during any time period could be used for model evaluation.
Rhawn F. Denniston, Amanda N. Houts, Yemane Asmerom, Alan D. Wanamaker Jr., Jonathan A. Haws, Victor J. Polyak, Diana L. Thatcher, Setsen Altan-Ochir, Alyssa C. Borowske, Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach, Caroline C. Ummenhofer, Frederico T. Regala, Michael M. Benedetti, and Nuno F. Bicho
Clim. Past, 14, 1893–1913, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1893-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1893-2018, 2018
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The sediment deposited off the coast of Portugal includes the remains of marine organisms and pollen washed to sea from Iberia. Analysis of both the pollen and the ocean sediments has revealed that the type and density of vegetation on land changed in concert with shifts in ocean temperature over centuries to tens of millennia. Proxies for climate in Portuguese stalagmites from the last two glacial periods show precipitation was reduced when sea surface temperatures fell.
Kamolphat Atsawawaranunt, Laia Comas-Bru, Sahar Amirnezhad Mozhdehi, Michael Deininger, Sandy P. Harrison, Andy Baker, Meighan Boyd, Nikita Kaushal, Syed Masood Ahmad, Yassine Ait Brahim, Monica Arienzo, Petra Bajo, Kerstin Braun, Yuval Burstyn, Sakonvan Chawchai, Wuhui Duan, István Gábor Hatvani, Jun Hu, Zoltán Kern, Inga Labuhn, Matthew Lachniet, Franziska A. Lechleitner, Andrew Lorrey, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Robyn Pickering, Nick Scroxton, and SISAL Working Group Members
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 1687–1713, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1687-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1687-2018, 2018
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This paper is an overview of the contents of the SISAL database and its structure. The database contains oxygen and carbon isotope measurements from 371 individual speleothem records and 10 composite records from 174 cave systems from around the world. The SISAL database is created by a collective effort of the members of the Past Global Changes SISAL working group, which aims to provide a comprehensive compilation of speleothem isotope records for climate reconstruction and model evaluation.
James U. L. Baldini, Richard J. Brown, and Natasha Mawdsley
Clim. Past, 14, 969–990, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-969-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-969-2018, 2018
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The Younger Dryas occurred ~13 ka BP and is an iconic millennial-scale climate anomaly. However, the cause of the event is still ambiguous. Here, we propose that the event was triggered by a large, sulfur-rich eruption of the Laacher See volcano (Germany). The eruption's direct (sulfate aerosol-induced) cooling effects lasted less than 5 years, and we suggest these were amplified and extended by a sea-ice–ocean circulation positive feedback, leading to the event's characteristic features.
Jack Longman, Daniel Veres, Vasile Ersek, Ulrich Salzmann, Katalin Hubay, Marc Bormann, Volker Wennrich, and Frank Schäbitz
Clim. Past, 13, 897–917, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-897-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-897-2017, 2017
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We present the first record of dust input into an eastern European bog over the past 10 800 years. We find significant changes in past dust deposition, with large inputs related to both natural and human influences. We show evidence that Saharan desertification has had a significant impact on dust deposition in eastern Europe for the past 6100 years.
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
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
Cryogenic cave carbonates in the Dolomites (northern Italy): insights into Younger Dryas cooling and seasonal precipitation
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
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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
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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
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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.
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
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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
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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.
Gabriella Koltai, Christoph Spötl, Alexander H. Jarosch, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 17, 775–789, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-775-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-775-2021, 2021
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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.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 in both 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.
Reconstructions of past glaciations tell us about how ice sheets grow and retreat. In this...
