Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2023-72
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2023-72
29 Sep 2023
 | 29 Sep 2023
Status: a revised version of this preprint was accepted for the journal CP and is expected to appear here in due course.

Reconstructing Younger Dryas Ground Temperature and Snow Thickness from Cave Deposits

Paul Töchterle, Anna Baldo, Julian B. Murton, Frederik Schenk, R. Lawrence Edwards, Gabriella Koltai, and Gina E. Moseley

Abstract. The Younger Dryas Stadial was characterized by a rapid shift towards cold-climate conditions in the North Atlantic realm during the last deglaciation. While some climate parameters including atmospheric temperature and glacier extent are widely studied, empirical constraints on permafrost temperature and snow thickness are limited. To address this, we present a regional dataset of cryogenic cave carbonates (CCCs) from three caves in Great Britain that formed at temperatures between −2 and 0 °C. Our CCC record indicates that these permafrost temperatures persisted for most of the Younger Dryas. By 15 combining ground temperatures with surface temperatures from high-resolution, ground-truthed model simulations, we demonstrate that ground temperatures were approximately 6.6 ± 2.3 °C warmer than the mean annual air temperature. Our results suggest that the observed temperature offset between permafrost and the atmosphere can be explained by an average snow thickness between 0.2 and 0.9 m, which persisted for 233 ± 54 days per year.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
Paul Töchterle, Anna Baldo, Julian B. Murton, Frederik Schenk, R. Lawrence Edwards, Gabriella Koltai, and Gina E. Moseley

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on cp-2023-72', Anonymous Referee #1, 02 Nov 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Paul Toechterle, 21 Dec 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on cp-2023-72', Anonymous Referee #2, 22 Nov 2023
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Paul Toechterle, 21 Dec 2023

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on cp-2023-72', Anonymous Referee #1, 02 Nov 2023
    • AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Paul Toechterle, 21 Dec 2023
  • RC2: 'Comment on cp-2023-72', Anonymous Referee #2, 22 Nov 2023
    • AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Paul Toechterle, 21 Dec 2023
Paul Töchterle, Anna Baldo, Julian B. Murton, Frederik Schenk, R. Lawrence Edwards, Gabriella Koltai, and Gina E. Moseley
Paul Töchterle, Anna Baldo, Julian B. Murton, Frederik Schenk, R. Lawrence Edwards, Gabriella Koltai, and Gina E. Moseley

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Latest update: 29 Jun 2024
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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 curcial factor to explain the observed climate shifts during this time.