Subglacial Precipitates Record Antarctic Ice Sheet Response to Southern Ocean Warming
Abstract Subglacial calcite precipitation is thought to occur in East Antarctica during periods when warm Southern Ocean waters access the ice sheet margin. Here we present an expanded precipitate archive that includes a continent‐wide compilation of 38 new and previously reported calcite 234U‐230Th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110756 |
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| author | Jessica Gagliardi Terrence Blackburn Gavin Piccione Slawek Tulaczyk C. Brenhin Keller |
| author_facet | Jessica Gagliardi Terrence Blackburn Gavin Piccione Slawek Tulaczyk C. Brenhin Keller |
| author_sort | Jessica Gagliardi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Subglacial calcite precipitation is thought to occur in East Antarctica during periods when warm Southern Ocean waters access the ice sheet margin. Here we present an expanded precipitate archive that includes a continent‐wide compilation of 38 new and previously reported calcite 234U‐230Th ages with isotopic compositional data. These data are interpreted to record periods when interior meltwaters are exported to the ice sheet margins as a result of ice acceleration and thinning. An assessment of coincidence between 234U‐230Th dates, ranging from 16 to 256 ka, and peaks in Southern Ocean temperature yields a statistically significant correlation. Additional comparison of precipitate dates and climate data finds that calcite formation and ice acceleration cluster within periods of enhanced millennial scale climate variability as well as high global ice volume. This sensitivity to background climate is consistent with the hypothesis that these factors exert some control on ice sheet response to changes in climate. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-690526091cd64cb8b18f92401745e7a0 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-690526091cd64cb8b18f92401745e7a02025-08-20T02:56:35ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-04-01528n/an/a10.1029/2024GL110756Subglacial Precipitates Record Antarctic Ice Sheet Response to Southern Ocean WarmingJessica Gagliardi0Terrence Blackburn1Gavin Piccione2Slawek Tulaczyk3C. Brenhin Keller4Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USADepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USADepartment of Earth Environmental and Planetary Sciences Brown University Providence RI USADepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USADepartment of Earth Sciences Dartmouth College Hanover NH USAAbstract Subglacial calcite precipitation is thought to occur in East Antarctica during periods when warm Southern Ocean waters access the ice sheet margin. Here we present an expanded precipitate archive that includes a continent‐wide compilation of 38 new and previously reported calcite 234U‐230Th ages with isotopic compositional data. These data are interpreted to record periods when interior meltwaters are exported to the ice sheet margins as a result of ice acceleration and thinning. An assessment of coincidence between 234U‐230Th dates, ranging from 16 to 256 ka, and peaks in Southern Ocean temperature yields a statistically significant correlation. Additional comparison of precipitate dates and climate data finds that calcite formation and ice acceleration cluster within periods of enhanced millennial scale climate variability as well as high global ice volume. This sensitivity to background climate is consistent with the hypothesis that these factors exert some control on ice sheet response to changes in climate.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110756geochronologyice sheetsAMOCsouthern oceanu‐seriesAntarctica |
| spellingShingle | Jessica Gagliardi Terrence Blackburn Gavin Piccione Slawek Tulaczyk C. Brenhin Keller Subglacial Precipitates Record Antarctic Ice Sheet Response to Southern Ocean Warming Geophysical Research Letters geochronology ice sheets AMOC southern ocean u‐series Antarctica |
| title | Subglacial Precipitates Record Antarctic Ice Sheet Response to Southern Ocean Warming |
| title_full | Subglacial Precipitates Record Antarctic Ice Sheet Response to Southern Ocean Warming |
| title_fullStr | Subglacial Precipitates Record Antarctic Ice Sheet Response to Southern Ocean Warming |
| title_full_unstemmed | Subglacial Precipitates Record Antarctic Ice Sheet Response to Southern Ocean Warming |
| title_short | Subglacial Precipitates Record Antarctic Ice Sheet Response to Southern Ocean Warming |
| title_sort | subglacial precipitates record antarctic ice sheet response to southern ocean warming |
| topic | geochronology ice sheets AMOC southern ocean u‐series Antarctica |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110756 |
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