Difference between revisions of "Holocene climate change in the Antarctic Peninsula (AP)"

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:''This page is part of the topic [[Regional patterns of holocene climate change in Antarctica]]''
 
:''This page is part of the topic [[Regional patterns of holocene climate change in Antarctica]]''
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==Deglaciation history and the Pleistocene-Holocene transition==
  
 
[[File:Figure 3.26 - Selected Holocene environmental changes - Antarctic Peninsula.png|thumb|'''3.26''' Selected Holocene environmental changes – Antarctic Peninsula]]
 
[[File:Figure 3.26 - Selected Holocene environmental changes - Antarctic Peninsula.png|thumb|'''3.26''' Selected Holocene environmental changes – Antarctic Peninsula]]
Deglaciation history and the Pleistocene-Holocene transition: The pattern and mechanisms of Holocene palaeoenvironmental change in the AP region have recently been reviewed (Bentley et al., 2009<ref name="Bentley et al, 2009">Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Smith, J.A., &Oacute; Cofaigh, C., Domack, E.W., Larter, R.D., Roberts, S.J., Brachfeld, S., Leventer, A., Hjort, C., Hillenbrand, C-D. and Evans, J. 2009. Mechanisms of Holocene palaeoenvironmental change in the Antarctic Peninsula region, ''The Holocene'', '''19''', 51-69.</ref>). The early Holocene climate optimum detected in ice cores lasted to around 9.2 ka BP (Masson et al., 2000<ref name="Masson et al, 2000">Masson, V., Vimeux, F., Jouzel, J., Morgan, V., Delmotte, M., Ciais, P., Hammer, C., Johnsen, S., Lipenkov, V.Y., Mosley-Thompson, E., Petit, J.R., Steig, E.J., Stievenard, M. and Vaikmae, R. 2000. Holocene climate variability in Antarctica based on 11 ice-core isotope records, ''Quaternary Research'', '''54''', 348-358.</ref>; Masson-Delmotte et al., 2004<ref name="Masson-Delmotte et al, 2004">Masson-Delmotte, V., Stenni, B. and Jouzel, J. 2004. Common millennial-scale variability of Antarctic and Southern Ocean temperatures during the past 5000 years reconstructed from the EPICA Dome C ice core, ''The Holocene'', '''14''', 145-151.</ref>) occurred at the same time as the continued deglaciation of the AP continental shelf (Bentley, 1999<ref name="Bentley, 1999">Bentley, M.J. 1999. Volume of Antarctic Ice at the Last Glacial Maximum, and its impact on global sea level change, ''Quaternary Science Reviews'', '''18''', 1569-1595.</ref>; Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 2003<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 2003">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C. and Humlum, O. 2003. Glacial and Climate History of the Antarctic Peninsula since the Last Glacial Maximum, Arctic, ''Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''35''', 175-186.</ref>; Bentley et al., 2006<ref name="Bentley et al, 2006">Bentley, M.J., Fogwill, C.J., Kubik, P.W. and Sugden, D.E. 2006. Geomorphological evidence and cosmogenic <sup>10</sup>Be/26Al exposure ages for the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet, ''GSA Bulletin'', '''118''', 1149-1159.</ref>). Ice sheet retreat around the AP probably began c. 14-13 ka BP (Evans et al., 2005<ref name="Evans et al, 2005">Evans, J., Pudsey, C.J., O&rsquo;Cofaigh, C., Morris, P. and Domack, E. 2005. Late Quaternary Glacial History, Flow Dynamics and Sedimentation Along the Eastern Margin of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet, ''Quaternary Science Reviews'', '''24''', 741-774.</ref>; Heroy and Anderson, 2005<ref name="Heroy and Anderson, 2005">Heroy, D.C. and Anderson, J.B. 2005. Ice-sheet extent of the Antarctic Peninsula region during the Last Glacial maximum (LGM) - Insights from glacial geomorphology. GSA Bulletin 117:1497-1512.</ref>), and continued through the Holocene ([[:File:Figure 3.26 - Selected Holocene environmental changes - Antarctic Peninsula.png|Figure 3.26]]). The early Holocene optimum is however absent in the offshore Palmer Deep record, which is characterized by an apparent &lsquo;cold&rsquo; proxy record at that time (11.5 &ndash; 9.1 ka BP) (Domack, 2002<ref name="Domack, 2002">Domack, E. 2002. A synthesis for site 1098: Palmer Deep. In: Barker PF, Camerlenghi A, Acton GD, Ramsay ATS (eds) Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, 178. Ocean Drilling Program, Texas A and M University, College Station TX 77843-9547, USA.</ref>; Sjunneskog and Taylor, 2002<ref name="Sjunneskog and Taylor, 2002">Sjunneskog, C. and Taylor, F. 2002. Postglacial marine diatom record of the Palmer Deep, Antarctic Peninsula (ODP Leg 178, Site 1098) 1. Total diatom abundance, Paleoceanography, 17(3), doi:10.1029/2000PA000563.</ref>; Taylor and Sjunneskog, 2002<ref name="Taylor and Sjunneskog, 2002">Taylor, F., and Sjunneskog, C. 2002. Postglacial marine diatom record of the Palmer deep, Antarctic Peninsula (ODP Leg 178, site 1098) 2. Diatom assemblages. Paleoceanography, 17(3), doi:10.1029/2000PA000564.</ref>). There is little evidence in the terrestrial record in the Peninsula for an early Holocene climate optimum, because most currently ice-free areas were probably still ice-covered before c. 9.5 ka BP (Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 1998<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 1998">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C., Berkman, P.A., Bj&ouml;rck, S., Colhoun, E.A., Goodwin, I.D., Hall, B.L., Hirakawa, K., Melles, M., M&ouml;ller, P. and Prentice, M.L. 1998. Antarctic glacial history since the last glacial maximum: an overview of the record on land, ''Antarctic Science'', '''10''', 326-344.</ref>, 2003<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 2003">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C. and Humlum, O. 2003. Glacial and Climate History of the Antarctic Peninsula since the Last Glacial Maximum, Arctic, ''Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''35''', 175-186.</ref>).
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The pattern and mechanisms of Holocene palaeoenvironmental change in the AP region have recently been reviewed (Bentley et al., 2009<ref name="Bentley et al, 2009">Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Smith, J.A., &Oacute; Cofaigh, C., Domack, E.W., Larter, R.D., Roberts, S.J., Brachfeld, S., Leventer, A., Hjort, C., Hillenbrand, C-D. and Evans, J. 2009. Mechanisms of Holocene palaeoenvironmental change in the Antarctic Peninsula region, ''The Holocene'', '''19''', 51-69.</ref>). The early Holocene climate optimum detected in ice cores lasted to around 9.2 ka BP (Masson et al., 2000<ref name="Masson et al, 2000">Masson, V., Vimeux, F., Jouzel, J., Morgan, V., Delmotte, M., Ciais, P., Hammer, C., Johnsen, S., Lipenkov, V.Y., Mosley-Thompson, E., Petit, J.R., Steig, E.J., Stievenard, M. and Vaikmae, R. 2000. Holocene climate variability in Antarctica based on 11 ice-core isotope records, ''Quaternary Research'', '''54''', 348-358.</ref>; Masson-Delmotte et al., 2004<ref name="Masson-Delmotte et al, 2004">Masson-Delmotte, V., Stenni, B. and Jouzel, J. 2004. Common millennial-scale variability of Antarctic and Southern Ocean temperatures during the past 5000 years reconstructed from the EPICA Dome C ice core, ''The Holocene'', '''14''', 145-151.</ref>) occurred at the same time as the continued deglaciation of the AP continental shelf (Bentley, 1999<ref name="Bentley, 1999">Bentley, M.J. 1999. Volume of Antarctic Ice at the Last Glacial Maximum, and its impact on global sea level change, ''Quaternary Science Reviews'', '''18''', 1569-1595.</ref>; Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 2003<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 2003">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C. and Humlum, O. 2003. Glacial and Climate History of the Antarctic Peninsula since the Last Glacial Maximum, Arctic, ''Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''35''', 175-186.</ref>; Bentley et al., 2006<ref name="Bentley et al, 2006">Bentley, M.J., Fogwill, C.J., Kubik, P.W. and Sugden, D.E. 2006. Geomorphological evidence and cosmogenic <sup>10</sup>Be/26Al exposure ages for the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet, ''GSA Bulletin'', '''118''', 1149-1159.</ref>). Ice sheet retreat around the AP probably began c. 14-13 ka BP (Evans et al., 2005<ref name="Evans et al, 2005">Evans, J., Pudsey, C.J., O&rsquo;Cofaigh, C., Morris, P. and Domack, E. 2005. Late Quaternary Glacial History, Flow Dynamics and Sedimentation Along the Eastern Margin of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet, ''Quaternary Science Reviews'', '''24''', 741-774.</ref>; Heroy and Anderson, 2005<ref name="Heroy and Anderson, 2005">Heroy, D.C. and Anderson, J.B. 2005. Ice-sheet extent of the Antarctic Peninsula region during the Last Glacial maximum (LGM) - Insights from glacial geomorphology. GSA Bulletin 117:1497-1512.</ref>), and continued through the Holocene ([[:File:Figure 3.26 - Selected Holocene environmental changes - Antarctic Peninsula.png|Figure 3.26]]). The early Holocene optimum is however absent in the offshore Palmer Deep record, which is characterized by an apparent &lsquo;cold&rsquo; proxy record at that time (11.5 &ndash; 9.1 ka BP) (Domack, 2002<ref name="Domack, 2002">Domack, E. 2002. A synthesis for site 1098: Palmer Deep. In: Barker PF, Camerlenghi A, Acton GD, Ramsay ATS (eds) Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, 178. Ocean Drilling Program, Texas A and M University, College Station TX 77843-9547, USA.</ref>; Sjunneskog and Taylor, 2002<ref name="Sjunneskog and Taylor, 2002">Sjunneskog, C. and Taylor, F. 2002. Postglacial marine diatom record of the Palmer Deep, Antarctic Peninsula (ODP Leg 178, Site 1098) 1. Total diatom abundance, Paleoceanography, 17(3), doi:10.1029/2000PA000563.</ref>; Taylor and Sjunneskog, 2002<ref name="Taylor and Sjunneskog, 2002">Taylor, F., and Sjunneskog, C. 2002. Postglacial marine diatom record of the Palmer deep, Antarctic Peninsula (ODP Leg 178, site 1098) 2. Diatom assemblages. Paleoceanography, 17(3), doi:10.1029/2000PA000564.</ref>). There is little evidence in the terrestrial record in the Peninsula for an early Holocene climate optimum, because most currently ice-free areas were probably still ice-covered before c. 9.5 ka BP (Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 1998<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 1998">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C., Berkman, P.A., Bj&ouml;rck, S., Colhoun, E.A., Goodwin, I.D., Hall, B.L., Hirakawa, K., Melles, M., M&ouml;ller, P. and Prentice, M.L. 1998. Antarctic glacial history since the last glacial maximum: an overview of the record on land, ''Antarctic Science'', '''10''', 326-344.</ref>, 2003<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 2003">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C. and Humlum, O. 2003. Glacial and Climate History of the Antarctic Peninsula since the Last Glacial Maximum, Arctic, ''Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''35''', 175-186.</ref>).
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==After the early Holocene==
  
 
[[File:Figure 3.27 - Recent retreats of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves and mean annual isotherms.png|thumb|'''3.27''' Recent retreats of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves shown together with the &ndash;9&ordm;C mean annual isotherm that marks the southern limit of ice shelf stability. Ice shelves that have retreated or collapsed are marked in red and extant ice shelves in blue. Locations of ice shelves studied are marked together with known Holocene retreat events (Hodgson et al., 2006b<ref name="Hodgson et al, 2006b">Hodgson, D.A., Bentley, M.J., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Sugden, D.E. and Domack, E.W. 2006b. Examining Holocene stability of Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves. Eos Transactions, ''American Geophysical Union'', '''87''', 305-312.</ref>).]]
 
[[File:Figure 3.27 - Recent retreats of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves and mean annual isotherms.png|thumb|'''3.27''' Recent retreats of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves shown together with the &ndash;9&ordm;C mean annual isotherm that marks the southern limit of ice shelf stability. Ice shelves that have retreated or collapsed are marked in red and extant ice shelves in blue. Locations of ice shelves studied are marked together with known Holocene retreat events (Hodgson et al., 2006b<ref name="Hodgson et al, 2006b">Hodgson, D.A., Bentley, M.J., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Sugden, D.E. and Domack, E.W. 2006b. Examining Holocene stability of Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves. Eos Transactions, ''American Geophysical Union'', '''87''', 305-312.</ref>).]]
After the early Holocene: The period after the early Holocene optimum shows complex patterns in the AP region. Ice shelves on the western side had collapsed, whilst those on the east were still stable (Hodgson et al., 2006b<ref name="Hodgson et al, 2006b">Hodgson, D.A., Bentley, M.J., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Sugden, D.E. and Domack, E.W. 2006b. Examining Holocene stability of Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves. Eos Transactions, ''American Geophysical Union'', '''87''', 305-312.</ref>). The onset of marine conditions in epishelf lake sediments on Alexander Island shows that George VI Ice Shelf collapsed at c. 9.6 ka BP, immediately following the early Holocene optimum (Bentley et al., 2005b<ref name="Bentley et al, 2005b">Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Sugden, D.E., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Leng, M.J. and Bryant, C. 2005b. Early Holocene retreat of the George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, ''Geology'', '''33''', 173-176.</ref>). At the same time, ocean records from the Palmer Deep, a basin on the continental shelf of the AP, indicate a dramatic increase in the presence of warmer surface waters over the AP&rsquo;s continental shelf (Leventer et al., 2002<ref name="Leventer et al, 2002">Leventer, A., Domack, E., Barkoukis, A., McAndrews, B. and Murray, J. 2002. Laminations from the Palmer Deep: A diatom-based interpretation, ''Paleoceanography'', '''17''', 8002.</ref>) so it is likely that the ice shelf was attacked both from above (atmospheric temperatures) and below (warm ocean currents) (Smith J. A. et al., 2007). The ice shelf reformed from c. 7945 yr BP (Bentley et al., 2005b<ref name="Bentley et al, 2005b">Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Sugden, D.E., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Leng, M.J. and Bryant, C. 2005b. Early Holocene retreat of the George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, ''Geology'', '''33''', 173-176.</ref>; Smith et al., 2007<ref name="Smith et al, 2007">Smith, J.A., Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Roberts, S.J., Leng, M.J., Lloyd, J.M., Barrett, M.J., Bryant, C. and Sugden, D.E. 2007. Oceanic and atmospheric forcing of early Holocene ice shelf retreat, George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica Peninsula, ''Quaternary Science Reviews'', '''26''', 500-516.</ref>; Roberts et al., 2008<ref name="Roberts et al, 2008">Roberts, S.J., Hodgson, D.A., Bentley, M.J., Smith, J.A., Millar, I., Olive, V. and Sugden, D.E. 2008. The Holocene history of George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula from clast-provenance analysis of epishelf lake sediments, ''Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology'', '''259''', 258-283.</ref>). In contrast, evidence from the Larsen B Ice Shelf, east of the AP, shows that it was stable throughout the Holocene (from 11.5 ka BP), but has now collapsed (in 2002) due to a combination of long-term (postglacial) thinning and cracking combined with rapid recent warming (Domack et al., 2005<ref name="Domack et al, 2005">Domack, E., Duran, D., Leventer, A., Ishman, S., Doane, S., McCallum, S., Amblas, D., Ring, J., Gilbert, R. and Prentice, M. 2005. Stability of the Larsen B ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula during the Holocene epoch, ''Nature'', '''436''', 681-685.</ref>). This suggests that there was an intensification of the climate contrast between the two sides of the AP in the early Holocene, with a steepening of the thermal gradients to the north and west ([[:File:Figure 3.27 - Recent retreats of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves and mean annual isotherms.png|Figure 3.27]]) (Hodgson et al., 2006b<ref name="Hodgson et al, 2006b">Hodgson, D.A., Bentley, M.J., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Sugden, D.E. and Domack, E.W. 2006b. Examining Holocene stability of Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves. Eos Transactions, ''American Geophysical Union'', '''87''', 305-312.</ref>). This is backed up by data on the historical retreat of the Peninsula ice shelves as well as by differences in the timing of deglaciation of middle- to inner-continental shelf sites between the west (~13.3 ka B.P. at Palmer Deep and 15.7 ka BP at Lafond Trough) and the east of the Antarctic Peninsula (~10.6 ka BP at Erebus and Terror Gulf, 10.7 ka B.P. at Greenpeace Trough, and 10.5 ka BP at Larsen B embayment, all using conventional <sup>14</sup>C ages) (Domack et al., 2005<ref name="Domack et al, 2005">Domack, E., Duran, D., Leventer, A., Ishman, S., Doane, S., McCallum, S., Amblas, D., Ring, J., Gilbert, R. and Prentice, M. 2005. Stability of the Larsen B ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula during the Holocene epoch, ''Nature'', '''436''', 681-685.</ref>; Heroy and Anderson, 2005<ref name="Heroy and Anderson, 2005">Heroy, D.C. and Anderson, J.B. 2005. Ice-sheet extent of the Antarctic Peninsula region during the Last Glacial maximum (LGM) - Insights from glacial geomorphology. GSA Bulletin 117:1497-1512.</ref>). According to this hypothesis, the earlier deglaciation of the northern and western side may have made the glacial system more susceptible to the advection of warmer ocean currents. This is consistent with the evidence that at least some ice shelves there retreated in periods of early and mid-Holocene atmospheric and ocean warmth, while the thicker ice shelves on the east, such as Larsen B Ice Shelf, remained buffered against these warm periods.
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The period after the early Holocene optimum shows complex patterns in the AP region. Ice shelves on the western side had collapsed, whilst those on the east were still stable (Hodgson et al., 2006b<ref name="Hodgson et al, 2006b">Hodgson, D.A., Bentley, M.J., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Sugden, D.E. and Domack, E.W. 2006b. Examining Holocene stability of Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves. Eos Transactions, ''American Geophysical Union'', '''87''', 305-312.</ref>). The onset of marine conditions in epishelf lake sediments on Alexander Island shows that George VI Ice Shelf collapsed at c. 9.6 ka BP, immediately following the early Holocene optimum (Bentley et al., 2005b<ref name="Bentley et al, 2005b">Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Sugden, D.E., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Leng, M.J. and Bryant, C. 2005b. Early Holocene retreat of the George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, ''Geology'', '''33''', 173-176.</ref>). At the same time, ocean records from the Palmer Deep, a basin on the continental shelf of the AP, indicate a dramatic increase in the presence of warmer surface waters over the AP&rsquo;s continental shelf (Leventer et al., 2002<ref name="Leventer et al, 2002">Leventer, A., Domack, E., Barkoukis, A., McAndrews, B. and Murray, J. 2002. Laminations from the Palmer Deep: A diatom-based interpretation, ''Paleoceanography'', '''17''', 8002.</ref>) so it is likely that the ice shelf was attacked both from above (atmospheric temperatures) and below (warm ocean currents) (Smith J. A. et al., 2007). The ice shelf reformed from c. 7945 yr BP (Bentley et al., 2005b<ref name="Bentley et al, 2005b">Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Sugden, D.E., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Leng, M.J. and Bryant, C. 2005b. Early Holocene retreat of the George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, ''Geology'', '''33''', 173-176.</ref>; Smith et al., 2007<ref name="Smith et al, 2007">Smith, J.A., Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Roberts, S.J., Leng, M.J., Lloyd, J.M., Barrett, M.J., Bryant, C. and Sugden, D.E. 2007. Oceanic and atmospheric forcing of early Holocene ice shelf retreat, George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica Peninsula, ''Quaternary Science Reviews'', '''26''', 500-516.</ref>; Roberts et al., 2008<ref name="Roberts et al, 2008">Roberts, S.J., Hodgson, D.A., Bentley, M.J., Smith, J.A., Millar, I., Olive, V. and Sugden, D.E. 2008. The Holocene history of George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula from clast-provenance analysis of epishelf lake sediments, ''Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology'', '''259''', 258-283.</ref>). In contrast, evidence from the Larsen B Ice Shelf, east of the AP, shows that it was stable throughout the Holocene (from 11.5 ka BP), but has now collapsed (in 2002) due to a combination of long-term (postglacial) thinning and cracking combined with rapid recent warming (Domack et al., 2005<ref name="Domack et al, 2005">Domack, E., Duran, D., Leventer, A., Ishman, S., Doane, S., McCallum, S., Amblas, D., Ring, J., Gilbert, R. and Prentice, M. 2005. Stability of the Larsen B ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula during the Holocene epoch, ''Nature'', '''436''', 681-685.</ref>). This suggests that there was an intensification of the climate contrast between the two sides of the AP in the early Holocene, with a steepening of the thermal gradients to the north and west ([[:File:Figure 3.27 - Recent retreats of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves and mean annual isotherms.png|Figure 3.27]]) (Hodgson et al., 2006b<ref name="Hodgson et al, 2006b">Hodgson, D.A., Bentley, M.J., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Sugden, D.E. and Domack, E.W. 2006b. Examining Holocene stability of Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves. Eos Transactions, ''American Geophysical Union'', '''87''', 305-312.</ref>). This is backed up by data on the historical retreat of the Peninsula ice shelves as well as by differences in the timing of deglaciation of middle- to inner-continental shelf sites between the west (~13.3 ka B.P. at Palmer Deep and 15.7 ka BP at Lafond Trough) and the east of the Antarctic Peninsula (~10.6 ka BP at Erebus and Terror Gulf, 10.7 ka B.P. at Greenpeace Trough, and 10.5 ka BP at Larsen B embayment, all using conventional <sup>14</sup>C ages) (Domack et al., 2005<ref name="Domack et al, 2005">Domack, E., Duran, D., Leventer, A., Ishman, S., Doane, S., McCallum, S., Amblas, D., Ring, J., Gilbert, R. and Prentice, M. 2005. Stability of the Larsen B ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula during the Holocene epoch, ''Nature'', '''436''', 681-685.</ref>; Heroy and Anderson, 2005<ref name="Heroy and Anderson, 2005">Heroy, D.C. and Anderson, J.B. 2005. Ice-sheet extent of the Antarctic Peninsula region during the Last Glacial maximum (LGM) - Insights from glacial geomorphology. GSA Bulletin 117:1497-1512.</ref>). According to this hypothesis, the earlier deglaciation of the northern and western side may have made the glacial system more susceptible to the advection of warmer ocean currents. This is consistent with the evidence that at least some ice shelves there retreated in periods of early and mid-Holocene atmospheric and ocean warmth, while the thicker ice shelves on the east, such as Larsen B Ice Shelf, remained buffered against these warm periods.
  
 
Deglaciation of the currently ice-free regions similarly showed regional differences in time and duration. Sedimentation began from c. 9.5 ka BP onwards in newly exposed lake basins in the north-eastern part of the AP and some islands to the north (Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 1998<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 1998">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C., Berkman, P.A., Bj&ouml;rck, S., Colhoun, E.A., Goodwin, I.D., Hall, B.L., Hirakawa, K., Melles, M., M&ouml;ller, P. and Prentice, M.L. 1998. Antarctic glacial history since the last glacial maximum: an overview of the record on land, ''Antarctic Science'', '''10''', 326-344.</ref>; Jones et al., 2000<ref name="Jones et al, 2000">Jones, V.J., Hodgson, D.A. and Chepstow-Lusty, A. 2000. Palaeolimnological evidence for marked Holocene environmental changes on Signy Island, Antarctica, ''The Holocene'', '''10''', 43-60.</ref>; Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 2003<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 2003">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C. and Humlum, O. 2003. Glacial and Climate History of the Antarctic Peninsula since the Last Glacial Maximum, Arctic, ''Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''35''', 175-186.</ref>). Coastal areas in Marguerite Bay and parts of the coast on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, were ice-free immediately after the early Holocene climate optimum (c. 9.5 ka BP) and some lake basins began to accumulate sediments c. 9.5-9.0 ka BP (M&auml;usbacher et al., 1989<ref name="M&auml;usbacher et al, 1989">M&auml;usbacher, R., M&uuml;ller, J. and Schmidt, R. 1989. Evolution of postglacial sedimentation in Antarctic Lakes (King-George-Island), ''Zeitschrift Fur Geomorphologie'', '''33''', 219-234.</ref>; Schmidt et al., 1990<ref name="Schmidt et al, 1990">Schmidt, R., M&auml;usbacher, R. and Muller, J. 1990. Holocene diatom flora and stratigraphy from sediment cores of two Antarctic lakes (King George Island), ''Journal of Paleolimnology'', '''3''', 55-74.</ref>; Hj&ouml;rt et al., 1998<ref name="Hj&ouml;rt et al, 1998">Hj&ouml;rt, C., Bj&ouml;rck, S., Ing&oacute;lfsson, O. and M&ouml;ller, P. 1998. Holocene deglaciation and climate history of the northern Antarctic Peninsula region: a discussion of correlations between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, ''Annals of Glaciology'', '''27''', 110-112.</ref>; Hj&ouml;rt et al., 2003<ref name="Hj&ouml;rt et al, 2003">Hj&ouml;rt, C., Ing&oacute;lfsson, O., Bentley, M.J. and Bj&ouml;rck, S. 2003. The Late Pleistocene and Holocene glacial and climate history of the Antarctic Peninsula region as documented by the land and lake sediment records - a review, ''Antarctic Research Series'', '''79''', 95-102.</ref>; Bentley et al., 2005a<ref name="Bentley et al, 2005a">Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Smith, J.A. and Cox, N.J. 2005a. Relative sea level curves for the South Shetland Islands and Marguerite Bay, Antarctic Peninsula, ''Quaternary Science Reviews'', '''24''', 1203-1216.</ref>), but other areas in the South Shetland Islands did not become free of ice until much later in the Holocene (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1996<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1996">Bj&ouml;rck, S., Olsson, S., Ellis-Evans, J.C., H&auml;kansson H., Humlum O., De Lirio, J.M. 1996. Late Holocene palaeoclimatic records from lake sediments on James Ross Island, Antarctica, ''Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology'', '''121''', 195-220.</ref>; Gibson and Zale, 2006<ref name="Gibson and Zale, 2006">Gibson, J.A.E. and Zale, R. 2006. Holocene development of the fauna of Lake Boeckella, northern Antarctic Peninsula, ''The Holocene'', '''16''', 625-634.</ref>). In general, on the west side of the AP significant glacier thinning and ice margin retreat continued until at least c. 7-8 ka BP (Bentley et al., 2006<ref name="Bentley et al, 2006">Bentley, M.J., Fogwill, C.J., Kubik, P.W. and Sugden, D.E. 2006. Geomorphological evidence and cosmogenic <sup>10</sup>Be/26Al exposure ages for the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet, ''GSA Bulletin'', '''118''', 1149-1159.</ref>). The transition from glacial to interglacial conditions was broadly completed by around c. 6 ka BP, when most ice-free areas were colonized by biota (Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 2003<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 2003">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C. and Humlum, O. 2003. Glacial and Climate History of the Antarctic Peninsula since the Last Glacial Maximum, Arctic, ''Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''35''', 175-186.</ref>), but Byers Peninsula on Livingston Island deglaciated as late as c. 5-3 ka BP (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1996<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1996">Bj&ouml;rck, S., Olsson, S., Ellis-Evans, J.C., H&auml;kansson H., Humlum O., De Lirio, J.M. 1996. Late Holocene palaeoclimatic records from lake sediments on James Ross Island, Antarctica, ''Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology'', '''121''', 195-220.</ref>).
 
Deglaciation of the currently ice-free regions similarly showed regional differences in time and duration. Sedimentation began from c. 9.5 ka BP onwards in newly exposed lake basins in the north-eastern part of the AP and some islands to the north (Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 1998<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 1998">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C., Berkman, P.A., Bj&ouml;rck, S., Colhoun, E.A., Goodwin, I.D., Hall, B.L., Hirakawa, K., Melles, M., M&ouml;ller, P. and Prentice, M.L. 1998. Antarctic glacial history since the last glacial maximum: an overview of the record on land, ''Antarctic Science'', '''10''', 326-344.</ref>; Jones et al., 2000<ref name="Jones et al, 2000">Jones, V.J., Hodgson, D.A. and Chepstow-Lusty, A. 2000. Palaeolimnological evidence for marked Holocene environmental changes on Signy Island, Antarctica, ''The Holocene'', '''10''', 43-60.</ref>; Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 2003<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 2003">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C. and Humlum, O. 2003. Glacial and Climate History of the Antarctic Peninsula since the Last Glacial Maximum, Arctic, ''Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''35''', 175-186.</ref>). Coastal areas in Marguerite Bay and parts of the coast on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, were ice-free immediately after the early Holocene climate optimum (c. 9.5 ka BP) and some lake basins began to accumulate sediments c. 9.5-9.0 ka BP (M&auml;usbacher et al., 1989<ref name="M&auml;usbacher et al, 1989">M&auml;usbacher, R., M&uuml;ller, J. and Schmidt, R. 1989. Evolution of postglacial sedimentation in Antarctic Lakes (King-George-Island), ''Zeitschrift Fur Geomorphologie'', '''33''', 219-234.</ref>; Schmidt et al., 1990<ref name="Schmidt et al, 1990">Schmidt, R., M&auml;usbacher, R. and Muller, J. 1990. Holocene diatom flora and stratigraphy from sediment cores of two Antarctic lakes (King George Island), ''Journal of Paleolimnology'', '''3''', 55-74.</ref>; Hj&ouml;rt et al., 1998<ref name="Hj&ouml;rt et al, 1998">Hj&ouml;rt, C., Bj&ouml;rck, S., Ing&oacute;lfsson, O. and M&ouml;ller, P. 1998. Holocene deglaciation and climate history of the northern Antarctic Peninsula region: a discussion of correlations between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, ''Annals of Glaciology'', '''27''', 110-112.</ref>; Hj&ouml;rt et al., 2003<ref name="Hj&ouml;rt et al, 2003">Hj&ouml;rt, C., Ing&oacute;lfsson, O., Bentley, M.J. and Bj&ouml;rck, S. 2003. The Late Pleistocene and Holocene glacial and climate history of the Antarctic Peninsula region as documented by the land and lake sediment records - a review, ''Antarctic Research Series'', '''79''', 95-102.</ref>; Bentley et al., 2005a<ref name="Bentley et al, 2005a">Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Smith, J.A. and Cox, N.J. 2005a. Relative sea level curves for the South Shetland Islands and Marguerite Bay, Antarctic Peninsula, ''Quaternary Science Reviews'', '''24''', 1203-1216.</ref>), but other areas in the South Shetland Islands did not become free of ice until much later in the Holocene (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1996<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1996">Bj&ouml;rck, S., Olsson, S., Ellis-Evans, J.C., H&auml;kansson H., Humlum O., De Lirio, J.M. 1996. Late Holocene palaeoclimatic records from lake sediments on James Ross Island, Antarctica, ''Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology'', '''121''', 195-220.</ref>; Gibson and Zale, 2006<ref name="Gibson and Zale, 2006">Gibson, J.A.E. and Zale, R. 2006. Holocene development of the fauna of Lake Boeckella, northern Antarctic Peninsula, ''The Holocene'', '''16''', 625-634.</ref>). In general, on the west side of the AP significant glacier thinning and ice margin retreat continued until at least c. 7-8 ka BP (Bentley et al., 2006<ref name="Bentley et al, 2006">Bentley, M.J., Fogwill, C.J., Kubik, P.W. and Sugden, D.E. 2006. Geomorphological evidence and cosmogenic <sup>10</sup>Be/26Al exposure ages for the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet, ''GSA Bulletin'', '''118''', 1149-1159.</ref>). The transition from glacial to interglacial conditions was broadly completed by around c. 6 ka BP, when most ice-free areas were colonized by biota (Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 2003<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 2003">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C. and Humlum, O. 2003. Glacial and Climate History of the Antarctic Peninsula since the Last Glacial Maximum, Arctic, ''Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''35''', 175-186.</ref>), but Byers Peninsula on Livingston Island deglaciated as late as c. 5-3 ka BP (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1996<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1996">Bj&ouml;rck, S., Olsson, S., Ellis-Evans, J.C., H&auml;kansson H., Humlum O., De Lirio, J.M. 1996. Late Holocene palaeoclimatic records from lake sediments on James Ross Island, Antarctica, ''Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology'', '''121''', 195-220.</ref>).
Line 13: Line 17:
 
In summary, there seems to be a regionally different response along the western and eastern coast of the AP, with ice shelf collapse restricted mainly to the west during the early Holocene. In addition, while most East Antarctic oases and nunataks were ice-free at the beginning of the Holocene, different parts of the AP were still ice-covered, and some did not deglaciate until as late as c. 5-3 ka BP. There is some evidence for a mid Holocene glacier readvance, coincident with cold marine water and extensive sea ice cover in the coastal areas.
 
In summary, there seems to be a regionally different response along the western and eastern coast of the AP, with ice shelf collapse restricted mainly to the west during the early Holocene. In addition, while most East Antarctic oases and nunataks were ice-free at the beginning of the Holocene, different parts of the AP were still ice-covered, and some did not deglaciate until as late as c. 5-3 ka BP. There is some evidence for a mid Holocene glacier readvance, coincident with cold marine water and extensive sea ice cover in the coastal areas.
  
Mid Holocene warm period &ndash; Hypsithermal: It was not until the mid-Holocene that the next period of significant warmth occurred in the AP. This interval is reviewed in detail in Hodgson et al. (2004a<ref name="Hodgson et al, 2004a">Hodgson, D.A., Doran, P.T., Roberts, D. and McMinn, A. 2004a. Paleolimnological studies from the Antarctic and subantarctic islands. In: Pienitz R, Douglas MSV, Smol JP (eds) Developments in Palaoenvironmental Research. Long-term Environmental Change in Arctic and Antarctic Lakes, 8, Springer, Dordrecht, 419-474.</ref>). The best-dated records place it between either c. 3.2 to 2.7 <sup>14</sup>C ka BP (c. 3.5-3.2 to 2.9-2.7 ka BP) in the AP region (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1991a<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1991a">Bj&ouml;rck, S., H&aring;kansson, H., Zale, R., Karlen, W. and Jonsson, B.L. 1991a. A late Holocene sediment sequence from Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, with palaeoclimatic implications, ''Antarctic Science'', '''3''', 61-72.</ref>) or c. 3.3 to 1.2 <sup>14</sup>C ka BP (c. 3.6-3.4 to 1.2-0.9 ka BP) just to the north of the AP (Jones et al., 2000<ref name="Jones et al, 2000">Jones, V.J., Hodgson, D.A. and Chepstow-Lusty, A. 2000. Palaeolimnological evidence for marked Holocene environmental changes on Signy Island, Antarctica, ''The Holocene'', '''10''', 43-60.</ref>; Hodgson and Convey, 2005<ref name="Hodgson and Convey, 2005">Hodgson, D.A. and Convey, P. 2005. A 7000-year record of oribatid mite communities on a maritime-Antarctic island: responses to climate change, ''Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''37''', 239-245.</ref>). This Mid-Holocene Hypsithermal (MHH) is detected as a period of rapid sedimentation, high organic productivity, and increased species diversity in lake sediments ranging from the South Shetland Islands (Schmidt et al., 1990<ref name="Schmidt et al, 1990">Schmidt, R., M&auml;usbacher, R. and Muller, J. 1990. Holocene diatom flora and stratigraphy from sediment cores of two Antarctic lakes (King George Island), ''Journal of Paleolimnology'', '''3''', 55-74.</ref>; Bj&ouml;rck S. et al., 1996) and James Ross Island (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1996<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1996">Bj&ouml;rck, S., Olsson, S., Ellis-Evans, J.C., H&auml;kansson H., Humlum O., De Lirio, J.M. 1996. Late Holocene palaeoclimatic records from lake sediments on James Ross Island, Antarctica, ''Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology'', '''121''', 195-220.</ref>) to Signy Island in the South Orkney Islands (Jones et al., 2000<ref name="Jones et al, 2000">Jones, V.J., Hodgson, D.A. and Chepstow-Lusty, A. 2000. Palaeolimnological evidence for marked Holocene environmental changes on Signy Island, Antarctica, ''The Holocene'', '''10''', 43-60.</ref>; Hodgson and Convey, 2005<ref name="Hodgson and Convey, 2005">Hodgson, D.A. and Convey, P. 2005. A 7000-year record of oribatid mite communities on a maritime-Antarctic island: responses to climate change, ''Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''37''', 239-245.</ref>). Sites in the northern AP show increased amounts of South American pollen in lake sediments during this period (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1993<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1993">Bj&ouml;rck, S., H&aring;kansson, H., Olsson, S., Barnekow, L., and Janssens, J. 1993. Palaeoclimatic studies in South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, based on numerous stratigraphic variables in lake sediments, ''Journal of Paleolimnology'', '''8''', 233-272.</ref>). It has also been associated with collapse of the Prince Gustav Channel ice shelf in the northern AP between c. 5 and 2 ka BP (Pudsey and Evans, 2001<ref name="Pudsey and Evans, 2001">Pudsey, C.J. and Evans, J. 2001. First survey of Antarctic sub-ice shelf sediments reveals mid-Holocene ice shelf retreat, ''Geology'', '''29''', 787-790</ref>), and fluctuations of the Larsen-A Ice Shelf between c. 4 and 1.4 ka BP (Brachfeld et al., 2003<ref name="Brachfeld et al, 2003">Brachfeld, S., Domack, E., Kissel, C., Laj, C., Leventer, A., Ishman, S., Gilbert, R., Camerlenghi, A. and Eglinton, L.B. 2003. Holocene history of the Larsen-A Ice Shelf constrained by geomagnetic paleointensity dating, ''Geology'', '''31''', 749-752.</ref>), while the Larsen B Ice Shelf remained stable. This suggests that the steepening of the thermal gradients to the north and west between the two sides of the AP is common to both the early and the mid-Holocene ([[:File:Figure 3.27 - Recent retreats of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves and mean annual isotherms.png|Figure 3.27]]).
+
==Mid Holocene warm period &ndash; Hypsithermal==
 +
 
 +
It was not until the mid-Holocene that the next period of significant warmth occurred in the AP. This interval is reviewed in detail in Hodgson et al. (2004a<ref name="Hodgson et al, 2004a">Hodgson, D.A., Doran, P.T., Roberts, D. and McMinn, A. 2004a. Paleolimnological studies from the Antarctic and subantarctic islands. In: Pienitz R, Douglas MSV, Smol JP (eds) Developments in Palaoenvironmental Research. Long-term Environmental Change in Arctic and Antarctic Lakes, 8, Springer, Dordrecht, 419-474.</ref>). The best-dated records place it between either c. 3.2 to 2.7 <sup>14</sup>C ka BP (c. 3.5-3.2 to 2.9-2.7 ka BP) in the AP region (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1991a<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1991a">Bj&ouml;rck, S., H&aring;kansson, H., Zale, R., Karlen, W. and Jonsson, B.L. 1991a. A late Holocene sediment sequence from Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, with palaeoclimatic implications, ''Antarctic Science'', '''3''', 61-72.</ref>) or c. 3.3 to 1.2 <sup>14</sup>C ka BP (c. 3.6-3.4 to 1.2-0.9 ka BP) just to the north of the AP (Jones et al., 2000<ref name="Jones et al, 2000">Jones, V.J., Hodgson, D.A. and Chepstow-Lusty, A. 2000. Palaeolimnological evidence for marked Holocene environmental changes on Signy Island, Antarctica, ''The Holocene'', '''10''', 43-60.</ref>; Hodgson and Convey, 2005<ref name="Hodgson and Convey, 2005">Hodgson, D.A. and Convey, P. 2005. A 7000-year record of oribatid mite communities on a maritime-Antarctic island: responses to climate change, ''Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''37''', 239-245.</ref>). This Mid-Holocene Hypsithermal (MHH) is detected as a period of rapid sedimentation, high organic productivity, and increased species diversity in lake sediments ranging from the South Shetland Islands (Schmidt et al., 1990<ref name="Schmidt et al, 1990">Schmidt, R., M&auml;usbacher, R. and Muller, J. 1990. Holocene diatom flora and stratigraphy from sediment cores of two Antarctic lakes (King George Island), ''Journal of Paleolimnology'', '''3''', 55-74.</ref>; Bj&ouml;rck S. et al., 1996) and James Ross Island (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1996<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1996">Bj&ouml;rck, S., Olsson, S., Ellis-Evans, J.C., H&auml;kansson H., Humlum O., De Lirio, J.M. 1996. Late Holocene palaeoclimatic records from lake sediments on James Ross Island, Antarctica, ''Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology'', '''121''', 195-220.</ref>) to Signy Island in the South Orkney Islands (Jones et al., 2000<ref name="Jones et al, 2000">Jones, V.J., Hodgson, D.A. and Chepstow-Lusty, A. 2000. Palaeolimnological evidence for marked Holocene environmental changes on Signy Island, Antarctica, ''The Holocene'', '''10''', 43-60.</ref>; Hodgson and Convey, 2005<ref name="Hodgson and Convey, 2005">Hodgson, D.A. and Convey, P. 2005. A 7000-year record of oribatid mite communities on a maritime-Antarctic island: responses to climate change, ''Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''37''', 239-245.</ref>). Sites in the northern AP show increased amounts of South American pollen in lake sediments during this period (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1993<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1993">Bj&ouml;rck, S., H&aring;kansson, H., Olsson, S., Barnekow, L., and Janssens, J. 1993. Palaeoclimatic studies in South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, based on numerous stratigraphic variables in lake sediments, ''Journal of Paleolimnology'', '''8''', 233-272.</ref>). It has also been associated with collapse of the Prince Gustav Channel ice shelf in the northern AP between c. 5 and 2 ka BP (Pudsey and Evans, 2001<ref name="Pudsey and Evans, 2001">Pudsey, C.J. and Evans, J. 2001. First survey of Antarctic sub-ice shelf sediments reveals mid-Holocene ice shelf retreat, ''Geology'', '''29''', 787-790</ref>), and fluctuations of the Larsen-A Ice Shelf between c. 4 and 1.4 ka BP (Brachfeld et al., 2003<ref name="Brachfeld et al, 2003">Brachfeld, S., Domack, E., Kissel, C., Laj, C., Leventer, A., Ishman, S., Gilbert, R., Camerlenghi, A. and Eglinton, L.B. 2003. Holocene history of the Larsen-A Ice Shelf constrained by geomagnetic paleointensity dating, ''Geology'', '''31''', 749-752.</ref>), while the Larsen B Ice Shelf remained stable. This suggests that the steepening of the thermal gradients to the north and west between the two sides of the AP is common to both the early and the mid-Holocene ([[:File:Figure 3.27 - Recent retreats of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves and mean annual isotherms.png|Figure 3.27]]).
  
 
In summary, whilst there is widespread agreement on the presence of some sort of warm period in the mid-Holocene, the exact timing often varies by hundreds of years, either because the timing varied spatially, or because there are insufficient numbers of dates or dating uncertainty is high, implying that, in the AP region as in EA, there is a need for further well-dated, high resolution sedimentary records.
 
In summary, whilst there is widespread agreement on the presence of some sort of warm period in the mid-Holocene, the exact timing often varies by hundreds of years, either because the timing varied spatially, or because there are insufficient numbers of dates or dating uncertainty is high, implying that, in the AP region as in EA, there is a need for further well-dated, high resolution sedimentary records.
  
Past 2,000 years - Neoglacial cooling, the Little Ice Age and recent climate change: The end of the MHH was marked by colder climate conditions. Numerous studies have identified Late Holocene glacier advances but most are poorly dated or even undated. Some of the putative Neoglacial advances may belong to a Little Ice Age (see Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 1998<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 1998">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C., Berkman, P.A., Bj&ouml;rck, S., Colhoun, E.A., Goodwin, I.D., Hall, B.L., Hirakawa, K., Melles, M., M&ouml;ller, P. and Prentice, M.L. 1998. Antarctic glacial history since the last glacial maximum: an overview of the record on land, ''Antarctic Science'', '''10''', 326-344.</ref> for review). There is good evidence that the Prince Gustav Channel Ice Shelf started to reform after c. 1.9 ka BP, but due to a variable and sometimes large reservoir effect (6,000 years), this date is far from certain (Pudsey and Evans, 2001<ref name="Pudsey and Evans, 2001">Pudsey, C.J. and Evans, J. 2001. First survey of Antarctic sub-ice shelf sediments reveals mid-Holocene ice shelf retreat, ''Geology'', '''29''', 787-790</ref>). Around c. 1.4 ka BP, as the climate began to cool, the Larsen-A Ice Shelf reformed, but here as well, dating uncertainty is high (Brachfeld et al., 2003<ref name="Brachfeld et al, 2003">Brachfeld, S., Domack, E., Kissel, C., Laj, C., Leventer, A., Ishman, S., Gilbert, R., Camerlenghi, A. and Eglinton, L.B. 2003. Holocene history of the Larsen-A Ice Shelf constrained by geomagnetic paleointensity dating, ''Geology'', '''31''', 749-752.</ref>). Numerous well-dated biological proxy records in lakes and other sites show a temperature-related decline in production at about this time (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1991b<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1991b">Bj&ouml;rck, S., Malmer, N., Hjort, C., Sandgren, P., Ing&oacute;lfsson, O., Wallen, B., Smith, R.I.L. and Jonsson, B.L. 1991b. Stratigraphic and paleoclimatic studies of a 5500-year-old moss bank on Elephant Island, Antarctica, ''Arctic and Alpine Research'', '''23''', 361-374.</ref>; Jones et al., 2000<ref name="Jones et al, 2000">Jones, V.J., Hodgson, D.A. and Chepstow-Lusty, A. 2000. Palaeolimnological evidence for marked Holocene environmental changes on Signy Island, Antarctica, ''The Holocene'', '''10''', 43-60.</ref>; Hodgson and Convey, 2005<ref name="Hodgson and Convey, 2005">Hodgson, D.A. and Convey, P. 2005. A 7000-year record of oribatid mite communities on a maritime-Antarctic island: responses to climate change, ''Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''37''', 239-245.</ref>). Following the MHH, Midge Lake (Livingston Island) records a gradually deteriorating environment with both warm and cold pulses (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1991a<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1991a">Bj&ouml;rck, S., H&aring;kansson, H., Zale, R., Karlen, W. and Jonsson, B.L. 1991a. A late Holocene sediment sequence from Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, with palaeoclimatic implications, ''Antarctic Science'', '''3''', 61-72.</ref>). There was one warm event at c. 2 ka BP, and conditions were generally colder than present between c. 1.5 ka BP and 0.5 ka BP. Lake &Aring;sa (Livingston Island) shows a distinct climate deterioration, with cold, dry conditions starting at c. 2.5 ka BP and continuing until close to the present day (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1993<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1993">Bj&ouml;rck, S., H&aring;kansson, H., Olsson, S., Barnekow, L., and Janssens, J. 1993. Palaeoclimatic studies in South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, based on numerous stratigraphic variables in lake sediments, ''Journal of Paleolimnology'', '''8''', 233-272.</ref>). Penguin populations declined between c. 1.3 to 0.9 ka BP and from c. 2.3 to 1.8 ka BP on Ardley Island (Sun et al., 2000<ref name="Sun et al, 2000">Sun, L.G., Xie, Z.Q. and Zhao, J.L. 2000. A 3,000-year record of penguin populations, ''Nature'', '''407''', 858.</ref>; Liu et al., 2006<ref name="Liu et al, 2006">Liu, X-D., Li, H-C., Sun, L-G., Yin, X-B., Zhao, S-P. and Wang, Y-H. 2006. &delta;<sup>13</sup>C and &delta;15N in the ornithogenic sediments from the Antarctic maritime as palaeoecological proxies during the past 2000 yr, ''Earth and Planetary Science Letters'', '''243''', 424-438.</ref>).
+
==The past 2,000 years - Neoglacial cooling, the Little Ice Age and recent climate change==
 +
 
 +
The end of the MHH was marked by colder climate conditions. Numerous studies have identified Late Holocene glacier advances but most are poorly dated or even undated. Some of the putative Neoglacial advances may belong to a Little Ice Age (see Ing&oacute;lfsson et al., 1998<ref name="Ing&oacute;lfsson et al, 1998">Ing&oacute;lfsson, &Oacute;., Hjort, C., Berkman, P.A., Bj&ouml;rck, S., Colhoun, E.A., Goodwin, I.D., Hall, B.L., Hirakawa, K., Melles, M., M&ouml;ller, P. and Prentice, M.L. 1998. Antarctic glacial history since the last glacial maximum: an overview of the record on land, ''Antarctic Science'', '''10''', 326-344.</ref> for review). There is good evidence that the Prince Gustav Channel Ice Shelf started to reform after c. 1.9 ka BP, but due to a variable and sometimes large reservoir effect (6,000 years), this date is far from certain (Pudsey and Evans, 2001<ref name="Pudsey and Evans, 2001">Pudsey, C.J. and Evans, J. 2001. First survey of Antarctic sub-ice shelf sediments reveals mid-Holocene ice shelf retreat, ''Geology'', '''29''', 787-790</ref>). Around c. 1.4 ka BP, as the climate began to cool, the Larsen-A Ice Shelf reformed, but here as well, dating uncertainty is high (Brachfeld et al., 2003<ref name="Brachfeld et al, 2003">Brachfeld, S., Domack, E., Kissel, C., Laj, C., Leventer, A., Ishman, S., Gilbert, R., Camerlenghi, A. and Eglinton, L.B. 2003. Holocene history of the Larsen-A Ice Shelf constrained by geomagnetic paleointensity dating, ''Geology'', '''31''', 749-752.</ref>). Numerous well-dated biological proxy records in lakes and other sites show a temperature-related decline in production at about this time (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1991b<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1991b">Bj&ouml;rck, S., Malmer, N., Hjort, C., Sandgren, P., Ing&oacute;lfsson, O., Wallen, B., Smith, R.I.L. and Jonsson, B.L. 1991b. Stratigraphic and paleoclimatic studies of a 5500-year-old moss bank on Elephant Island, Antarctica, ''Arctic and Alpine Research'', '''23''', 361-374.</ref>; Jones et al., 2000<ref name="Jones et al, 2000">Jones, V.J., Hodgson, D.A. and Chepstow-Lusty, A. 2000. Palaeolimnological evidence for marked Holocene environmental changes on Signy Island, Antarctica, ''The Holocene'', '''10''', 43-60.</ref>; Hodgson and Convey, 2005<ref name="Hodgson and Convey, 2005">Hodgson, D.A. and Convey, P. 2005. A 7000-year record of oribatid mite communities on a maritime-Antarctic island: responses to climate change, ''Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''37''', 239-245.</ref>). Following the MHH, Midge Lake (Livingston Island) records a gradually deteriorating environment with both warm and cold pulses (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1991a<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1991a">Bj&ouml;rck, S., H&aring;kansson, H., Zale, R., Karlen, W. and Jonsson, B.L. 1991a. A late Holocene sediment sequence from Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, with palaeoclimatic implications, ''Antarctic Science'', '''3''', 61-72.</ref>). There was one warm event at c. 2 ka BP, and conditions were generally colder than present between c. 1.5 ka BP and 0.5 ka BP. Lake &Aring;sa (Livingston Island) shows a distinct climate deterioration, with cold, dry conditions starting at c. 2.5 ka BP and continuing until close to the present day (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1993<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1993">Bj&ouml;rck, S., H&aring;kansson, H., Olsson, S., Barnekow, L., and Janssens, J. 1993. Palaeoclimatic studies in South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, based on numerous stratigraphic variables in lake sediments, ''Journal of Paleolimnology'', '''8''', 233-272.</ref>). Penguin populations declined between c. 1.3 to 0.9 ka BP and from c. 2.3 to 1.8 ka BP on Ardley Island (Sun et al., 2000<ref name="Sun et al, 2000">Sun, L.G., Xie, Z.Q. and Zhao, J.L. 2000. A 3,000-year record of penguin populations, ''Nature'', '''407''', 858.</ref>; Liu et al., 2006<ref name="Liu et al, 2006">Liu, X-D., Li, H-C., Sun, L-G., Yin, X-B., Zhao, S-P. and Wang, Y-H. 2006. &delta;<sup>13</sup>C and &delta;15N in the ornithogenic sediments from the Antarctic maritime as palaeoecological proxies during the past 2000 yr, ''Earth and Planetary Science Letters'', '''243''', 424-438.</ref>).
  
 
Various outlet glaciers or ice shelves such as Rotch Dome, Livingston Island (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1996<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1996">Bj&ouml;rck, S., Olsson, S., Ellis-Evans, J.C., H&auml;kansson H., Humlum O., De Lirio, J.M. 1996. Late Holocene palaeoclimatic records from lake sediments on James Ross Island, Antarctica, ''Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology'', '''121''', 195-220.</ref>), and the Muller Ice Shelf (Domack et al., 1995<ref name="Domack et al, 1995">Domack, E.W., Ishman, S.E., Stein, A.B., McClennen, C.E and Jull, A.J.T. 1995. Late Holocene Advance of the Muller Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula - Sedimentological, Geochemical and Paleontological Evidence, ''Antarctic Science'', '''7''', 159-170.</ref>) are thought to have advanced during a period roughly corresponding to the Northern Hemisphere Little Ice Age. However, the precise timing of those advances is well-constrained at only a few sites, and many of the terrestrial records of glacier advances are as yet undated. There is limited evidence of a LIA from lake proxy evidence. Liu et al. (2005<ref name="Liu et al, 2005">Liu, X.D., Sun, L., Xie, Z., Yin, X. and Wang, Y. 2005. A 1300-Year Record of Penguin Populations at Ardley Island in the Antarctic, as Deduced From the Geochemical Data in the Ornithogenic Lake Sediments, ''Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''37''', 490-498.</ref>) do however show a decline in penguin populations on Ardley Island, South Shetland Islands between 1790 to 1860 AD.
 
Various outlet glaciers or ice shelves such as Rotch Dome, Livingston Island (Bj&ouml;rck et al., 1996<ref name="Bj&ouml;rck et al, 1996">Bj&ouml;rck, S., Olsson, S., Ellis-Evans, J.C., H&auml;kansson H., Humlum O., De Lirio, J.M. 1996. Late Holocene palaeoclimatic records from lake sediments on James Ross Island, Antarctica, ''Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology'', '''121''', 195-220.</ref>), and the Muller Ice Shelf (Domack et al., 1995<ref name="Domack et al, 1995">Domack, E.W., Ishman, S.E., Stein, A.B., McClennen, C.E and Jull, A.J.T. 1995. Late Holocene Advance of the Muller Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula - Sedimentological, Geochemical and Paleontological Evidence, ''Antarctic Science'', '''7''', 159-170.</ref>) are thought to have advanced during a period roughly corresponding to the Northern Hemisphere Little Ice Age. However, the precise timing of those advances is well-constrained at only a few sites, and many of the terrestrial records of glacier advances are as yet undated. There is limited evidence of a LIA from lake proxy evidence. Liu et al. (2005<ref name="Liu et al, 2005">Liu, X.D., Sun, L., Xie, Z., Yin, X. and Wang, Y. 2005. A 1300-Year Record of Penguin Populations at Ardley Island in the Antarctic, as Deduced From the Geochemical Data in the Ornithogenic Lake Sediments, ''Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research'', '''37''', 490-498.</ref>) do however show a decline in penguin populations on Ardley Island, South Shetland Islands between 1790 to 1860 AD.

Latest revision as of 17:41, 22 August 2014

This page is part of the topic Regional patterns of holocene climate change in Antarctica

Deglaciation history and the Pleistocene-Holocene transition

3.26 Selected Holocene environmental changes – Antarctic Peninsula

The pattern and mechanisms of Holocene palaeoenvironmental change in the AP region have recently been reviewed (Bentley et al., 2009[1]). The early Holocene climate optimum detected in ice cores lasted to around 9.2 ka BP (Masson et al., 2000[2]; Masson-Delmotte et al., 2004[3]) occurred at the same time as the continued deglaciation of the AP continental shelf (Bentley, 1999[4]; Ingólfsson et al., 2003[5]; Bentley et al., 2006[6]). Ice sheet retreat around the AP probably began c. 14-13 ka BP (Evans et al., 2005[7]; Heroy and Anderson, 2005[8]), and continued through the Holocene (Figure 3.26). The early Holocene optimum is however absent in the offshore Palmer Deep record, which is characterized by an apparent ‘cold’ proxy record at that time (11.5 – 9.1 ka BP) (Domack, 2002[9]; Sjunneskog and Taylor, 2002[10]; Taylor and Sjunneskog, 2002[11]). There is little evidence in the terrestrial record in the Peninsula for an early Holocene climate optimum, because most currently ice-free areas were probably still ice-covered before c. 9.5 ka BP (Ingólfsson et al., 1998[12], 2003[5]).

After the early Holocene

3.27 Recent retreats of Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves shown together with the –9ºC mean annual isotherm that marks the southern limit of ice shelf stability. Ice shelves that have retreated or collapsed are marked in red and extant ice shelves in blue. Locations of ice shelves studied are marked together with known Holocene retreat events (Hodgson et al., 2006b[13]).

The period after the early Holocene optimum shows complex patterns in the AP region. Ice shelves on the western side had collapsed, whilst those on the east were still stable (Hodgson et al., 2006b[13]). The onset of marine conditions in epishelf lake sediments on Alexander Island shows that George VI Ice Shelf collapsed at c. 9.6 ka BP, immediately following the early Holocene optimum (Bentley et al., 2005b[14]). At the same time, ocean records from the Palmer Deep, a basin on the continental shelf of the AP, indicate a dramatic increase in the presence of warmer surface waters over the AP’s continental shelf (Leventer et al., 2002[15]) so it is likely that the ice shelf was attacked both from above (atmospheric temperatures) and below (warm ocean currents) (Smith J. A. et al., 2007). The ice shelf reformed from c. 7945 yr BP (Bentley et al., 2005b[14]; Smith et al., 2007[16]; Roberts et al., 2008[17]). In contrast, evidence from the Larsen B Ice Shelf, east of the AP, shows that it was stable throughout the Holocene (from 11.5 ka BP), but has now collapsed (in 2002) due to a combination of long-term (postglacial) thinning and cracking combined with rapid recent warming (Domack et al., 2005[18]). This suggests that there was an intensification of the climate contrast between the two sides of the AP in the early Holocene, with a steepening of the thermal gradients to the north and west (Figure 3.27) (Hodgson et al., 2006b[13]). This is backed up by data on the historical retreat of the Peninsula ice shelves as well as by differences in the timing of deglaciation of middle- to inner-continental shelf sites between the west (~13.3 ka B.P. at Palmer Deep and 15.7 ka BP at Lafond Trough) and the east of the Antarctic Peninsula (~10.6 ka BP at Erebus and Terror Gulf, 10.7 ka B.P. at Greenpeace Trough, and 10.5 ka BP at Larsen B embayment, all using conventional 14C ages) (Domack et al., 2005[18]; Heroy and Anderson, 2005[8]). According to this hypothesis, the earlier deglaciation of the northern and western side may have made the glacial system more susceptible to the advection of warmer ocean currents. This is consistent with the evidence that at least some ice shelves there retreated in periods of early and mid-Holocene atmospheric and ocean warmth, while the thicker ice shelves on the east, such as Larsen B Ice Shelf, remained buffered against these warm periods.

Deglaciation of the currently ice-free regions similarly showed regional differences in time and duration. Sedimentation began from c. 9.5 ka BP onwards in newly exposed lake basins in the north-eastern part of the AP and some islands to the north (Ingólfsson et al., 1998[12]; Jones et al., 2000[19]; Ingólfsson et al., 2003[5]). Coastal areas in Marguerite Bay and parts of the coast on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, were ice-free immediately after the early Holocene climate optimum (c. 9.5 ka BP) and some lake basins began to accumulate sediments c. 9.5-9.0 ka BP (Mäusbacher et al., 1989[20]; Schmidt et al., 1990[21]; Hjört et al., 1998[22]; Hjört et al., 2003[23]; Bentley et al., 2005a[24]), but other areas in the South Shetland Islands did not become free of ice until much later in the Holocene (Björck et al., 1996[25]; Gibson and Zale, 2006[26]). In general, on the west side of the AP significant glacier thinning and ice margin retreat continued until at least c. 7-8 ka BP (Bentley et al., 2006[6]). The transition from glacial to interglacial conditions was broadly completed by around c. 6 ka BP, when most ice-free areas were colonized by biota (Ingólfsson et al., 2003[5]), but Byers Peninsula on Livingston Island deglaciated as late as c. 5-3 ka BP (Björck et al., 1996[25]).

Evidence for mid Holocene glacier readvances are present on some islands, such as Brabant Island after c. 5.3 ka BP, and northern James Ross Island around c. 4.6 ka BP (Hjört et al., 1997[27]; Ingólfsson et al., 1998[12]). The glacial expansion coincided with cold and arid conditions on land from 5 ka BP onwards as detected in peat and lake sediment cores (Björck et al., 1991a[28],b[29]; Björck et al. 1996[25]) and cold marine waters with extensive sea ice cover in the bays of King George Island (Yoon et al., 2000[30]) and in Lallemand Fjord beginning at 4.4 ka BP and peaking at 3 ka BP (Taylor et al., 2001[31]).

In summary, there seems to be a regionally different response along the western and eastern coast of the AP, with ice shelf collapse restricted mainly to the west during the early Holocene. In addition, while most East Antarctic oases and nunataks were ice-free at the beginning of the Holocene, different parts of the AP were still ice-covered, and some did not deglaciate until as late as c. 5-3 ka BP. There is some evidence for a mid Holocene glacier readvance, coincident with cold marine water and extensive sea ice cover in the coastal areas.

Mid Holocene warm period – Hypsithermal

It was not until the mid-Holocene that the next period of significant warmth occurred in the AP. This interval is reviewed in detail in Hodgson et al. (2004a[32]). The best-dated records place it between either c. 3.2 to 2.7 14C ka BP (c. 3.5-3.2 to 2.9-2.7 ka BP) in the AP region (Björck et al., 1991a[28]) or c. 3.3 to 1.2 14C ka BP (c. 3.6-3.4 to 1.2-0.9 ka BP) just to the north of the AP (Jones et al., 2000[19]; Hodgson and Convey, 2005[33]). This Mid-Holocene Hypsithermal (MHH) is detected as a period of rapid sedimentation, high organic productivity, and increased species diversity in lake sediments ranging from the South Shetland Islands (Schmidt et al., 1990[21]; Björck S. et al., 1996) and James Ross Island (Björck et al., 1996[25]) to Signy Island in the South Orkney Islands (Jones et al., 2000[19]; Hodgson and Convey, 2005[33]). Sites in the northern AP show increased amounts of South American pollen in lake sediments during this period (Björck et al., 1993[34]). It has also been associated with collapse of the Prince Gustav Channel ice shelf in the northern AP between c. 5 and 2 ka BP (Pudsey and Evans, 2001[35]), and fluctuations of the Larsen-A Ice Shelf between c. 4 and 1.4 ka BP (Brachfeld et al., 2003[36]), while the Larsen B Ice Shelf remained stable. This suggests that the steepening of the thermal gradients to the north and west between the two sides of the AP is common to both the early and the mid-Holocene (Figure 3.27).

In summary, whilst there is widespread agreement on the presence of some sort of warm period in the mid-Holocene, the exact timing often varies by hundreds of years, either because the timing varied spatially, or because there are insufficient numbers of dates or dating uncertainty is high, implying that, in the AP region as in EA, there is a need for further well-dated, high resolution sedimentary records.

The past 2,000 years - Neoglacial cooling, the Little Ice Age and recent climate change

The end of the MHH was marked by colder climate conditions. Numerous studies have identified Late Holocene glacier advances but most are poorly dated or even undated. Some of the putative Neoglacial advances may belong to a Little Ice Age (see Ingólfsson et al., 1998[12] for review). There is good evidence that the Prince Gustav Channel Ice Shelf started to reform after c. 1.9 ka BP, but due to a variable and sometimes large reservoir effect (6,000 years), this date is far from certain (Pudsey and Evans, 2001[35]). Around c. 1.4 ka BP, as the climate began to cool, the Larsen-A Ice Shelf reformed, but here as well, dating uncertainty is high (Brachfeld et al., 2003[36]). Numerous well-dated biological proxy records in lakes and other sites show a temperature-related decline in production at about this time (Björck et al., 1991b[29]; Jones et al., 2000[19]; Hodgson and Convey, 2005[33]). Following the MHH, Midge Lake (Livingston Island) records a gradually deteriorating environment with both warm and cold pulses (Björck et al., 1991a[28]). There was one warm event at c. 2 ka BP, and conditions were generally colder than present between c. 1.5 ka BP and 0.5 ka BP. Lake Åsa (Livingston Island) shows a distinct climate deterioration, with cold, dry conditions starting at c. 2.5 ka BP and continuing until close to the present day (Björck et al., 1993[34]). Penguin populations declined between c. 1.3 to 0.9 ka BP and from c. 2.3 to 1.8 ka BP on Ardley Island (Sun et al., 2000[37]; Liu et al., 2006[38]).

Various outlet glaciers or ice shelves such as Rotch Dome, Livingston Island (Björck et al., 1996[25]), and the Muller Ice Shelf (Domack et al., 1995[39]) are thought to have advanced during a period roughly corresponding to the Northern Hemisphere Little Ice Age. However, the precise timing of those advances is well-constrained at only a few sites, and many of the terrestrial records of glacier advances are as yet undated. There is limited evidence of a LIA from lake proxy evidence. Liu et al. (2005[40]) do however show a decline in penguin populations on Ardley Island, South Shetland Islands between 1790 to 1860 AD.

Instrumental measurements show the spatial pattern and magnitude of the recent rapid regional warming, and in particular the pronounced contrast between west (more warming) and east (less warming) sides of the AP. In proxy records, the warming is seen in increased sediment accumulation rates in some AP lake cores (Appleby et al., 1995[41]), and some high-resolution marine cores (e.g. Domack et al., 2003b[42]). Warming was further detected in a monitoring study of lakes in Signy Island where an increase in air temperature resulted in a significant increase in the amount of ice-free days and 4-fold increase in chlorophyll a content, which approximates lake productivity (Quayle et al., 2002[43], 2003[44]). Few studies have focussed on this period in the proxy records.

In summary, climate conditions probably deteriorated after the Mid Holocene Hypsithermal, coincident with glacier readvance in some regions, yet these are poorly constrained in terms of dating; this is also the case for glacial readvance during the period of the Little Ice Age. Recently rapid climate warming has been observed in various regions of the AP, with glacier fronts retreating (Cook et al., 2005[45]) and the lakes on Signy Island showing a remarkably rapid and magnified response in ecosystem functioning.

References

  1. Bentley, M.J., Hodgson, D.A., Smith, J.A., Ó Cofaigh, C., Domack, E.W., Larter, R.D., Roberts, S.J., Brachfeld, S., Leventer, A., Hjort, C., Hillenbrand, C-D. and Evans, J. 2009. Mechanisms of Holocene palaeoenvironmental change in the Antarctic Peninsula region, The Holocene, 19, 51-69.
  2. Masson, V., Vimeux, F., Jouzel, J., Morgan, V., Delmotte, M., Ciais, P., Hammer, C., Johnsen, S., Lipenkov, V.Y., Mosley-Thompson, E., Petit, J.R., Steig, E.J., Stievenard, M. and Vaikmae, R. 2000. Holocene climate variability in Antarctica based on 11 ice-core isotope records, Quaternary Research, 54, 348-358.
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  4. Bentley, M.J. 1999. Volume of Antarctic Ice at the Last Glacial Maximum, and its impact on global sea level change, Quaternary Science Reviews, 18, 1569-1595.
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  6. 6.0 6.1 Bentley, M.J., Fogwill, C.J., Kubik, P.W. and Sugden, D.E. 2006. Geomorphological evidence and cosmogenic 10Be/26Al exposure ages for the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet, GSA Bulletin, 118, 1149-1159.
  7. Evans, J., Pudsey, C.J., O’Cofaigh, C., Morris, P. and Domack, E. 2005. Late Quaternary Glacial History, Flow Dynamics and Sedimentation Along the Eastern Margin of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet, Quaternary Science Reviews, 24, 741-774.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Heroy, D.C. and Anderson, J.B. 2005. Ice-sheet extent of the Antarctic Peninsula region during the Last Glacial maximum (LGM) - Insights from glacial geomorphology. GSA Bulletin 117:1497-1512.
  9. Domack, E. 2002. A synthesis for site 1098: Palmer Deep. In: Barker PF, Camerlenghi A, Acton GD, Ramsay ATS (eds) Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Results, 178. Ocean Drilling Program, Texas A and M University, College Station TX 77843-9547, USA.
  10. Sjunneskog, C. and Taylor, F. 2002. Postglacial marine diatom record of the Palmer Deep, Antarctic Peninsula (ODP Leg 178, Site 1098) 1. Total diatom abundance, Paleoceanography, 17(3), doi:10.1029/2000PA000563.
  11. Taylor, F., and Sjunneskog, C. 2002. Postglacial marine diatom record of the Palmer deep, Antarctic Peninsula (ODP Leg 178, site 1098) 2. Diatom assemblages. Paleoceanography, 17(3), doi:10.1029/2000PA000564.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Ingólfsson, Ó., Hjort, C., Berkman, P.A., Björck, S., Colhoun, E.A., Goodwin, I.D., Hall, B.L., Hirakawa, K., Melles, M., Möller, P. and Prentice, M.L. 1998. Antarctic glacial history since the last glacial maximum: an overview of the record on land, Antarctic Science, 10, 326-344.
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Hodgson, D.A., Bentley, M.J., Roberts, S.J., Smith, J.A., Sugden, D.E. and Domack, E.W. 2006b. Examining Holocene stability of Antarctic Peninsula Ice Shelves. Eos Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 87, 305-312.
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