Interhemispheric Atlantic seesaw response during the last deglaciation.
The asynchronous relationship between millennial-scale temperature changes over Greenland and Antarctica during the last glacial period has led to the notion of a bipolar seesaw which acts to redistribute heat depending on the state of meridional overturning circulation within the Atlantic Ocean. Here we present new records from the South Atlantic that show rapid changes during the last deglaciation that were instantaneous (within dating uncertainty) and of opposite sign to those observed in the North Atlantic. Our results demonstrate a direct link between the abrupt changes associated with variations in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and the more gradual adjustments characteristic of the Southern Ocean. These results emphasize the importance of the Southern Ocean for the development and transmission of millennial-scale climate variability and highlight its role in deglacial climate change and the associated rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Barker
Stephen
S
School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3YE, UK. barkers3@cf.ac.uk
Diz
Paula
P
Vautravers
Maryline J
MJ
Pike
Jennifer
J
Knorr
Gregor
G
Hall
Ian R
IR
Broecker
Wallace S
WS
D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D006116:Greenland; D049690:History, Ancient; D046448:Ice Cover; D010933:Plankton / Q000378:metabolism; D012623:Seawater / Q000032:analysis; D013696:Temperature; D014872:Water Movements
D002245:Carbon Dioxide