GLOBAL COOLING DURING THE HALOCENE PERIOD

The impact of freshwater influxes on ocean circulation

Jackie Specht

Drainage Event

http://csdms.colorado.edu/wiki/Movie:Laurentide_Ice_Sheet

Evidence

Strandlines (Teller et al., 2002) Sediment dispersal (Barber et al., 1999) Carbon dating (Barber et al., 1999) Modeling (Teller et al., 2002)

Impact

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutdown_of_thermohaline_circulation

Impact

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutdown_of_thermohaline_circulation; https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth540/content/c4_p2.html

Current Implications

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/arctic-seaice-2012.html

References

Barber, D. C., Dyke, A., Hillaire-Marcel, C., Jennings, A. E., Andrews, J. T., Kerwin, M. W., et al. (1999). Forcing of the cold event of 8,200 years ago by catastrophic drainage of laurentide lakes. Nature, 400, 344.

Clark, P. U., Marshall, S. J., Clarke, G. K. C., Hostetler, S. W., Licciardi, J. M., & Teller, J. T. (2001). Freshwater forcing of abrupt climate change during the last glaciation. Science, 293, 283.

Hu, A., Meehl, G. A., Han, W., & Yin, J. (2009). Transient response of the MOC and climate to potential melting of the greenland ice sheet in the 21st century. Geophysical Research Letters, 36(10)

Teller, J. T., Leverington, D. W., & Mann, J. D. (2002). Freshwater outbursts to the oceans from glacial lake agassiz and their role in climate change during the last deglaciation. Quaternary Science Reviews, 21, 879.