Simulating Arctic climate warmth and icefield retreat in the last interglaciation

Bette L. Otto-Bliesner; Shawn J. Marshall; Jonathan T. Overpeck; Gifford H. Miller; Aixue Hu; P. Anderson; O. Bennike; J. Brigham-Grette; M. Duvall; M. Edwards; B. Frechette; S. Funder; S. Johnsen; J. Knies; R. Koerner; A.V. Lozhkin; G. MacDonald; J. Matthiessen; M. Montoya; Daniel R. Muhs; N. Reeh; H.P. Sejrup; C. Turner; A.A. Velichko

doi:10.1126/science.1120808

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Simulating Arctic climate warmth and icefield retreat in the last interglaciation

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Abstract

In the future, Arctic warming and the melting of polar glaciers will be considerable, but the magnitude of both is uncertain. We used a global climate model, a dynamic ice sheet model, and paleoclimatic data to evaluate Northern Hemisphere high-latitude warming and its impact on Arctic icefields during the Last Interglaciation. Our simulated climate matches paleoclimatic observations of past warming, and the combination of physically based climate and ice-sheet modeling with ice-core constraints indicate that the Greenland Ice Sheet and other circum-Arctic ice fields likely contributed 2.2 to 3.4 meters of sea-level rise during the Last Interglaciation.

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Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Shawn J. Marshall, Jonathan T. Overpeck, Gifford H. Miller, Aixue Hu, P. Anderson, O. Bennike, J. Brigham-Grette, M. Duvall, M. Edwards, B. Frechette, S. Funder, S. Johnsen, J. Knies, R. Koerner, A.V. Lozhkin, G. MacDonald, J. Matthiessen, M. Montoya, Daniel R. Muhs, N. Reeh, H.P. Sejrup, C. Turner, A.A. Velichko. 2006. Simulating Arctic climate warmth and icefield retreat in the last interglaciation. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1120808

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