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An Z, Zhou W, Zhang Z, Zhang X, Liu Z, Sun Y, Clemens SC, Wu L, Zhao J, Shi Z, Ma X, Yan H, Li G, Cai Y, Yu J, Sun Y, Li S, Zhang Y, Stepanek C, Lohmann G, Dong G, Cheng H, Liu Y, Jin Z, Li T, Hao Y, Lei J, Cai W. Mid-Pleistocene climate transition triggered by Antarctic Ice Sheet growth. Science 2024; 385:560-565. [PMID: 39088600 DOI: 10.1126/science.abn4861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/03/2024]
Abstract
Despite extensive investigation, the nature and causes of the Mid-Pleistocene Transition remain enigmatic. In this work, we assess its linkage to asynchronous development of bipolar ice sheets by synthesizing Pleistocene mid- to high-latitude proxy records linked to hemispheric ice sheet evolution. Our results indicate substantial growth of the Antarctic Ice Sheets (AISs) at 2.0 to 1.25 million years ago, preceding the rapid expansion of Northern Hemisphere Ice Sheets after ~1.25 million years ago. Proxy-model comparisons suggest that AIS and associated Southern Ocean sea ice expansion can induce northern high-latitude cooling and enhanced moisture transport to the Northern Hemisphere, thus triggering the Mid-Pleistocene Transition. The dynamic processes involved are crucial for assessing modern global warming that is already inducing asynchronous bipolar melting of ice sheets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhisheng An
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
- Interdisciplinary Research Center of Earth Science Frontier, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Weijian Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
- Interdisciplinary Research Center of Earth Science Frontier, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Zeke Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Xu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
| | - Zhonghui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Youbin Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Steven C Clemens
- Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Lixin Wu
- Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266000, China
- Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography/Institute for Advanced Ocean Studies, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
| | - Jiaju Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Zhengguo Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Xiaolin Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Hong Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Gaojun Li
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yanjun Cai
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Jimin Yu
- Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266000, China
- Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Yuchen Sun
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Siqi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yu'ao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment (TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Christian Stepanek
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Gerrit Lohmann
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Guocheng Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Hai Cheng
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Yu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Zhangdong Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Tao Li
- Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Petroleum Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Yifei Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Jing Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Xi'an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Wenju Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
- Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266000, China
- Key Laboratory of Physical Oceanography/Institute for Advanced Ocean Studies, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
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Gales JA, McKay RM, De Santis L, Rebesco M, Laberg JS, Shevenell AE, Harwood D, Leckie RM, Kulhanek DK, King M, Patterson M, Lucchi RG, Kim S, Kim S, Dodd J, Seidenstein J, Prunella C, Ferrante GM. Climate-controlled submarine landslides on the Antarctic continental margin. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2714. [PMID: 37202379 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38240-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Antarctica's continental margins pose an unknown submarine landslide-generated tsunami risk to Southern Hemisphere populations and infrastructure. Understanding the factors driving slope failure is essential to assessing future geohazards. Here, we present a multidisciplinary study of a major submarine landslide complex along the eastern Ross Sea continental slope (Antarctica) that identifies preconditioning factors and failure mechanisms. Weak layers, identified beneath three submarine landslides, consist of distinct packages of interbedded Miocene- to Pliocene-age diatom oozes and glaciomarine diamicts. The observed lithological differences, which arise from glacial to interglacial variations in biological productivity, ice proximity, and ocean circulation, caused changes in sediment deposition that inherently preconditioned slope failure. These recurrent Antarctic submarine landslides were likely triggered by seismicity associated with glacioisostatic readjustment, leading to failure within the preconditioned weak layers. Ongoing climate warming and ice retreat may increase regional glacioisostatic seismicity, triggering Antarctic submarine landslides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny A Gales
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK.
| | - Robert M McKay
- Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Laura De Santis
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics-OGS, Trieste, Italy
| | - Michele Rebesco
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics-OGS, Trieste, Italy
| | - Jan Sverre Laberg
- Department of Geosciences, UIT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Amelia E Shevenell
- College of Marine Sciences, University of South Florida, St Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - David Harwood
- Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA
| | - R Mark Leckie
- Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Denise K Kulhanek
- Institute of Geosciences, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Maxine King
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Molly Patterson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Renata G Lucchi
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics-OGS, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Geosciences, UIT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Sookwan Kim
- Ocean Climate Response & Ecosystem Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Sunghan Kim
- Division of Glacial Environment Research, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Justin Dodd
- Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Julia Seidenstein
- Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
- Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, U.S. Geological Survey, National Center, Reston, VA, USA
| | - Catherine Prunella
- College of Marine Sciences, University of South Florida, St Petersburg, FL, USA
- National Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA, USA
| | - Giulia M Ferrante
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics-OGS, Trieste, Italy
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3
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Bailey I, Hemming S, Reilly BT, Rollinson G, Williams T, Weber ME, Raymo ME, Peck VL, Ronge TA, Brachfeld S, O'Connell S, Tauxe L, Warnock JP, Armbrecht L, Cardillo FG, Du Z, Fauth G, Garcia M, Glueder A, Guitard M, Gutjahr M, Hernández‐Almeida I, Hoem FS, Hwang J, Iizuka M, Kato Y, Kenlee B, Martos YM, Pérez LF, Seki O, Tripathi S, Zheng X. Episodes of Early Pleistocene West Antarctic Ice Sheet Retreat Recorded by Iceberg Alley Sediments. PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY 2022; 37:e2022PA004433. [PMID: 36247355 PMCID: PMC9544630 DOI: 10.1029/2022pa004433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Ice loss in the Southern Hemisphere has been greatest over the past 30 years in West Antarctica. The high sensitivity of this region to climate change has motivated geologists to examine marine sedimentary records for evidence of past episodes of West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) instability. Sediments accumulating in the Scotia Sea are useful to examine for this purpose because they receive iceberg-rafted debris (IBRD) sourced from the Pacific- and Atlantic-facing sectors of West Antarctica. Here we report on the sedimentology and provenance of the oldest of three cm-scale coarse-grained layers recovered from this sea at International Ocean Discovery Program Site U1538. These layers are preserved in opal-rich sediments deposited ∼1.2 Ma during a relatively warm regional climate. Our microCT-based analysis of the layer's in-situ fabric confirms its ice-rafted origin. We further infer that it is the product of an intense but short-lived episode of IBRD deposition. Based on the petrography of its sand fraction and the Phanerozoic 40Ar/39Ar ages of hornblende and mica it contains, we conclude that the IBRD it contains was likely sourced from the Weddell Sea and/or Amundsen Sea embayment(s) of West Antarctica. We attribute the high concentrations of IBRD in these layers to "dirty" icebergs calved from the WAIS following its retreat inland from its modern grounding line. These layers also sit at the top of a ∼366-m thick Pliocene and early Pleistocene sequence that is much more dropstone-rich than its overlying sediments. We speculate this fact may reflect that WAIS mass-balance was highly dynamic during the ∼41-kyr (inter)glacial world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Bailey
- Camborne School of MinesUniversity of ExeterPenryn CampusCornwallUK
| | - Sidney Hemming
- Lamont‐Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia UniversityPalisadesNYUSA
| | - Brendan T. Reilly
- Scripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | - Gavyn Rollinson
- Camborne School of MinesUniversity of ExeterPenryn CampusCornwallUK
| | - Trevor Williams
- International Ocean Discovery ProgramTexas AM UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| | - Michael E. Weber
- Department of Geochemistry and PetrologyInstitute for GeosciencesUniversity of BonnBonnGermany
| | - Maureen E. Raymo
- Lamont‐Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia UniversityPalisadesNYUSA
| | | | - Thomas A. Ronge
- Alfred‐Wegener‐Institut Helmholtz‐Zentrum für Polar‐und MeeresforschungBremerhavenGermany
| | | | - Suzanne O'Connell
- Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesWesleyan UniversityMiddletownCTUSA
| | - Lisa Tauxe
- Scripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California San DiegoLa JollaCAUSA
| | | | - Linda Armbrecht
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic StudiesUniversity of TasmaniaBattery PointTASAustralia
| | - Fabricio G. Cardillo
- Departmento OceanografiaServicio de Hidrografia NavalMinisterio de DefensaBuenos AiresArgentina
| | - Zhiheng Du
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric ScienceNorthwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and ResourcesLanzhouChina
| | - Gerson Fauth
- Geology ProgramUniversity of Vale do Rio dos SinosSão LeopoldoBrazil
| | - Marga Garcia
- Andalusian Institute of Earth Science (CSIC‐UGR)GranadaSpain
- Cádiz Oceanographic Centre (IEO‐CSIC)CádizSpain
| | - Anna Glueder
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric SciencesOregon State UniversityCorvallisORUSA
| | - Michelle Guitard
- College of Marine ScienceUniversity of South FloridaSt. PetersburgFLUSA
| | - Marcus Gutjahr
- GEOMARHelmholtz Centre for Ocean ResearchUniversity of KielKielGermany
| | | | - Frida S. Hoem
- Department of Earth Science, Marine Palynology and PaleoceanographyUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Ji‐Hwan Hwang
- Earth Environmental SciencesKorea Basic Science InstituteChungbuk CheongjuRepublic of Korea
| | | | - Yuji Kato
- Faculty of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of TsukubaTsukubaJapan
| | - Bridget Kenlee
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of California RiversideRiversideCAUSA
| | - Yasmina M. Martos
- NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterPlanetary Magnetospheres LaboratoryGreenbeltMDUSA
- Department of AstronomyUniversity of MarylandCollege ParkMDUSA
| | - Lara F. Pérez
- British Antarctic SurveyCambridgeUK
- Department of Marine GeologyGeological Survey of Denmark and GreenlandAarhus University CityAarhusDenmark
| | - Osamu Seki
- Institute of Low Temperature ScienceHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Shubham Tripathi
- Marine Stable Isotope LabNational Centre for Polar and Ocean ResearchMinistry of Earth SciencesVasco Da GamaIndia
| | - Xufeng Zheng
- South China Sea Institute of OceanologyChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
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