Objectives

Greenland

Primary objective:
Test key hypotheses on the role of ocean, sea-ice, atmospheric processes, and feedbacks in driving
Arctic climate variability during the shift from glacial to peak interglacial climates.

Specific objectives:

• how were atmospheric circulation patterns involved in Arctic climate changes?
• what role did advective processes associated with changes in the MOC play?
• how did changing seasonality of orbital forcing influence Arctic climate changes?
• what are the direct radiative effects from solar insolation changes?
• what role did feedbacks associated with sea-ice/albedo play?
  
  

Figure:
Climate change 15-7 ka illustrated by the Greenland ice core record. 1. Rapid large amplitude climate transitions within 10 years. 2. Warm conditions, similar to present warming. 3. Cold reversals during intermediate warm climate. 4. Unstable mild climate, not as warm as the Holocene. 5. Long stable cold period. 6. Long period of slowly warming stable warm climate with reduced climate variability. 7. Stable warm interval. 8. Cold reversal within stable warm period.

By:
22-4 2008