Publication Date:
2016-03-27
Description:
Due to its strong influence on heat and moisture
exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere, sea ice is
an essential component of the global climate system. In the
context of its alarming decrease in terms of concentration,
thickness and duration, understanding the processes controlling
sea-ice variability and reconstructing paleo-sea-ice extent
in polar regions have become of great interest for the scientific
community. In this study, for the first time, IP25, a recently
developed biomarker sea-ice proxy, was used for a highresolution
reconstruction of the sea-ice extent and its variability
in the western North Pacific and western Bering Sea during
the past 18,000 years. To identify mechanisms controlling the
sea-ice variability, IP25 data were associated with published
sea-surface temperature as well as diatom and biogenic opal
data. The results indicate that a seasonal sea-ice cover existed
during cold periods (Heinrich Stadial 1 and Younger Dryas),
whereas during warmer intervals (Bølling-Allerød and
Holocene) reduced sea ice or ice-free conditions prevailed in
the study area. The variability in sea-ice extent seems to be
linked to climate anomalies and sea-level changes controlling
the oceanographic circulation between the subarctic Pacific
and the Bering Sea, especially the Alaskan Stream injection
though the Aleutian passes.
Repository Name:
EPIC Alfred Wegener Institut
Type:
Article
,
isiRev
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