Late Pliocene-early Pleistocene 100-ka problem

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

11-16-2008

Abstract

Little is known about the 100-ka ice volume cycles immediately before 1 Ma except that they are coherent with the 100-ka eccentricity cycles. Here we show that ice volume and ocean circulation change/global carbon mass balance are phase-locked and highly coupled regarding amplitude envelopes at the 100-ka band, but neither is phase-locked to and amplitude-coupled to the 100-ka eccentricity orbital forcing signal between 3-1 Ma. We describe this phasing and amplitude mismatch at the 100-ka band between 3-1 Ma between eccentricity forcing and paleo-ice volume records as the "late Pliocene-early Pleistocene 100-ka problem." A free 100-ka oscillation internal to our climate system, especially those related to oscillations of atmospheric CO2 concentration, operating on an Earth characterized by a high-inertia deep thermohaline ocean that can store carbon and heat, might hold the key for the "late Pliocene-early Pleistocene 100-ka problem." Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

Publication Title, e.g., Journal

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume

35

Issue

21

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