Dynamic behaviour of the East Antarctic ice sheet during Pliocene warmth

Carys P. Cook, Tina Van De Flierdt, Trevor Williams, Sidney R. Hemming, Masao Iwai, Munemasa Kobayashi, Francisco J. Jimenez-Espejo, Carlota Escutia, Jhon Jairo González, Boo Keun Khim, Robert M. McKay, Sandra Passchier, Steven M. Bohaty, Christina R. Riesselman, Lisa Tauxe, Saiko Sugisaki, Alberto Lopez Galindo, Molly O. Patterson, Francesca Sangiorgi, Elizabeth L. PierceHenk Brinkhuis, Adam Klaus, Annick Fehr, James A.P. Bendle, Peter K. Bijl, Stephanie A. Carr, Robert B. Dunbar, José Abel Flores, Travis G. Hayden, Kota Katsuki, Gee Soo Kong, Mutsumi Nakai, Matthew P. Olney, Stephen F. Pekar, Jörg Pross, Ursula Röhl, Toyosaburo Sakai, Prakash K. Shrivastava, Catherine E. Stickley, Shouting Tuo, Kevin Welsh, Masako Yamane

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

215 Scopus citations

Abstract

Warm intervals within the Pliocene epoch (5.33-2.58 million years ago) were characterized by global temperatures comparable to those predicted for the end of this century and atmospheric CO 2 concentrations similar to today. Estimates for global sea level highstands during these times imply possible retreat of the East Antarctic ice sheet, but ice-proximal evidence from the Antarctic margin is scarce. Here we present new data from Pliocene marine sediments recovered offshore of Adélie Land, East Antarctica, that reveal dynamic behaviour of the East Antarctic ice sheet in the vicinity of the low-lying Wilkes Subglacial Basin during times of past climatic warmth. Sedimentary sequences deposited between 5.3 and 3.3 million years ago indicate increases in Southern Ocean surface water productivity, associated with elevated circum-Antarctic temperatures. The geochemical provenance of detrital material deposited during these warm intervals suggests active erosion of continental bedrock from within the Wilkes Subglacial Basin, an area today buried beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet. We interpret this erosion to be associated with retreat of the ice sheet margin several hundreds of kilometres inland and conclude that the East Antarctic ice sheet was sensitive to climatic warmth during the Pliocene.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)765-769
Number of pages5
JournalNature Geoscience
Volume6
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2013

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