Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Contrasting atmospheric and climate dynamics of the last-glacial and Holocene periods

Nature volume 379, pages 810–812 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

OUR present climate is relatively stable compared to that of the Last Glacial Maximum about 20,000 years ago. Palaeoclimate records obtained from ice cores1,2 and deep-sea sediment cores3 for the last glacial period show abrupt temperature changes on timescales of a few hundred years, which have been attributed to cycles of ice build-up and release associated with large ice sheets (Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles and Heinrich events)3 and their coupling to ocean circulation4,5. But little is known about the dynamics of the atmosphere during the last glaciation. Ice sheets influence atmospheric circulation, and studies using general circulation models have suggested stormier, more variable atmospheric dynamics during the Last Glacial Maximum than today6–9. Here we report the results of an analysis of temporal trends over the past 91,000 years in the oxygen isotope signatures of a high-resolution ice-core record from Greenland1,2. This analysis provides direct evidence that atmospheric circulation during the last glaciation was more turbulent than it is today.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Dansgaard, W. et al. Nature 264, 218–220 (1993).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. GRIP members Nature 364, 203–207 (1993).

  3. Bond, G. et al. Nature 365, 143–147 (1993).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bond, G. C. & Lotti, R. Science 267, 1005–1010 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Fronval, T. Jansen, E., Bloemendal, J. & Johnsen, S. Nature 374, 443–446 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Manabe, S. & Broccoli, A. J. J. Geophys Res. 90, 2167–2190 (1985).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Kutzbach, J. E. & Wright, H. E. Quat. Sci. Rev. 4, 147–187 (1985).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Rind, D. J. Geophys Res. 92, 4241–4281 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Valdes, P. & Hall, (ed. Peltier, W. R.) 517–522 (NATO ASI ser.I 12, Springer, Berlin, 1994).

  10. Dahl-Jensen, D. et al. (ed. Peltier, W. R.) 517–532 (NATO ASI ser.I 12, Springer, Berlin, 1993).

  11. Hasselman, K. Tellus 28, 473–485 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Wu, X. & Libchaber, A. Phys. Rev. A40 6421–6430 (1989).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Willebrand, J. J. phys. Oceanogr. 8, 1080–1094 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Chave, A. D., Luther, D. S. & Filloux, J. H. J. geophys. Res. 96, 18361–18379 (1991).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Johnson, N. L. & Kotz, S. Distributions in Statistics: Continuous Univariate distributions II (Wiley, New York, 1970).

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  16. Kendall, M. et al. Kendall's Advanced Theory of Statistics (Griffin, London, 1987).

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  17. Martinson, D. G. et al. Quat. Res. 27, 1–29 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Kapsner, W. R., Alley, R. B., Shuman, C. A., Anandakrishnan, S. & Grootes, P. M. Nature 373, 52–54 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Johnsen, S. J., Dansgaard, W. & White, J. W. C. Tellus B41, 452–468 (1992).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Niels Bohr Institute, Department for Geophysics, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

    Peter D. Ditlevsen & Sigfus Johnsen

  2. Solar-Terrestrial Physics Division, Danish Meteorological Institute, Lyngbyvej 100, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

    Henrik Svensmark

  3. Science Institute, Department of Geophysics, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, IS-107, Reykjavik, Iceland

    Sigfus Johnsen

Authors
  1. Peter D. Ditlevsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Henrik Svensmark
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sigfus Johnsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ditlevsen, P., Svensmark, H. & Johnsen, S. Contrasting atmospheric and climate dynamics of the last-glacial and Holocene periods. Nature 379, 810–812 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/379810a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/379810a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing