TL;DR: In this paper, the isotope composition of snow in Greenland with meteorological and climatic parameters has been linked with the past few hundred years measured in ice cores using a new record of isotope values from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 and Greenland Ice Core Project sites at Summit, Greenland.
Abstract: Recent efforts to link the isotopic composition of snow in Greenland with meteorological and climatic parameters have indicated that relatively local information such as observed annual temperatures from coastal Greenland sites, as well as more synoptic scale features such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the temperature seesaw between Jakobshaven, Greenland, and Oslo, Norway, are significantly correlated with δ18O and δD values from the past few hundred years measured in ice cores. In this study we review those efforts and then use a new record of isotope values from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 and Greenland Ice Core Project sites at Summit, Greenland, to compare with meteorological and climatic parameters. This new record consists of six individual annually resolved isotopic records which have been average to produce a Summit stacked isotope record. The stacked record is significantly correlated with local Greenland temperatures over the past century (r=0.471), as well as a number of other records including temperatures and pressures from specific locations as well as temperature and pressure patterns such as the temperature seesaw and the North Atlantic Oscillation. A multiple linear regression of the stacked isotope record with a number of meteorological and climatic parameters in the North Atlantic region reveals that five variables contribute significantly to the variance in the isotope record: winter NAO, solar irradiance (as recorded by sunspot numbers), average Greenland coastal temperature, sea surface temperature in the moisture source region for Summit (30°–20°N), and the annual temperature seesaw between Jakobshaven and Oslo. Combined, these variables yield a correlation coefficient of r=0.71, explaining half of the variance in the stacked isotope record.
One of the great strengths of ice cores as proxies for past environmental conditions is that they can provide not only the long timescale necessary to view the large changes of the past glacial periods but also the high temporal resolution needed to look at socially relevant timescales, that is, subannual to decadal changes in climate and environmental conditions.
A total of six cores in the Summit region were drilled, sampled, and measured with sufficient temporal detail to calculate annual isotopic values.
The results of these studies are reviewed below.
3.2.1. Comparison with coastal temperatures. On the basis of both theoretical considerations and observations, stable
Isotope ratios of polar snows are commonly interpreted in terms of temperatures [Dansgaard, 1964] .
This approach depends on several key assumptions but is generally accepted as a very good first-order interpretation.
In all cases, except for the comparison with coastal temperatures mentioned earlier, the correlations with the stacked record were higher than the correlations with individual records.
Figure 6b shows the stacked isotopic record versus annual, winter (December-January-February.
TL;DR: In this paper, the decadal to interannual variability of sea-salt aerosol concentrations in northern Greenland ice cores is investigated and contrasted to meteorological reanalysis data over the time span 1959-1993.
Abstract: The decadal to interannual variability of sea-salt aerosol concentrations in northern Greenland ice cores is investigated and contrasted to meteorological reanalysis data over the time span 1959–1993 Correlation analysis with average data on sea level pressure and geopotential height at the 500 mbar level identifies the eastern and northeastern Pacific region as the most important center of action responsible for variations in sea-salt aerosol export onto the Greenland ice sheet which is related to the Pacific/North American teleconnection pattern The Atlantic region, however, appears to be of secondary importance only Correlation coefficients are highest during the first quarter of the year but also significant for annual pressure data, explaining ∼20% of the sea-salt variance in the ice cores Furthermore, higher storm activity in the Pacific center of action, as well as in the northern Atlantic, leads to higher sea-salt concentrations in northern Greenland, explaining about 40% and 17% of the ice core variance A 30% increase during the nineteenth century in a 600 year sea-salt record from northeastern Greenland may be interpreted, at least in part, as an enhancement of sea-salt export from the Pacific region during that time
28 citations
Cites background from "The climate signal in the stable is..."
...Furthermore, great progress has recently been made in tracing the imprint of the North Atlantic Oscillation pattern in accumulation and isotopic records from Greenland ice cores [Appenzeller et al., 1998; White et al., 1997]....
TL;DR: A daily precipitation δ18O and δD dataset from March 2014-December 2017 in Dayton, Ohio, the USA provides new insights into the main controls on the isotopic composition of precipitation and its seasonal variations, which could help to understand atmospheric processes and enable their proper use in interpretation of paleoclimate proxies, particularly those with seasonal bias.
TL;DR: A review of the time period A.D. 1400-1980 based on Greenland ice cores from the central west Greenland averaged record, and from winter and summer seasonal isotopic records from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) is presented in this paper.
Abstract: This paper presents a review of the time period A.D. 1400–1980 based on Greenland ice cores from the central west Greenland averaged record, and from winter and summer seasonal isotopic records from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2). This time period includes the so-called “Little Ice Age”. The concept of the “Little Ice Age” has evolved from the idea of a simple, centuries-long period of lower temperatures to a more complex view of temporal and spatial climatic variability. In the central Greenland ice core isotopic signals, the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries show multi-decadal excursions above and below the mean reference. The sixteenth and mid-eighteenth to mid-nineteenth centuries are notable for decade-to-decade swings (high-low) in the isotopic signal, while multi-decadal low excursions dominate the seventeenth century. The “subdued” nature of the “Little Ice Age” isotopic signal in central Greenland is probably influenced by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), which presents opposing temperature excursions between west Greenland and northern Europe. Changes in the prevailing atmospheric circulation (Iceland Low) can explain some of the spatial and temporal variability between the central Greenland isotopic records and Iceland temperature.
TL;DR: In this paper, a two-hundred year instrumental record of annual surface air temperature in the Atlantic-Arctic boundary region was reconstructed from four station-based composite time series.
Abstract: [1] A two-hundred year instrumental record of annual surface air temperature in the Atlantic-Arctic boundary region was reconstructed from four station-based composite time series. The new time series adds seventy-six years to the previously available record. Credibility is supported by ice core records, other temperature proxies, and historical evidence. This record provides new perspective on past climate fluctuations in a region where pivotal climate system processes occur and where unexplained low-frequency variations were observed during the 20th century. It is well correlated with sea-surface temperature anomalies, both regionally and in the vicinity of the North Atlantic western boundary current and southern recirculation gyre. The extended instrumental record reveals an irregular pattern of decadal-scale temperature fluctuations over the past two centuries. The early 20th century warming event is by far the most striking historical example.
27 citations
Cites background from "The climate signal in the stable is..."
...These are from Greenland (GRIP/GISP2 stack) [White et al., 1997], Svalbard (Austfonna, 79° 50 N – 24° 01 E) [Isaksson et al., 2005] and Severnaya Zemlya (Akademii Nauk ice cap, 80° 31 N – 94° 49 E) [Fritzsche et al., 2005; Opel et al., 2009]....
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...These are from Greenland (GRIP/GISP2 stack) [White et al., 1997], Svalbard (Austfonna,...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors combined tree-rings, ice cores, corals and documentary sources to produce palaeo summer-temperature reconstruction and geographical eigenvector (EOF) maps in both hemispheres.
Abstract: Palaeotemperature sensitive series from tree-rings, ice cores, corals and documentary sources are combined to producepalaeo summer-temperaturereconstructions (AD 1970-1761)and geographical eigenvector (EOF) maps in both hemispheres. They are compared favourably to those of existing summer-temperature average series. There are 51 palaeoseries in the Northern Hemisphere (mostly north of 40° N) and 16 series in the Southern Hemisphere. The statistics and significance of the palaeoreconstructions are examined by: (1) finding the correlation coefficient (palaeo to measured) as a function of the number and geographical distribution of the palaeo series; (2) developing and running a multiproxy model that generates pseudo series containing a signal and the same types and amounts of noise found in the various real palaeo series. The model reproduces the measured correlation coefficients and the eigenvector's (EOF) explained variances as functions of the number of sites. About 77% of the signal variance can be reco...
TL;DR: In this paper, the isotopic fractionation of water in simple condensation-evaporation processes is considered quantitatively on the basis of the fractionation factors given in section 1.2.
Abstract: In chapter 2 the isotopic fractionation of water in some simple condensation-evaporation processes are considered quantitatively on the basis of the fractionation factors given in section 1.2. The condensation temperature is an important parameter, which has got some glaciological applications. The temperature effect (the δ's decreasing with temperature) together with varying evaporation and exchange appear in the “amount effect” as high δ's in sparse rain. The relative deuterium-oxygen-18 fractionation is not quite simple. If the relative deviations from the standard water (S.M.O.W.) are called δ D and δ 18 , the best linear approximation is δ D = 8 δ 18 . Chapter 3 gives some qualitative considerations on non-equilibrium (fast) processes. Kinetic effects have heavy bearings upon the effective fractionation factors. Such effects have only been demonstrated clearly in evaporation processes, but may also influence condensation processes. The quantity d = δ D −8 δ 18 is used as an index for non-equilibrium conditions. The stable isotope data from the world wide I.A.E.A.-W.M.O. precipitation survey are discussed in chapter 4. The unweighted mean annual composition of rain at tropical island stations fits the line δ D = 4.6 δ 18 indicating a first stage equilibrium condensation from vapour evaporated in a non-equilibrium process. Regional characteristics appear in the weighted means. The Northern hemisphere continental stations, except African and Near East, fit the line δ D = 8.0 δ 18 + 10 as far as the weighted means are concerned (δ D = 8.1 δ 18 + 11 for the unweighted) corresponding to an equilibrium Rayleigh condensation from vapour, evaporated in a non-equilibrium process from S.M.O.W. The departure from equilibrium vapour seems even higher in the rest of the investigated part of the world. At most stations the δ D and varies linearily with δ 18 with a slope close to 8, only at two stations higher than 8, at several lower than 8 (mainly connected with relatively dry climates). Considerable variations in the isotopic composition of monthly precipitation occur at most stations. At low latitudes the amount effect accounts for the variations, whereas seasonal variation at high latitudes is ascribed to the temperature effect. Tokyo is an example of a mid latitude station influenced by both effects. Some possible hydrological applications are outlined in chapter 5. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1964.tb00181.x
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the complete oxygen isotope record for the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) core, drilled 28 km west of the GRIP core, and observe large, rapid climate fluctuations throughout the last glacial period.
Abstract: RECENT results1,2 from the Greenland Ice-core Project (GRIP) Summit ice core suggest that the climate in Greenland has been remarkably stable during the Holocene, but was extremely unstable for the time period represented by the rest of the core, spanning the last two glaciations and the intervening Eemian inter-glacial. Here we present the complete oxygen isotope record for the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) core, drilled 28 km west of the GRIP core. We observe large, rapid climate fluctuations throughout the last glacial period, which closely match those reported for the GRIP core. However, in the bottom 10% of the cores, spanning the Eemian interglacial and the previous glacia-tion, there are significant differences between the two records. It is possible that ice flow may have altered the chronological sequences of the stratigraphy for the bottom part of one or both of the cores. Considerable further work will be necessary to evaluate the likelihood of this, and the extent to which it will still be possible to extract meaningful climate information from the lowest sections of the cores.
TL;DR: Measured 18O/16O ratios from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) ice core extending back to 16,500 cal yr B.P. provide a continuous record of climate change since the last glaciation as discussed by the authors.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the well-known tendency for winter temperatures to be low over northern Europe when they are high over Greenland and the Canadian Arctic, and conversely, they found that these pressure anomalies are so distributed that the pressure in the region of the Icelandic low is negatively correlated with the pressure over the North Pacific Ocean and over the area south of 50°N in the North Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and Middle East.
Abstract: We have investigated the well-known tendency for winter temperatures to be low over northern Europe when they are high over Greenland and the Canadian Arctic, and conversely. Well-defined pressure anomalies over most of the Northern Hemisphere are associated with this regional seesaw in temperature, and these pressure anomalies are so distributed that the pressure in the region of the Icelandic low is negatively correlated with the pressure over the North Pacific Ocean and over the area south of 50°N in the North Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and Middle East, but positively correlated with the pressure over the Rocky Mountains. The composite patterns of pressure anomalies in the seesaw are almost identical to the fist eigenvector in the monthly mean pressure, but the standard deviations of pressure anomalies in seesaw mouths are as large as the standard deviations of monthly means in general. Since 1840 the seesaw, as defined by temperatures in Scandinavia and Greenland, occurred in more than 40%...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Southern Oscillations (SO) from the standpoint of their association with Northern Hemisphere winter mean distributions of sea-level pressure (SLP) and 500 mb height.
Abstract: The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Southern Oscillation (SO) are compared from the standpoint of their association with Northern Hemisphere winter mean distributions of sea-level pressure (SLP) and 500 mb height. The NAO and SO are associated with significant SLP differences over much of the hemisphere except for Siberia and western North America. Significant SLP and 500 mb height differences occur in the NAO over the Atlantic Ocean and near Baja California, while in the SO they occur over the Pacific Ocean, India and the western Atlantic. Only over the latter region do large pressure and height variations consistently occur in the extremes of both oscillations; these are also associated with winter temperature variability over the southeastern United States. For example, during winter 1982–83, when the two oscillations simultaneously reached extremes, the NAO was associated with record December warmth east of the Mississippi River, but during January and February the SO dominated the heigh...