It is well known that climate-induced sea level rise is a major threat. New research has found that previous ice loss events could have caused sea-level rise at rates of around 3.6 metres per century, offering vital clues as to what lies ahead should climate change continue unabated.
A team of scientists, led by researchers from Durham University, used geological records of past sea levels to shed light on the ice sheets responsible for a rapid pulse of sea-level rise in Earth's recent past.
Geological records tell us that, at the end of the last ice age around 14,600 years ago, sea levels rose at ten times the current rate due to Meltwater Pulse 1A (MWP-1A); a 500 year, ~18 metre sea-level rise event.
Until now, the scientific community has not been able to agree about which ice sheet was responsible for this rapid rise, with the massive Antarctic Ice Sheet being a likely suspect, but some evidence pointing towards ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere.
The new study uses detailed geological sea-level data and state-of-the-art modelling techniques to reveal the sources of MWP-1A. Interestingly, most of the meltwater appears to have originated from the former North American and Eurasian ice sheets, with minimal contribution from Antarctica, reconciling formerly disparate views.
In addition to flooding vast areas of low-lying land, this unparalleled discharge of freshwater into the ocean - comparable to melting an ice sheet twice the size of Greenland in only 500 years - will have disrupted ocean circulation, with knock-on effects for global climate. Knowing the source of the meltwater will improve the accuracy of climate models that are used to replicate the past and predict changes in the future.
The results are important for our understanding of ice-ocean-climate interactions which play a significant role in shaping terrestrial weather patterns. The findings are particularly timely with the Greenland ice sheet rapidly melting, contributing to a rise in sea levels and changes to global ocean circulation.
Of the findings, lead author Yucheng Lin, in the Department of Geography at Durham University notes: "Despite being identified over 30 years ago, it has been surprisingly challenging to determine which ice sheet was the major contributor to this dramatic rise in sea levels.
"Previously, scientists tried to work out the source of the sea-level rise based on sea-level data from the tropics, but the majority of those studies disagreed with geological records of ice sheet change.
Our study includes novel information from lakes around the coast of Scotland that were isolated from the ocean due to land uplift following the retreat of the British Ice Sheet, allowing us to confidently identify the meltwater sources."
Co-author Dr. Pippa Whitehouse, in the Department of Geography at Durham University said "The technique we have used allows us to really dig into the error bars on the data and explore which ice-melt scenarios were most likely.
"We found that most of the rapid sea-level rise was due to ice sheet melt across North America and Scandinavia, with a surprisingly small contribution from Antarctica.
"The next big question is to work out what triggered the ice melt, and what impact the massive influx of meltwater had on ocean currents in the North Atlantic. This is very much on our minds today - any disruption to the Gulf Stream, for example due to melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet, will have significant consequences for the UK climate."
Rising sea levels due to warming climate pose a great risk to society, improving our understand of why and how fast change could happen will help us plan for the impacts.
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Yucheng Lin is funded by a Durham University - China Scholarship Council joint scholarship.
The Scotland data was collected and analysed by Durham University researchers, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.
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Interviews
Yucheng Lin in Durham University's Department of Geography is available for interview on Wednesday 31 March 2021 from 3:00pm to 5pm and can be reached at yucheng.lin@durham.ac.uk
Dr Pippa Whitehouse in Durham University's Department of Geography is available for interview on Wednesday 31 March 2021 from 12:30pm to 5pm and can be reached at pippa.whitehouse@durham.ac.uk
Alternatively, please contact Durham University Marketing and Communications Office on communications.team@durham.ac.uk
Source information
A reconciled solution of Meltwater Pulse 1A sources using sea-level fingerprinting :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21990-y
Pictures available
The following images are available via this Dropbox link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nt0jpqx6u0abi71/AAAWlxM2m1KzKrY9-jNCbbala?dl=0
Picture 1.jpg and Picture 2.jpg
Caption
An isolation lake in north-west Scotland. Sediment analysed from the bottom of this low-lying lake tells us that it was once connected to the ocean.
Credit
Professor Ian Shennan, Department of Geography, Durham University.
Useful web links
Yucheng Lin's profile:
https://www.dur.ac.uk/directory/profile/?id=18973
Dr. Pippa Whitehouse's profile:
https://www.dur.ac.uk/directory/profile/?id=1553
Department of Geography, Durham University:
https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/geography/
About Durham University
Durham University is a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research based in historic Durham City in the UK.
We are a collegiate university committed to inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham and in the world.
We conduct boundary-breaking research that improves lives globally and we are ranked as a world top 100 university with an international reputation in research and education (QS World University Rankings 2021).
We are a member of the Russell Group of leading research-intensive UK universities and we are consistently ranked as a top 10 university in national league tables (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, Guardian University Guide and The Complete University Guide).
For more information about Durham University visit:
http://www.durham.ac.uk/about/
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Journal
Nature Communications