Abstract

Volcanic eruptions can impact the mass balance of ice sheets through changes in climate and the radiative properties of the ice. Yet, empirical evidence highlighting the sensitivity of ancient ice sheets to volcanism is scarce. Here we present an exceptionally well-dated annual glacial varve chronology recording the melting history of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet at the end of the last deglaciation (∼13,200–12,000 years ago). Our data indicate that abrupt ice melting events coincide with volcanogenic aerosol emissions recorded in Greenland ice cores. We suggest that enhanced ice sheet runoff is primarily associated with albedo effects due to deposition of ash sourced from high-latitude volcanic eruptions. Climate and snowpack mass-balance simulations show evidence for enhanced ice sheet runoff under volcanically forced conditions despite atmospheric cooling. The sensitivity of past ice sheets to volcanic ashfall highlights the need for an accurate coupling between atmosphere and ice sheet components in climate models.

Details

Title
Enhanced ice sheet melting driven by volcanic eruptions during the last deglaciation
Author
Muschitiello, Francesco 1 ; Pausata, Francesco S R 2 ; Lea, James M 3 ; Mair, Douglas W F 3 ; Wohlfarth, Barbara 4 

 Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA; Uni Research Climate, Bergen, Norway; Department of Geological Sciences and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden 
 Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Quebec in Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada; Department of Meteorology and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden 
 Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, Merseyside, UK 
 Department of Geological Sciences and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden 
Pages
1-9
Publication year
2017
Publication date
Oct 2017
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1955031715
Copyright
© 2017. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.