Little Ice Age abruptly triggered by intrusion of Atlantic waters into the Nordic Seas

Lapointe, François; Bradley, Raymond S.

doi:10.1126/sciadv.abi8230

Cited by 23 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 88 publications

(248 reference statements)

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“… 12 . This was the coldest episode of the past millennium and featured low solar irradiance 13 , high variability in sea ice extent 14 , 15 , and frequent volcanic eruptions 16 . An early reconstruction of the NAO over the last millennium suggested a persistent positive NAO during the Medieval Climate Anomaly prior to a shift to negative NAO conditions during the LIA 10 , but this conclusion has since been questioned by other NAO reconstructions of the LIA 17 , 18 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Split westerlies over Europe in the early Little Ice Age

Shen

Chiang

et al. 2022

Nat Commun

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The Little Ice Age (LIA; ca. 1450–1850 C.E.) is the best documented cold period of the past millennium, characterized by high-frequency volcanism, low solar activity, and high variability of Arctic sea-ice cover. Past studies of LIA Atlantic circulation changes have referenced the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), but recent studies have noted that LIA climate patterns appear to possess complexity not captured by an NAO analogue. Here, we present a new precipitation-sensitive stalagmite record from northern Italy that covers the past 800 years. We show that in the early LIA (1470–1610 C.E.), increased atmospheric ridging over northern Europe split the climatological westerlies away from central and northern Europe, possibly caused by concurrent Artic sea-ice reduction. With ongoing ice melting in the northern high latitudes and decreasing solar irradiance in the coming years, the early LIA may potentially serve as an analogue for European hydroclimatic conditions in the coming decades.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Split westerlies over Europe in the early Little Ice Age

Shen

Chiang

et al. 2022

Nat Commun

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“…A similar pattern is seen in reconstructed Atlantic Multidecadal Variability 42 (Fig. 4g), implying impacts across the North Atlantic and linking the SST variability to changes in the strength of the North Atlantic circulation 43 .…”

Section: Regional Extent and Oceanography Of Destabilisationsupporting

confidence: 70%

Destabilisation of the Subpolar North Atlantic prior to the Little Ice Age

et al. 2022

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The cooling transition into the Little Ice Age was the last notable shift in the climate system prior to anthropogenic global warming. It is hypothesised that sea-ice to ocean feedbacks sustained an initial cooling into the Little Ice Age by weakening the subpolar gyre circulation; a system that has been proposed to exhibit bistability. Empirical evidence for bistability within this transition has however been lacking. Using statistical indicators of resilience in three annually-resolved bivalve proxy records from the North Icelandic shelf, we show that the subpolar North Atlantic climate system destabilised during two episodes prior to the Little Ice Age. This loss of resilience indicates reduced attraction to one stable state, and a system vulnerable to an abrupt transition. The two episodes preceded wider subpolar North Atlantic change, consistent with subpolar gyre destabilisation and the approach of a tipping point, potentially heralding the transition to Little Ice Age conditions.

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“…Extensive sea ice in the North Atlantic triggered a cooling in Europe starting around 1400 C.E. by changing ocean circulation (12,52). Sea ice extent then significantly decreased in the 1400s C.E (Fig.…”

Section: Bàsura Recordsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…volcanic eruptions (11,12). It was further characterized by enhanced atmospheric blocking over Greenland, which indicates a negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) (e.g., 8,13).…”

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confidence: 99%

Split northern westerlies during the Little Ice Age

Shen

Chiang

Michel

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The Little Ice Age (LIA) was the coldest period of the past millennium, characterized by high-density volcanism, low solar activity, and increased Northern Hemisphere sea-ice cover. Past studies of LIA circulation changes over the North Atlantic sector have typically referenced the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), though recent studies have noted that LIA climate patterns appear to be possess complexity not captured by an NAO analog. Here, we present a new precipitation-sensitive stalagmite record from northern Italy that covers the past 800 years at high resolution. Combined with terrestrial and marine records in the North Atlantic realm, we show that in the early LIA (1470-1610 C.E.), a multi-decadal scale atmospheric blocking over northern Europe split the westerlies away from central and northern Europe, and towards the Arctic and the Mediterranean. This enhanced blocking results in a cold and dry climate over central and northern Europe, and wetter conditions over the Mediterranean. The LIA atmospheric blocking could be caused by the concurrent sea-ice reduction in the Arctic and the Spörer solar minimum. With ongoing ice melting in the northern high latitudes and decreasing solar irradiance in the coming years, the early LIA may potentially serve as an analog for European hydroclimatic conditions in the coming decades.

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Little Ice Age abruptly triggered by intrusion of Atlantic waters into the Nordic Seas

Abstract: High solar forcing caused subpolar gyre warming followed by massive sea ice export that led to the Little Ice Age ~600 years ago.

Cited by 23 publications

References 88 publications

Split westerlies over Europe in the early Little Ice Age

Split westerlies over Europe in the early Little Ice Age

Destabilisation of the Subpolar North Atlantic prior to the Little Ice Age

Split northern westerlies during the Little Ice Age

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