Sea-level oscillations during the last interglacial highstand recorded by Bahamas corals

Thompson, W. G.; Curran, H. Allen; Wilson, Mark A.; White, Brian

doi:10.1038/ngeo1253

Cited by 143 publications

(126 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…We infer that these changes in the monsoon are a direct response to high northern latitude cooling and increasing ice cover. In contrast, coral records of the timing of the end of MIS 5.5 indicate that sea level remained at or above present sea level until 115-117 ka (O'Leary et al, 2013;Dutton and Lambeck, 2012;Thompson et al, 2011). While it is not possible to make a direct estimate of sea level fall from the speleothem records, it is unlikely that the very large changes in tropical hydrology observed could have taken place without at least several meters of sea level equivalent ice growth.…”

Section: Implications For Sea Level Reconstructionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A tropical speleothem record of glacial inception, the South American Summer Monsoon from 125 to 115 ka

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Relatively few marine or terrestrial paleoclimate studies have focused on glacial inception, the transition from an interglacial to a glacial climate state. As a result, neither the timing and structure of glacial inception nor the spatial pattern of glacial inception in different parts of the world is well known. Here we present results of a study of a speleothem from the Peruvian Andes that records changes in the intensity of South American Summer Monsoon (SASM) rainfall over the period from 125 to 115 ka. The results show that late in the last interglacial period, at 123 ka, SASM rainfall decreased, perhaps in response to a decrease in temperature and ice cover in the high northern latitudes and associated changes in atmospheric circulation. Then at 120.8 ka, a rapid increase in SASM rainfall marks the end of the last interglacial. After a more gradual increase between 120 and 117 ka, a second abrupt increase occurs at 117 ka. This pattern of change is mirrored to a remarkable degree by changes in the East Asian Monsoon. It is interpreted to reflect both a long-term gradual response of the monsoons to orbitally driven insolation changes and to rapid changes in Northern Hemisphere ice volume and temperature. Both monsoon systems are close to their full glacial conditions by 117 ka, before any significant decrease in atmospheric CO 2 .

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Section: Implications For Sea Level Reconstructionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of studies have concluded than there was a rapid sea level rise near the end of MIS 5.5 (O' Leary et al, 2013;Dutton and Lambeck, 2012;Thompson et al, 2011). This rise is thought to have been the result of a rapid melting event in the high northern latitudes.…”

Section: Implications For Sea Level Reconstructionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A tropical speleothem record of glacial inception, the South American Summer Monsoon from 125 to 115 ka

et al. 2015

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“…Such dating of carbonate-rich sediment and speleothems have indicated that massive climate changes may, at times, have preceded the presumed major orbital forcing [100,108]. Recent studies based on coral terraces have even indicated that sea level may have experienced rapid and large-amplitude changes during the last interglacial period [109]. When pushing analytical techniques to the limits of their precision as needed to test climate forcing, we find that the details of the dating begin to break down [109].…”

Section: (B) Relative and Absolute Dating Of Marine Archivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent studies based on coral terraces have even indicated that sea level may have experienced rapid and large-amplitude changes during the last interglacial period [109]. When pushing analytical techniques to the limits of their precision as needed to test climate forcing, we find that the details of the dating begin to break down [109]. Aragonite is prone to diagenesis, causing the geochemical properties of uranium and its daughter products to change over time [110,111].…”

Section: (B) Relative and Absolute Dating Of Marine Archivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palaeoceanography: motivations and challenges for the future

Robinson

Siddall

2012

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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The ocean interacts with the atmosphere, biosphere and cryosphere in a complex way, modulating climate through the storage and transport of heat, nutrients and carbon. As such, it is important that we understand the ways in which the ocean behaves and the factors that can lead to change. In order to gain this understanding, we need to look back into the past, on time scales from recent decadal-scale change, through the abrupt changes of the Pleistocene and back to times when the Earth's climate was significantly different than the Holocene. A key challenge facing the field of palaeoceanography is to combine data and modelling in a common framework. Coupling palaeo-data and models should improve our knowledge of how the Earth works, and perhaps of more direct societal relevance, might enable us to provide better predictive capabilities in climate modelling. In this discussion paper, we examine the motivations, past successes and challenges facing palaeoceanographic studies. We then suggest a number of areas and approaches that we believe will allow palaeoceanography to continue to provide new insights into processes that affect future climate change.

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“…The development of wave-cut platforms on natural cliffed (Trenhaile, 2001) and abandoned reef coasts (Thompson et al, 2011) demonstrates that wave abrasion tends to be focused in the surf zone; we therefore compute wave erosion only in water depths shallower than 2 m. In the horizontal direction, we implement wave erosion over the same width as the growth function based on the expectation that wave energy, and therefore erosive potential, is dissipated within a short distance of the reef crest . However, if the distance between the reef crest and the shoreline is less than the dissipation length used in the model, the backreef shoreline will also erode.…”

Section: Wave Erosionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quaternary morphology and paleoenvironmental records of carbonate islands

Toomey¹

2014

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Here I use a simple numerical model of reef profile evolution to show that the presentday morphology of carbonate islands has developed largely in response to late Pleistocene sea level oscillations in addition to variable vertical motion and reef accretion rates. In particular, large amplitude 'ice-house' sea-level variability resulted in long lagoonal depositional hiatuses, producing the morphology characteristic of modern-day barrier reefs. Reactivation of carbonate factories, transport of coarse reef material and rapid infilling of shallow water accommodation space since deglaciation makes these unique sites for reconstructing Holocene climate.Integration of new tropical cyclone reconstructions from both backbarrier reef (central Pacific) and carbonate bank (the Bahamas) settings with existing storm archives suggests a coordinated pattern of cyclone activity across storm basins since the late Holocene. Seesawing of intense tropical cyclone activity between the western Pacific (~0-1000 yrs BP) and North Atlantic/Central Pacific (~1000-2500 yrs BP) appears closely tied with hydrographic patterns in the tropical Pacific and El Niño-like variability. Decoupling of North Atlantic (inactive) and South Pacific (active) tropical cyclone patterns during the mid-Holocene suggests precession driven changes in storm season insolation may constrain ocean-atmosphere thermal gradients and therefore cyclone potential intensity on orbital timescales. In particular, analysis of instrumental records (e.g. Gray, 1984;Revell and Goulter, 1986) and existing reconstructions (e.g. Woodruff et al., 2009) Reproduced with permission from GSA. 13GEOLOGY | July 2013 | www.gsapubs.org 1 INTRODUCTIONCoral reefs dynamically adapt to vertical motion (uplift or subsidence), erosion, antecedent topography, and changing sea level, developing a variety of profi le forms ( Many previous studies have introduced numerical models of reef profi le development (Bosence and Waltham, 1990;Bosscher and Schlager, 1992; Chappell, 1980; Hill et al., 2009; Koelling et al., 2009; Paterson et al., 2006;Paulay and McEdward, 1990; Warrlich et al., 2002;Webster et al., 2007). In general, these models have related reef morphology at specifi c sites to rates of island subsidence, reef accretion, and sea-level rise, but do not satisfactorily explain the wide range of morphologic variability observed in modern reefs.Here we address the broad-scale controls on island reef form. First, we discuss the growth and stability of reefs as they experience island vertical motion and sea-level change. Second, we implement a profi le model of long-term reef development, systematically exploring reef evolution for a wide variety of vertical motion rates, reef accretion rates, and sea-level histories over glacial sea-level cycles. Finally, we compare the gross morphology of reef profi le forms generated by the model with those of natural reefs with known vertical motion and accretion rates. CORAL GROWTH AND SEA LEVELThe primary control on the development of coral r...

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Sea-level oscillations during the last interglacial highstand recorded by Bahamas corals

Cited by 143 publications

References 26 publications

A tropical speleothem record of glacial inception, the South American Summer Monsoon from 125 to 115 ka

A tropical speleothem record of glacial inception, the South American Summer Monsoon from 125 to 115 ka

Palaeoceanography: motivations and challenges for the future

Quaternary morphology and paleoenvironmental records of carbonate islands

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