Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise during the last interglacial period: a modelling study driven and constrained by ice core data

As pointed out by the forth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC-AR4 (Meehl et al., 2007), the contribution of the two major ice sheets, Antarctica and Greenland, to global sea level rise, is a subject of key importance for the scientific community. By the end of...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: A. Quiquet, C. Ritz, H. J. Punge, D. Salas y Mélia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2013-02-01
Series:Climate of the Past
Online Access:http://www.clim-past.net/9/353/2013/cp-9-353-2013.pdf
_version_ 1811323756440715264
author A. Quiquet
C. Ritz
H. J. Punge
D. Salas y Mélia
author_facet A. Quiquet
C. Ritz
H. J. Punge
D. Salas y Mélia
author_sort A. Quiquet
collection DOAJ
description As pointed out by the forth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC-AR4 (Meehl et al., 2007), the contribution of the two major ice sheets, Antarctica and Greenland, to global sea level rise, is a subject of key importance for the scientific community. By the end of the next century, a 3–5 °C warming is expected in Greenland. Similar temperatures in this region were reached during the last interglacial (LIG) period, 130–115 ka BP, due to a change in orbital configuration rather than to an anthropogenic forcing. Ice core evidence suggests that the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) survived this warm period, but great uncertainties remain about the total Greenland ice reduction during the LIG. Here we perform long-term simulations of the GIS using an improved ice sheet model. Both the methodologies chosen to reconstruct palaeoclimate and to calibrate the model are strongly based on proxy data. We suggest a relatively low contribution to LIG sea level rise from Greenland melting, ranging from 0.7 to 1.5 m of sea level equivalent, contrasting with previous studies. Our results suggest an important contribution of the Antarctic ice sheet to the LIG highstand.
first_indexed 2024-04-13T14:01:27Z
format Article
id doaj.art-7c17e3f210f840149904e77b5b3f3487
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1814-9324
1814-9332
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T14:01:27Z
publishDate 2013-02-01
publisher Copernicus Publications
record_format Article
series Climate of the Past
spelling doaj.art-7c17e3f210f840149904e77b5b3f34872022-12-22T02:44:02ZengCopernicus PublicationsClimate of the Past1814-93241814-93322013-02-019135336610.5194/cp-9-353-2013Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise during the last interglacial period: a modelling study driven and constrained by ice core dataA. QuiquetC. RitzH. J. PungeD. Salas y MéliaAs pointed out by the forth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC-AR4 (Meehl et al., 2007), the contribution of the two major ice sheets, Antarctica and Greenland, to global sea level rise, is a subject of key importance for the scientific community. By the end of the next century, a 3–5 °C warming is expected in Greenland. Similar temperatures in this region were reached during the last interglacial (LIG) period, 130–115 ka BP, due to a change in orbital configuration rather than to an anthropogenic forcing. Ice core evidence suggests that the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) survived this warm period, but great uncertainties remain about the total Greenland ice reduction during the LIG. Here we perform long-term simulations of the GIS using an improved ice sheet model. Both the methodologies chosen to reconstruct palaeoclimate and to calibrate the model are strongly based on proxy data. We suggest a relatively low contribution to LIG sea level rise from Greenland melting, ranging from 0.7 to 1.5 m of sea level equivalent, contrasting with previous studies. Our results suggest an important contribution of the Antarctic ice sheet to the LIG highstand.http://www.clim-past.net/9/353/2013/cp-9-353-2013.pdf
spellingShingle A. Quiquet
C. Ritz
H. J. Punge
D. Salas y Mélia
Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise during the last interglacial period: a modelling study driven and constrained by ice core data
Climate of the Past
title Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise during the last interglacial period: a modelling study driven and constrained by ice core data
title_full Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise during the last interglacial period: a modelling study driven and constrained by ice core data
title_fullStr Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise during the last interglacial period: a modelling study driven and constrained by ice core data
title_full_unstemmed Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise during the last interglacial period: a modelling study driven and constrained by ice core data
title_short Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise during the last interglacial period: a modelling study driven and constrained by ice core data
title_sort greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise during the last interglacial period a modelling study driven and constrained by ice core data
url http://www.clim-past.net/9/353/2013/cp-9-353-2013.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT aquiquet greenlandicesheetcontributiontosealevelriseduringthelastinterglacialperiodamodellingstudydrivenandconstrainedbyicecoredata
AT critz greenlandicesheetcontributiontosealevelriseduringthelastinterglacialperiodamodellingstudydrivenandconstrainedbyicecoredata
AT hjpunge greenlandicesheetcontributiontosealevelriseduringthelastinterglacialperiodamodellingstudydrivenandconstrainedbyicecoredata
AT dsalasymelia greenlandicesheetcontributiontosealevelriseduringthelastinterglacialperiodamodellingstudydrivenandconstrainedbyicecoredata