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. 2018 Nov 12;9(1):4755.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-07206-w.

Dynamic Greenland ice sheet driven by pCO2 variations across the Pliocene Pleistocene transition

Ning Tan  1   2 , Jean-Baptiste Ladant  3   4   5 , Gilles Ramstein  3 , Christophe Dumas  3 , Paul Bachem  6 , Eystein Jansen  7
Affiliations

Dynamic Greenland ice sheet driven by pCO2 variations across the Pliocene Pleistocene transition

Ning Tan et al. Nat Commun. .

Abstract

It is generally considered that the perennial glaciation of Greenland lasting several orbital cycles began around 2.7 Ma along with the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation (NHG). Both data and model studies have demonstrated that a decline in atmospheric pCO2 was instrumental in establishing a perennial Greenland ice sheet (GrIS), yet models have generally used simplistic pCO2 constraints rather than data-inferred pCO2 evolution. Here, using a method designed for the long-term coupling of climate and cryosphere models and pCO2 scenarios from different studies, we highlight the pivotal role of pCO2 on the GrIS expansion across the Plio-Pleistocene Transition (PPT, 3.0-2.5 Ma), in particular in the range between 280 and 320 ppm. Good qualitative agreement is obtained between various IRD reconstructions and some of the possible evolutions of the GrIS simulated by our model. Our results underline the dynamism of the GrIS waxing and waning under pCO2 levels similar to or lower than today, which supports recent evidence of a dynamic GrIS during the Plio-Pleistocene.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Sensitivity tests with constant pCO2 scenarios. a Simulated GrIS volume (ISV on the figure) with various constant pCO2 concentrations (220 ppmv, 240 ppmv, 280 ppmv, 320 ppmv, 360 ppmv, 405 ppmv; so that ISV_220 indicates the simulated GrIS with constant pCO2 of 220 ppmv). b Simulated GrIS volume with the three pCO2 concentrations (220 ppmv, 320 ppmv and 405 ppmv under two different initial GrIS configurations: the present-day full GrIS or an ice-free Greenland. Light blue dash lines represent the summer mean insolation at 65 °N
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Simulated GrIS volume evolution based on different pCO2 records. a Seki et al.; b Bartoli et al.; c Martinez et al.. Dashed light blue line represents the boreal summer insolation at 65°N. Orange lines are the simulated GrIS volumes based on pCO2 records and their uncertainties, represented by the solid teal lines and shaded teal areas. a Alkenone-based pCO2 record of Seki et al., determined using size-corrected ε37:2 values for the modern range of b-values. The solid (dashed) orange line is the simulated GrIS volume obtained with the solid (dashed) pCO2 line. b Boron isotopes-based pCO2 record of Bartoli et al., with a 2 σ error range. The solid orange line is the simulated GrIS volume with mean pCO2 values and shaded orange lines are the GrIS volumes obtained with low and high extremes of the pCO2 uncertainties. c As in b but for the boron isotopes-based pCO2 record of Martinez-Boti et al., with an uncertainty range corresponding to 68% of 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations with full propagation of uncertainties. Circled numbers at 2.9 Ma, ~2.8 Ma, ~2.72 Ma and 2.6 Ma correspond to the ice sheet snapshot displayed in Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Greenland ice sheet thickness snapshots in the modelled GrIS evolution. These snapshots are taken from the simulated GrIS evolution based on the pCO2 record of Martinez-Boti et al. (mean) at 2.9 Ma (a), 2.8 Ma (b), 2.72 Ma (c) and 2.6 Ma (d), as shown on Fig. 2c
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Simulated GrIS volume evolution with the pre-defined best scenario of pCO2 from Willeit et al.. The brown dash line represents the GrIS evolution of Willeit et al. under the same pCO2 scenario. The dashed light blue line represents the boreal summer insolation at 65°N
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The comparison between the simulated GrIS and adjacent IRD records. a Map showing simplified main ocean currents in NATL and the ocean deep drilling sites referenced in this study (Ocean Data View, Schlitzer, R., Ocean Data View, odv.awi.de, 2018). b Related IRD records in the North Atlantic regions: site 907; site U1307; site 611 and simulated GrIS volume with the mean and high pCO2 estimates of Martinez-Boti et al. and the high pCO2 estimate of Seki et al.; c Reconstructed sea surface temperature at ODP site 982 by Lawrence et al. and IODP site U1313 by Naafs et al.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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