Session Details

The geologic record repeatedly indicates climate transitions that are more abrupt and dramatic than anything known from the historical record. Modern civilization has developed in a relatively stable climate, and the possibility of abrupt climate change in the future poses significant risks to society. Rapid changes in the mass balance between the cryosphere and ocean will have a particularly significant impact on coastal populations. It is therefore imperative that we make every effort to understand the mechanisms of abrupt climate change and identify the sources of sea-level rise in the past. Understanding the causes and processes underlying abrupt climate change, i.e., one that takes place more rapidly than the underlying forcing, has became one of the greatest challenge in climate research. This understanding may anticipate the recognition of early signals of future climate surprises. In this symposium we aim to discuss ice sheet and fresh water forcings involved in past rapid climate variability (e.g., Heinrich and Dansgaard-Oeschger events) originally identified in the North Atlantic Ocean and the atmosphere over Greenland. This session invites contributions from the geologic record of ice sheet, ocean circulation and sea level change that constrain the timing and magnitude of abrupt change in the cryosphere, atmosphere and ocean. Further, we invite presentations dealing with model simulations with the aim to discuss the oceanic and atmospheric feedback mechanisms involved in rapid climate changes. This symposium is a part of the INQUA-IFG ACER (Abrupt Climate Changes and Environmental Responses) project number 1004.