Concept information
Preferred term
glacial-interglacial transition
Definition
- Warming at the end of glacial periods tends to happen more abruptly than the increase in solar insolation. Several positive feedbacks are responsible for this. One is the ice-albedo feedback. A second feedback involves atmospheric CO2. Direct measurement of past CO2 trapped in ice core bubbles shows that the amount of atmospheric CO2 decreased during glacial periods (Kawamura et al. 2007; Siegenthaler et al. 2005; Bereiter et al. 2015), in part because the deepocean stored more CO2 due to changes in either ocean mixing or biological activity. Lower CO2 levels weakened the atmosphere’s greenhouse effect and helped to maintain lower temperatures. Warming at the end of the glacial periods liberated CO2 from the ocean, which strengthened the atmosphere’s greenhouse effect and contributed to further warming. (Adapted from: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/1%20Glacial-Interglacial%20Cycles-Final-OCT%202021.pdf)
Broader concept
Entry terms
- glacial-interglacial change
- glacial interglacial transition
- glacial/interglacial transition
In other languages
-
French
-
transition glaciaire interglaciaire
-
transition glaciaire/interglaciaire
URI
http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/QX8-QF2BP6NV-F
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