Synchronous bipolar retreat of mid-latitude ice masses during Heinrich Stadials
Toucanne, S.; Vazquez Riveiros, N.; Soulet, G.; Blard, P.-H.; Migeon, A.; Rigalleau, V.; Roubi, A.; Cheron, S.; Boissier, A.; Menviel, L.; Bostock, H. (2026). Synchronous bipolar retreat of mid-latitude ice masses during Heinrich Stadials. Nature Geoscience 19(2): 195-200. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01887-x
In: Nature Geoscience. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 1752-0894; e-ISSN 1752-0908, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Toucanne, S.
- Vazquez Riveiros, N.
- Soulet, G.
- Blard, P.-H., more
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- Migeon, A.
- Rigalleau, V.
- Roubi, A.
- Cheron, S.
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- Boissier, A.
- Menviel, L.
- Bostock, H.
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| Abstract |
Millennial-scale climate variability in polar ice cores exhibits interhemispheric temperature asynchronicity during the last glacial period, approximately 70,000 to 15,000 years ago. This bipolar seesaw pattern is most pronounced during Heinrich Stadials, which correspond to recurring severe cooling episodes in the North Atlantic region following a weakening of the Atlantic overturning circulation. However, mid-latitude ice sheets and glaciers displayed similar fluctuations in both hemispheres during the most recent Heinrich Stadials, complicating our understanding of interhemispheric teleconnections. Here we provide a continuous millennial-scale record of New Zealand glacier fluctuations over the last glacial period, through the analysis of glaciogenic sediments deposited offshore South Island. We find that millennial-scale glacial retreats in New Zealand occurred during Heinrich Stadials, coinciding with a southerly shift of the South Pacific Subtropical Front inferred from planktic foraminiferal assemblages, and were probably—if not very probably—synchronous (within 1–2 kyr) with enhanced meltwater and iceberg production from the North American and European ice sheets. These findings demonstrate that global retreat of mid-latitude ice masses is a persistent feature of Heinrich Stadials, possibly driven by global energy gain and sustained in the Southern Hemisphere by heat accumulation resulting from the weak Atlantic overturning circulation. |
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