Catastrophic ice shelf breakup as the source of Heinrich event icebergs

Authors

Christina L. Hulbe, Portland State UniversityFollow
D. R. MacAyeal
George H. Denton
Johan Kleman
Thomas Lowell

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2004

Subjects

Ice shelves -- Antarctica, Ice shelves -- Effect of climatic change, Glaciers -- Antarctica -- Antarctic Peninsula

Abstract

Heinrich layers of the glacial North Atlantic record abrupt widespread iceberg rafting of detrital carbonate and other lithic material at the extreme-cold culminations of Bond climate cycles. Both internal (glaciologic) and external (climate) forcings have been proposed. Here we suggest an explanation for the iceberg release that encompasses external climate forcing on the basis of a new glaciological process recently witnessed along the Antarctic Peninsula: rapid disintegrations of fringing ice shelves induced by climate-controlled meltwater infilling of surface crevasses. We postulate that peripheral ice shelves, formed along the eastern Canadian seaboard during extreme cold conditions, would be vulnerable to sudden climate-driven disintegration during any climate amelioration. Ice shelf disintegration then would be the source of Heinrich event icebergs.

Description

? 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.

DOI

10.1029/2003PA000890

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/8432

Citation Details

Hulbe, C. L., D. R. MacAyeal, G. H. Denton, J. Kleman, and T. V. Lowell (2004), Catastrophic ice shelf breakup as the source of Heinrich event icebergs, Paleoceanography, 19, PA1004, doi:10.1029/2003PA000890.