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This paper presents sedimentological and paleobotanical studies of the deposits from Last Glaciation (Late Nemunas, Late Weichselian) in the middle reaches of the River Nemunas in southern Lithuania. Spores, pollen, and other palynomorphs in the intercalated sediments between the diamicton (glacial till) beds were analyzed, and the paleogeographical and paleoclimatic conditions of their sedimentation were assessed using the modern analog technique (MAT). The two till layers from the Last Glaciation, characterized by significant differences in their composition, testify to a difference in glacier movement paths in the region. The continuous sedimentation process between glacial tills provides evidence of global climate changes during the Last Glaciation and the restructuring of glacial lobes during deglaciation in the southeastern part of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet. The sedimentation process and vegetation composition bear witness to an open landscape of steppe-tundra, scattered wooded areas, and the emergence of thermophilic vegetation afterward, suggesting increased annual temperatures and higher humidity. The available data enable the identification of the Balbieriškis interstage period within the Late Nemunas Glaciation (Upper Nemunas Formation) between the Grūda and Baltija stages (Grūda and Baltija subformations) in the regional Quaternary stratigraphic scheme. This period correlates with the Marine Isotope Stage 2 (MIS 2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was carried out in north-central Poland, which was occupied by the ice sheet of the Saalian (Marine Isotope Stage [MIS] 6) and Upper Stadial of the Weichselian (MIS 2) glaciation. The application of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) method supported by a digital elevation model (DEM) analysis of the orientation of glacial landforms allowed for the reconstruction of ice-sheet extent and ice movement directions of these two Pleistocene glaciations. The research used an innovative method of collecting AMS till samples from the glacial plateau areas. Based on the research, it was found that during the general recession of the ice sheet of the Saalian glaciation, a previously undescribed glacial transgression occurred, characterized by a different direction of ice-sheet movement. On the basis of detailed geomorphological studies of the area of terminal moraines, previously described in fragments, the maximum extent of the ice sheet during the Weichselian glaciation was clarified. The recession of the ice sheet of the Weichselian glaciation from the area of north-central Poland took place in four regressive or transgressive–regressive stages with variable directions of ice-sheet movement. The results obtained indicate the great potential of the AMS method in paleoenvironmental studies of glaciated areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents five sites located in the marginal zone of the Wartanian stadial within the Odranian Glaciation (MIS6a) on the border of the Central Polish Uplands and Lowlands, representing different glacial forms and geological structures: terminal moraine hill, undulating moraine hill, sedimentary margin of the ice sheet, kame hill, and outwash plain. This differentiation is also reflected in the petrographic composition of the gravels and the interesting surface microstructures of the Scandinavian erratic boulders. This small study area, with its high geodiversity, which we have identified and investigated, has considerable potential for sustainable development. Geotourism is a tool for this development in a peripheral tourist region, providing both economic benefits for the local population and conservation services for the geoecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing of the initial peopling of the Americas is unresolved. Because the archaeological record necessitates discussion of human entry from Beringia into southern North America during the last glaciation, addressing this problem routinely involves evaluating environmental parameters then targeting areas suitable for human settlement. Vertebrate remains indicate landscape quality and are a key dataset for assessing coastal migration theories and the viability of coastal routes. Here, radiocarbon dates on vertebrate specimens and archaeological sites are calibrated to document species occurrences and the ages of human settlements across the western expansion and decay of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS) during the Late Wisconsin Fraser Glaciation in four subregions of the north Pacific coast of North America. The results show archaeological sites occur after glacial maxima and are generally consistent with the age of other securely dated earliest sites in southern North America. They also highlight gaps in the vertebrate chronologies around CIS maxima in each of the subregions that point to species redistributions and extirpations and signal times of low potential for human settlement and subsistence in a key portion of the proposed coastal migration route. This study, therefore, defines new age constraints for human coastal migration theories in the peopling of the Americas debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The total air content (TAC) of polar ice cores has long been considered a potential proxy for past ice sheet elevation. Recent work, however, has shown that a variety of other factors also influence this parameter. In this paper we present a high-resolution TAC record from the South Pole ice core (SPC14) covering the last 54 000 years and discuss the implications of the data for interpreting TAC from ice cores. The SPC14 TAC record shows multiple features of interest, including (1) long-term orbital-scale variability, (2) millennial-scale variability in the Holocene and last glacial period, and (3) a period of stability from 35 to 25 ka. The longer, orbital-scale variations in TAC are highly correlated with integrated summer insolation (ISI), corroborating the potential of TAC to provide an independent dating tool via orbital tuning. Large millennial-scale variability in TAC during the last glacial period is positively correlated with past accumulation rate reconstructions as well as δ15 N-N 2 , a firn thickness proxy. These TAC variations are too large to be controlled by direct effects of temperature and too rapid to be tied to elevation changes. We propose that grain size metamorphism near the firn surface explains these changes. We note, however, that at sites with different climate histories than the South Pole, TAC variations may be dominated by other processes. Our observations of millennial-scale variations in TAC show a different relationship with accumulation rate than observed at sites in Greenland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North Sea Last Interglacial sea level is sensitive to the fingerprint of mass loss from polar ice sheets. However, the signal is complicated by the influence of glacial isostatic adjustment driven by Penultimate Glacial Period ice-sheet changes, and yet these ice-sheet geometries remain significantly uncertain. Here, we produce new reconstructions of the Eurasian ice sheet during the Penultimate Glacial Maximum (PGM) by employing large ensemble experiments from a simple ice-sheet model that depends solely on basal shear stress, ice extent, and topography. To explore the range of uncertainty in possible ice geometries, we use a parameterised shear-stress map as input that has been developed to incorporate bedrock characteristics and the influence of ice-sheet basal processes. We perform Bayesian uncertainty quantification, utilising Gaussian process emulation, to calibrate against global ice-sheet reconstructions of the Last Deglaciation and rule out combinations of input parameters that produce unrealistic ice sheets. The refined parameter space is then applied to the PGM to create an ensemble of constrained 3D Eurasian ice-sheet geometries. Our reconstructed PGM Eurasian ice-sheet volume is 48±8 m sea-level equivalent (SLE). We find that the Barents–Kara Sea region displays both the largest mean volume and volume uncertainty of 24±8 m SLE while the British–Irish sector volume of 1.7±0.2 m SLE is the smallest. Our new workflow may be applied to other locations and periods where ice-sheet histories have limited empirical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Last Glacial Period, the climate shift to cold conditions associated with changes in atmospheric circulation and vegetation cover resulted in the development of large aeolian systems in Europe. On a regional scale, many factors may have influenced dust dynamics, such as the latitudinal difference between the various aeolian systems and the variability of the sources of wind-transported particles. Therefore, the assumption that the timing of aeolian deposition is strictly synchronous in Europe does not seem to be the most plausible hypothesis and needs to be evaluated. To test this assumption, the chronology of loess deposition in different European regions was investigated by studying 93 luminescence-dated loess–palaeosol sequences with their data recalculated and compiled in a single comma separated values (*.csv) file: the ChronoLoess database. Our study shows that the two major aeolian systems, the Northern European Loess Belt (NELB) on the one hand and the systems associated with the rivers draining the Alpine Ice Sheet on the other hand, developed asynchronously. The significant deposition started at about 32 kyr b2k for the NELB vs. 42 kyr b2k for the perialpine loess and peaked about 2 millennia later for the former (21.8 vs. 23.9 kyr b2k, respectively). This shift resulted mainly from the time lag between the maxima of the Alpine and Fennoscandian ice sheets, which acted as the primary sources of fine-grained particles through glacial abrasion. The major geomorphic changes that resulted from the development and decay of the Fennoscandian and British–Irish ice sheets also played an important role. Particularly, ice sheet coalescence during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) diverted meltwater fluxes through the Channel River and provided vast amounts of glacial particles available for deflation in the western NELB. The period during which the maximum mass accumulation rate was reached for each loess–palaeosol sequence is relatively homogeneous in the NELB and ranges from 30 to 19 kyr b2k, whereas it is more scattered in the perialpine systems (>60 to 14 kyr b2k). This probably resulted from a combination of factors, including the asynchrony of maximum valley glacier advances and local geomorphic factors. The ChronoLoess database is available at 10.5281/zenodo.7728616 (Bosq et al., 2023). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pliocene Epoch (∼5.3–2.6 million years ago, Ma) was characterized by a warmer than present climate with smaller Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, and offers an example of a climate system in long‐term equilibrium with current or predicted near‐future atmospheric CO2 concentrations (pCO2). A long‐term trend of ice‐sheet expansion led to more pronounced glacial (cold) stages by the end of the Pliocene (∼2.6 Ma), known as the "intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation" (iNHG). We assessed the spatial and temporal variability of ocean temperatures and ice‐volume indicators through the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene (from 3.3 to 2.4 Ma) to determine the character of this climate transition. We identified asynchronous shifts in long‐term means and the pacing and amplitude of shorter‐term climate variability, between regions and between climate proxies. Early changes in Antarctic glaciation and Southern Hemisphere ocean properties occurred even during the mid‐Piacenzian warm period (∼3.264–3.025 Ma) which has been used as an analog for future warming. Increased climate variability subsequently developed alongside signatures of larger Northern Hemisphere ice sheets (iNHG). Yet, some regions of the ocean felt no impact of iNHG, particularly in lower latitudes. Our analysis has demonstrated the complex, non‐uniform and globally asynchronous nature of climate changes associated with the iNHG. Shifting ocean gateways and ocean circulation changes may have pre‐conditioned the later evolution of ice sheets with falling atmospheric pCO2. Further development of high‐resolution, multi‐proxy reconstructions of climate is required so that the full potential of the rich and detailed geological records can be realized. Plain Language Summary: Warm climates of the geological past provide windows into future environmental responses to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and past climate transitions identify important or sensitive regions and processes. We assessed the patterns of average ocean temperatures and indicators of ice sheet size over hundreds of thousands of years, and compared to shorter‐term variability (tens of thousands of years) during a recent transition from late Pliocene warmth (when CO2 was similar to present) to the onset of the large and repeated advances of northern hemisphere ice sheets referred to as the "ice ages." We show that different regions of the climate system changed at different times, with some changing before the ice sheets expanded. The development of larger ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere then impacted ocean temperatures and circulation, but there were many regions where no impacts were felt. Our analysis highlights regional differences in the timing and amplitudes of change within a globally‐significant climate transition as well as in response to the current atmospheric CO2 concentrations in our climate system. Key Points: The "stable" warm late Pliocene ∼3.3–3.1 million years ago was a time of climate transition, especially in the southern hemisphereOcean temperatures and ice sheets evolved asynchronously 3.3–2.4 Ma during the onset and intensification of Northern Hemisphere GlaciationClimate variability evolved in complex, non‐uniform ways, most strongly expressed in northern mid‐latitude sea‐surface temperature records [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glacial diamictite may provide important information on paleoenvironment and average composition of the upper continental crust (UCC). In this study, we report sedimentary facies, petrological and geochemical characteristics of Neoproterozoic diamictite from a profile of the Luoquan Formation on the southern margin of the North China Block (NCB). Upwards the sampling profile, lithostratigraphic strata vary from massive diamictite with poorly sorted carbonate gravels to laminated diamictite with small gravels of terrestrial detrital materials. Along the profile, CaO-MgO-LOI-Sr values decrease with the increase of SiO2-Al2O3-K2O contents. All these petrological and geochemical variations indicate a change from lodgement till deposition in the proximal of ice sheet to ice-rafting deposition in glacial-marine environment with less dolomite to supply their source. Together with previous studies on diamictite from other outcrops on the NCB, the deposition of Luoquan diamictite reflects that the glaciation on the NCB vanished and the ice-rafting effect weakened with glacial transgression process. In addition, significant co-variations of various elements with La and Al2O3 confirm the significant conservation of most analyzed elements during the sedimentary processes to produce diamictite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the end of the last glacial period in the northern hemisphere, meltwater from receding ice sheets accumulated into large proglacial lakes, potentially limiting postglacial afforestation. We explored whether former islands of proglacial Lake Ojibway (Canada) (hilltops in the current landscape) could have acted as migration outposts and thus accelerated the postglacial migration. We extracted sediments from two small lakes located on "paleo-islands" and used XRF to detect changes in soil erosion and vegetation biomass. We also used plant macro-remains and wood charcoal to determine if (and which) tree species colonized the sites and to detect local fire events. Organic sediment accumulation started around 9657 and 9947 cal. yr BP at Lakes Perché and Despériers, respectively, before the level of Lake Ojibway started to decrease and liberate parts of the studied landscape ca 9400 cal. yr BP. Lithogenic elements (Ti, K, Sr, Fe, Zr, and Rb) decreased between the beginning of organic sediment accumulation and 8800–8700 cal. yr BP, indicating reduced soil erosion, possibly due to soil stabilization by vegetation. Then, the S/Ti ratio, a proxy of organic matter increased around 8800 and 8400 cal. yr BP. The earliest tree macro-remains (Larix laricina and Pinus spp.) were found between 9850 and 9500 cal. yr BP. Local fires were detected around 9820 and 8362 cal. yr BP. Early afforestation occurred on the islands of Lake Ojibway, 200 and 450 years before its level started to decrease, confirming that some islands acted as migratory outposts accelerating postglacial migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution characterises the stratigraphic schemes of the Quaternary as constructed and published by Leszek Lindner in 1967-2019. The oldest schemes assume the subdivision of the Pleistocene into three glaciations (i.e., Cracow, Middle-Polish and Baltic) separated by two interglacials (Great and Eemian). The scheme published in 1992 comprises eight glacial and seven interglacial units. The most recent scheme for the Quaternary contains seven advances of the Scandinavian ice-sheet on the area of Poland during the Nidanian (MIS 22), Sanian 1 (MIS 16), Sanian 2 (MIS 12), Liviecian (MIS 10), Krznanian (MIS 8), Odranian (MIS 6), and Vistulian (MIS 2-5d) glaciations. They are separated by six interglacials: Podlasian, Ferdynandovian, Mazovian, Zbójnian, Lublinian and Eemian. The ranges of glacial transgressions, and key interglacial and preglacial sites are assembled in a cumulative scheme for the area of Poland. We review the main study methods on which the subsequent versions of the stratigraphic scheme were based. These include Prof. Lindner's own detailed field research in glaciated and extraglacial areas, and paleofloristic, paleontological and paleomagnetic studies of major interglacial sites carried out by numerous researchers, as well as thorough literature studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsurface salt flow is driven by differential loading, which is typically caused by tectonics or sedimentation. During glaciations, the weight of an ice sheet represents another source of differential loading. In salt-bearing basins affected by Pleistocene glaciations, such as the Central European Basin System, ice loading has been postulated as a trigger of young deformation at salt structures. Here, we present finite-element simulations (ABAQUS) with models based on a simplified 50-km long and 10-km-deep two-dimensional geological cross-section of a salt diapir subject to the load of a 300-m-thick ice sheet. The focus of our study is to evaluate the sensitivity of the model to material parameters, including linear and non-linear viscosity of the salt rocks and different elasticities. A spatially and temporarily variable pressure was applied to simulate ice loading. An ice advance towards the diapir causes lateral salt flow into the diapir and diapiric rise. Complete ice coverage leads to downward displacement of the diapir. After unloading, displacements are largely restored. The modelled displacements do not exceed few metres and are always larger in models with linear viscosity than in those with non-linear viscosity. Considering the low stresses caused by ice-sheet loading and the long time-scale, the application of linear viscosity seems appropriate. The elastic parameters also have a strong impact, with lower Young's moduli leading to larger deformation. The impact of both the viscosity and the elasticity highlights the importance of a careful parameter choice in numerical modelling, especially when aiming to replicate any real-world observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last glacial period, the climate shift to cold conditions associated with changes in atmospheric circulation and vegetation cover resulted in the development of large aeolian systems in Europe. On a regional scale, many factors may have influenced dust dynamics, such as the latitudinal difference between the various aeolian systems and the variability of the sources of wind-transported particles. Therefore, the assumption that the timing of aeolian deposition is strictly synchronous in Europe does not seem to be the most plausible hypothesis and needs to be evaluated. To test this assumption, the chronology of loess deposition in different European regions was investigated by studying 93 luminescence-dated loesspalaeosol sequences with their data recalculated and compiled in a single CSV file: the ChronoLoess database. Our study shows that the two major aeolian systems, the Northern European Loess Belt (NELB) on the one hand and the systems associated with the rivers draining the Alpine Ice Sheet on the other hand, developed asynchronously. The significant deposition started at about 32 ka for the NELB vs 40 ka for the perialpine loess and peaked about two millennia later for the former (21.8 ka vs 23.9 ka, respectively). This shift resulted mainly from the time lag between the maxima of the Alpine and Fennoscandian ice sheets, which acted as the primary sources of fine-grained particles through glacial abrasion. The major geomorphic changes that resulted from the development and decay of the Fennoscandian and British-Irish ice sheets also played an important role. Particularly, ice sheet coalescence during the LGM diverted meltwater fluxes through the Manche River and provided vast amounts of glacial particles available for deflation in the western NELB. The period during which the maximum Mass Accumulation Rate was reached for each loess-palaeosol sequence is relatively homogeneous in the NELB and ranges from 30 ka to 19 ka, whereas it is more scattered in the perialpine systems (>60 ka to 14 ka). This probably resulted from a combination of factors, including the asynchrony of maximum valley glacier advances and local geomorphic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study comprehensively investigates the impacts on the mean state of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) climate, particularly atmospheric circulation over the Northern Hemisphere associated with the different Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project Phase 4 (PMIP4) ice sheets, ICE-6G_C, GLAC-1D, and PMIP3, using the coupled atmosphere–ocean–vegetation model HadCM3B-M2.1aD. The simulation with PMIP3 ice sheets is colder than either of the two PMIP4 ice sheets mainly because of the larger area of land ice impacting surface albedo. However, changes in the circulation impact sea ice cover resulting in the GLAC-1D simulation being almost as cold. Although the PMIP4 ice sheets also induce different responses in the atmospheric circulation, some common features are identified in all simulations, including strengthening and lateral expansion of the winter upper-level North Atlantic jet with a large southwest-northeast tilt and summertime North Pacific jet, a southward shift of the wintertime Icelandic Low and Azores High and the summertime Pacific High. Compared to terrestrial-ocean reconstructions, all the PMIP4 ice sheet experiments overestimate the LGM cooling and wet conditions. The simulation with the ICE-6G_C ice sheet provides the closest reproduction of LGM climate, while the simulation with the PMIP3 ice sheet shows the coldest LGM climate state. Our study shows that in order to "benchmark" the ability of climate models to realistically simulate the LGM climate, we need to have reliable boundary conditions to ensure that any model biases are caused by model limitations rather than uncertainty about the LGM boundary conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pechora Sea is optimally located for studying the coalescence of a glacial and periglacial continental shelf zone in the high Arctic. Here, we present data acquired during cruises of the RV Akademik Nikolaj Strakhov in 2018–2021, revealing the distribution of submarine glacial landforms in the central part of the Pechora shelf area. Based on moraines and the distribution of glacial lineations, the extent of the ice sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is proposed. The crests of the moraine ridges and the slopes of their sides express a variation in morphology, and the ridges combine into irregular complexes. The moraines are primarily composed of coarse cobble-sized material with an addition of coarse sand and other sedimentary fractions. The mapped glacial landforms clearly indicate that an ice sheet extended over the area, while the Pechora basin, at the same time, was comprised of lowland characterized by a cryogenic subaerial landscape. Based on the result from this study, the extent and ice-flow pattern of the Barents-Kara Ice Sheet during the LGM were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are an important driver of surface mass balance over today's Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Using paleoclimate simulations with the Community Earth System Model, we find ARs also had a key influence on the extensive ice sheets of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). ARs provide up to 53% of total precipitation along the margins of the eastern Laurentide ice sheet and up to 22%–27% of precipitation along the margins of the Patagonian, western Cordilleran, and western Fennoscandian ice sheets. Despite overall cold conditions at the LGM, surface temperatures during AR events are often above freezing, resulting in more rain than snow along ice sheet margins and conditions that promote surface melt. The results suggest ARs may have had an important role in ice sheet growth and melt during previous glacial periods and may have accelerated ice sheet retreat following the LGM. Plain Language Summary: During the Last Glacial Maximum (∼21,000 years ago), ice sheets covered much of northern North America, Fennoscandia, and the Patagonian Andes. Using climate model simulations, we find that much of the precipitation that fell on the margins of these ice sheets came from transient, narrow corridors of atmospheric moisture known as atmospheric rivers. The atmospheric rivers were important in driving ice sheet accumulation during cold seasons, and ice sheet melt during warm seasons. The results suggest that atmospheric rivers may have had a role in driving the movement of ice sheets during Earth's past. Key Points: Atmospheric rivers were less frequent and supplied less precipitation globally during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)Over land, atmospheric river precipitation peaked along the margins of the extratropical ice sheetsAtmospheric rivers were important contributors to the surface mass balance of LGM ice sheets [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rainfall changes in East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) regions on the orbital timescale remain controversial due to the lack of reliable rainfall records. Here, we present new multiproxy records (δ18O, δ13C, Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca) of a 230Th-dated stalagmite from Hulu Cave in central eastern China. Multiproxy records reconstruct a regional hydroclimate history from 340 to 261 kyr BP (thousand years before present), approximately covering the antepenultimate glacial period. The δ18O record is dominated by the precessional cycles, suggesting that EASM responds to changes in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation (NHSI) on the orbital timescale. Significant correlations amongst the δ13C, Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca suggest that a common factor, i.e., the local hydrological cycle, controlled their variability, and their leading principal component can be used as a proxy linked to regional rainfall. This composite record bears a good similarity to those from the Chinese Loess Plateau, showing a gradually decreasing rainfall during the antepenultimate glacial period, consistent with changes in global ice volume. Superimposed on the long-term trend, three relative wetter intervals were responding to the higher NHSI periods, suggesting that EASM rainfall variability was induced by integrated effects of global ice volume and NHSI. The increased ice sheets and lower NHSI resulted in an increased meridional temperature gradient and southward shift of the westerlies, which shortened the duration of Meiyu and midsummer rainfall. The differences between the rainfall record and the stalagmite δ18O record indicate that the latter represents the overall EASM intensity linked to monsoon circulation, but does not directly reflect the rainfall changes at the cave sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in southwestern Norway is precisely located during the wellcharacterized Younger Dryas re-advance. However, the thickness of the ice sheet is less well constrained inland from the terminal position. Some exceptions include lateral moraines traced inland and up to 1000 m a.s.l. along Hardangerfjorden. Here, we apply 10Be dating in two areas: (1) bedrock and boulders in the high-relief landscapes near the Younger Dryas margin around the Bergen urban area, and (2) boulders from an upland 1600 m a.s.l. much farther (120 km) inland. We find that coastal summits ranging from 400 to 680 m a.s.l. and located only 10-15 km up-flow from the ice margin, were covered by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during the Younger Dryas. The scatter in the 10Be age population of 22 boulder samples is best explained by isotopic inheritance owing to inefficient subglacial erosion during the prior glaciation. Most of the 11 bedrock samples also exhibit inheritance, pointing to the source of inheritance in boulders and implying inefficient subglacial erosion during the last glaciation even in valley-bottoms near Bergen. Regional glacial striae compilations suggest that ice flow during maximum Younger Dryas ice-sheet configurations was for the most part cross-valley, with potentially low basal slip rates. Five new 10Be ages from the inland site help to constrain ice height far inland. We combine these new results with prior information to generate a cross profile of the Younger Dryas ice sheet in southern Norway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olympus Mons (basement dimension is 550 × 600 km, absolute height is 21.1 km, relative elevation is 21.9 km, volume is 2.4 × 109 km3) is the largest volcanic edifice on Mars as well as on Earth. The Mars images of the regular combinations of features of volcanic and glacial forms on Olympus Mons have been interpreted and analyzed. The cardinal external similarity of these forms to the forms of large terrestrial tuyas of young volcanic regions was revealed. This, probably, testifies to their similar origin. The Olympus Escarpment, 3–6 km in height, bounds Olympus Mons at low latitudes (center is at 18° N, 113° E), which indicates that, during the formation of Olympus Mons, vast glaciers existed not only in the polar regions of Mars but far away from them. The distribution of extensive glacial moraines allowed us to evaluate the area of glaciation, equal to 1.5–2 × 106 km2, as well as the ice sheet thickness (about 3–6 km), comparable to the recent height of the Olympus Escarpment. Some distinct fragments of the glacial relief point to several phases of glaciations; the directions of the moraine lobe propagation record a clearly manifested asymmetry in the glacier distribution. In the SW, W, NW, N, and NE sectors of the Olympus Mons piedmont, the edge of the glacier was at a distance of 700–750 km from a crater; in the other zones, the glacier edge was at a distance of 500–600 km. Glacial and water-glacial formations, enriched in volcanic debris, are removed from the center of the volcano by colossal lahar-type mud-and-stone flows to the maximum (1100 km, Acheron Fossae) distance. These flows were formed as a result of the dramatical destruction of the walls of the glacial basin in which the Olympus tuya-volcano grew. A terrestrial analogue of a similar process is the catastrophic Jökulhlaup feature in Iceland, which is attributed to ice-filled calderas with volcanoes growing within them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the spatial scales at which environmental factors drive species richness patterns is a major challenge in ecology. Due to the trade‐off between spatial grain and extent, studies tend to focus on a single spatial scale, and the effects of multiple environmental variables operating across spatial scales on the pattern of local species richness have rarely been investigated.Here, we related variation in local species richness of ground beetles, landbirds and small mammals to variation in vegetation structure and topography, regional climate, biome diversity and glaciation history for 27 sites across the USA at two different spatial grains.We studied the relative influence of broad‐scale (landscape) environmental conditions using variables estimated at the site level (climate, productivity, biome diversity and glacial era ice cover) and fine‐scale (local) environmental conditions using variables estimated at the plot level (topography and vegetation structure) to explain local species richness. We also examined whether plot‐level factors scale up to drive continental scale richness patterns. We used Bayesian hierarchical models and quantified the amount of variance in observed richness that was explained by environmental factors at different spatial scales.For all three animal groups, our models explained much of the variation in local species richness (85%–89%), but site‐level variables explained a greater proportion of richness variance than plot‐level variables. Temperature was the most important site‐level predictor for explaining variance in landbirds and ground beetles richness. Some aspects of vegetation structure were the main plot‐level predictors of landbird richness. Environmental predictors generally had poor explanatory power for small mammal richness, while glacial era ice cover was the most important site‐level predictor.Relationships between plot‐level factors and richness varied greatly among geographical regions and spatial grains, and most relationships did not hold when predictors were scaled up to the continental scale. Our results suggest that the factors that determine richness may be highly dependent on spatial grain, geography, and animal group. We demonstrate that instead of artificially manipulating the resolution to study multiscale effects, a hierarchical approach that uses fine grain data at broad extents could help solve the issue of scale selection in environment‐richness studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of evidence for large‐scale glacial landscapes on Mars has led to the belief that ancient glaciations had to be frozen to the ground. Here we propose that the fingerprints of Martian wet‐based glaciation should be the remnants of the ice sheet drainage system instead of landforms generally associated with terrestrial ice sheets. We use the terrestrial glacial hydrology framework to interrogate how the Martian surface gravity affects glacial hydrology, ice sliding, and glacial erosion. Taking as reference the ancient southern circumpolar ice sheet that deposited the Dorsa Argentea formation, we compare the theoretical behavior of identical ice sheets on Mars and Earth and show that, whereas on Earth glacial drainage is predominantly inefficient, enhancing ice sliding and erosion, on Mars the lower gravity favors the formation of efficient subglacial drainage. The apparent lack of large‐scale glacial fingerprints on Mars, such as drumlins or lineations, is to be expected. Plain Language Summary: Water accumulates under ice masses, including glaciers and ice sheets, lubricating the base of the ice and accelerating ice motion. On Earth, this glacial motion has produced scoured landscapes in northern Europe and North America. Mars lacks such large‐scale glacial erosion even in areas with other signs of widespread glaciation. This paper uses the existing framework describing the physical interactions of water and ice, and how they affect ice motion, to show that a lack of landforms recording glacial erosion is expected even if glaciation were widespread on Mars. Key Points: Glacial hydrology feedback dynamics can explain the lack of glacial sliding on the Martian geological recordSubglacial water drainage develops faster, and is more resilient under lower Martian gravityThe fingerprints of Martian wet‐based glaciation are predicted to be channels and eskers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian period, Gondwanan glaciation has affected around the world. To infer the geologic record of the glaciation across the Ordovician-Silurian transition in South China, we measured the petrological and geochemical characteristics of 60 samples of Wufeng-Longmaxi Formations taken from four sections and Huadi no. 1 well in the Sichuan Basin. Petrologically, the Guanyinqiao Formation is composed of argillaceous sandstone, argillaceous siltstone, silty bioclastic limestone and silty limestone, combing with their sedimentary structures and fossils, which verifies a shallow water environment between the two sets of black shales in the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations. Geochemically, the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) and Sr/Cu ratios indicate that palaeoclimate transformed from warm to cold and then to warm again during the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian period. The low CIA values of Guanyinqiao Formation, suggesting a short-cold climate which is consistent with Gondwana glaciation in Hirnantian period. In addition, the fluctuations of V/(V + Ni), V/Cr, V/Sc, Sr/Ba and Zr/Rb ratios from Wufeng-Longmaxi Formations implied that sea water had experienced an anoxic-oxic-anoxic process, the paleosalinity changed from sea water to brackish-marine and then to sea water, and the hydrodynamic condition had shown low-high-low characteristic. All these results indicate that because of the end Ordovician Glaciation, the area of the ice sheet increased, the climate changed and sea level fell during the Hirnantian period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sites of ice-stream discharge to the continental slope build trough-mouth fans from glacigenic debris flows (GDFs), subglacial meltwater flows, and suspended sediment. Thus, past ice configurations may be interpreted from the sedimentological record. This study links the records in cores, high-resolution seismic profiles, and multibeam swath bathymetry of Hatton Slope and Fan to the changing glaciological history in Hudson Strait, one of the largest ice streams of the late Pleistocene Laurentide Ice Sheet. 14C-AMS dates, X-ray fluorescence geochemical profiles, and oxygen isotopes in sixteen cores document sediment supply during the last glacial cycle, and earlier history is interpreted from seismic data. The Frobisher Bay slope sector has a long record of GDF deposits from severe glacial periods between MIS 6 and 22, with little impact of meltwater discharge. Mass-transport events and aggrading gravel-floored valleys dominate the northern Hatton slope sector. The central slope sector shows the greatest shelf break progradation by till deposition, with kilometre-spaced gullies heading at 700–730 mbsl from the last major grounding of the ice-stream on the upper slope during Heinrich event 3 (H3). The gullies pass downslope into ∼5 km wide valleys, which have been sites of sediment bypass since widespread meltwater flow in MIS 6 and show little aggradation since MIS 16. Intervening >50 m high ridges show alternating levee accretion and erosion by shallow mass-transport events. Downslope on Hatton Fan, GDFs are common and fill wide erosional channels that lead to the sandy braid plain of the central Labrador Sea. The channels of the southern sector and Saglek Slope have channeled turbidity currents down the NAMOC, and stratified contourite deposits accumulated on the fan. Over the MIS 1–3 period widely represented by cores, ice was grounded in Hatton Basin and on the upper slope to 700 m water depth only immediately prior to H3. Older and younger H events had a floating ice-shelf in Hatton Basin, and sedimentation was dominated by the retreat of that ice shelf to Resolution Island. Distal cores show no systematic difference between the H1–top H3 interval and the base H3–H5 interval. Given the supply of carbonate detritus of consistent composition back to at least H5, any MIS 3 deglaciation of Hudson Bay would require improbably high growth rates of ice sheets in the centre of the continent. • First multibeam swath bathymetric and seismic profiling of the Hudson Strait Ice Stream. • Glacigenic debris flows, and mass-transport events were outlined during MIS 6 and 16. • Glacial ice was grounded in Hatton Basin and on the upper slope to 700 m over MIS 1-3. • Lack of a systematic difference between H1–H3 and H4–H5 events raises the question about the deglaciation hypothesis during MIS 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antarctic fjords and coastal bays are excellent traps for sediment and represent key areas for high-resolution investigation of past environmental conditions. Robertson Bay is an understudied coastal area located at the confluence of the Ross Sea and the Southern Ocean. Recently obtained seafloor morphology data indicate the presence of a cross-shelf elongated valley, composed of three minor basins separated by sills and seabed ridges with an arcuate shape. Several cores were collected within the basins, and investigated using a multiproxy approach including sedimentological, chemical, geochemical, and micropaleontological characterization to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental evolution from the last glacial period to present. The ages of two of these cores are constrained using ramped pyrolysis oxidation radiocarbon dating. Four sedimentary facies were recognised from which we developed a sedimentary model covering the last 21,000 years (21 ka BP). Our record provide evidence for a covering ice shelf cover from 21 to 16.5 ka BP, which gradually receded between 16,5 and 11 ka BP due to the progressive intrusion of modified Circumpolar Deep Water, thereby promoting the formation of Ice Shelf Water and High Salinity Shelf Water. From 11 to 5,8 ka BP, the ice shelf continued shrinking and nutrient-rich of modified Circumpolar Deep Water penetration onto the continental shelf progressively favoured diatom blooms and a general increase in primary productivity until 5.8 ka BP. The Late Holocene is characterised by an alternation of prolonged sea ice cover with stratified water column and strong bottom current with prolonged sea-ice free season with the intrusion of modified Circumpolar Deep Water and very slow energy bottom current. • First paleoenvironmental study from the LGM to the present in Robertson Bay. • Strong impact of regional ice sheet recession on environmental conditions and productivity. • Multiproxy approach constrained by Ramped Pyrolysis based age model. • The coastal bay area was studied by sediment cores and geophysical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the sediments of the Pyrzyce Ice-dammed Lake (Polish Lowlands), a number of soft-sediment deformation structures (SSDS) in varve series were distinguished. The unique morphology of the ice-dammed lake—the occurrence of level IV overload and the presence of dead ice in the central zone (Lake Miedwie) and the marginal reservoir—had a decisive impact on the formation and nature of sedimentary structures. Dead ice melting and loss of support could be the cause of plastic deformation. The highest intensity deformation in layered sediments of both plastic and rigid types was observed in the marginal (highest) part of the reservoir. Their formation is associated with the melting of rooted lumps of dead ice in sub-aquatic conditions. The exception is deformation resulting from desiccation under subaerial conditions. The genesis of the deformation observed in rhythmically-layered varves is associated with the last stage of functioning and disappearance of the reservoir during the recession of an ice sheet of the Pomeranian phase of the Weichselian glaciation. These studies detail the current state of knowledge on the processes and factors responsible for the formation of soft structures occurring in glaciolimnic basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a glacial lake-outburst flood was documented in the immediate foreland of the maximum phase of the Wartanian (Warthian, Late Saalian, MIS 6) Glaciation at Adamów in south central Poland. The structural and textural analyses of the sediments, as well as palaeohydraulic analysis, were carried out in the proximal part of the outwash plain where a fragment of the floodwater drainage system comprising buried erosional channels have been documented. Their fill reached a thickness of up to 11 m and was composed of poorly sorted, massive gravels with boulders, as well as horizontally, sub-horizontally, low-angle, and cross-stratified gravels. The coarse sediments were found to be inversely and normally graded. These sediments constituted the records of two subsequent flooding episodes. In the channel fill, the lenticular accumulations of gravel were identified and interpreted as buried large gravel dunes, while exhibiting a thickness of up to 2.5 m. Traces of sediment diapirism at the contact of channel fill and underlying sediments were also documented. Deformation was observed to originate from liquefaction caused by the rapid depositional loading of flood deposits. The example used in this study exhibited that the impact of glacial lake-outburst floods in shaping the marginal zones and foreland of ice sheets in the North European Plain was higher than that considered earlier. This example also showed a different case of glacial outburst flood in the foreland of the Middle Pleistocene ice sheets of Europe than that already known, which includes the discharge of sub- or englacial meltwater reservoirs emanated from a large proglacial ice-dammed lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deglaciation record of the Ontario Lowland and Mohawk Valley of North America is important for constraining the retreat history of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, end-Pleistocene paleoclimate, and ice-sheet processes. The Mohawk Valley was an important meltwater drainage route during the last deglaciation, with the area around modern Oneida Lake acting as a valve for meltwater discharge into the North Atlantic Ocean. The Mohawk Valley was occupied by the Oneida Lobe and Oneida Ice Stream during the last deglacial period. Multichannel seismic reflection data can be used to generate images of preglacial surfaces and internal structures of glacial bedforms and proglacial lake deposits, thus contributing to studies of deglaciation. This paper uses 217 km of offshore multichannel seismic reflection data to image the entire Quaternary section of the Oneida basin. A proglacial lake and paleo-calving margin is interpreted, which likely accelerated the Oneida Ice Stream, resulting in elongated bedforms observed west of the lake. The glacial bedforms identified in this study are buried by proglacial lake deposits, indicating the Oneida basin contains a record of glacial meltwater processes, including a 60-m-thick proglacial interval in eastern Oneida Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last deglaciation, collapse of the saddle between the North American Cordilleran and Laurentide ice sheets led to rapid ice-sheet mass loss and separation, with meltwater discharge contributing to deglacial sea-level rise. We directly date ice-sheet separation at the end of the saddle collapse using 64 10Be exposure ages along an ∼1200-km transect of the ice-sheet suture zone. Collapse began in the south by 15.4 ± 0.4 ka and ended by 13.8 ± 0.1 ka at ∼56°N. Ice-sheet model simulations consistent with the 10Be ages find that the saddle collapse contributed 6.2–7.2 m to global mean sea-level rise from ∼15.5 ka to ∼14.0 ka, or approximately one third of global mean sea-level rise over this period. We determine 3.1–3.6 m of the saddle collapse meltwater was released during Meltwater Pulse 1A ∼14.6-14.3 ka, constituting 20–40% of this meltwater pulse's volume. Because the separation of the Cordilleran and Laurentide ice sheets occurred over 1–2 millennia, the associated release of meltwater during the saddle collapse supplied a smaller contribution to the magnitude of Meltwater Pulse 1A than has been recently proposed. • Cordilleran-Laurentide ice-sheet separation began before ∼15.5 ka. • Cordilleran-Laurentide ice-sheet separation ended by ∼13.8 ka. • The 1–2 kyr duration means separation had a modest impact on abrupt sea-level rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The melting of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) is a major contributor to past and future global sea-level rise. Understanding the response of the GrIS to times in the past when temperatures were as warm or warmer than today offers insights into its current and future response to climate change. In the southwest sector, the GrIS retreated inland beyond its current margin during the (at least regionally) warmer-than-present mid-Holocene, before it readvanced to the historical maximum position during the Little Ice Age. This was then followed by a slight retreat to its current position. To investigate the timing and magnitude of southwest GrIS retreat and readvance in response to Holocene warmth, we model the response of the solid Earth and local relative sea level (RSL) to past ice sheet change. We test a suite of eleven ice sheet scenarios that are based on ICE-6G_C but are modified in the timing and magnitude of ice retreat and readvance and pair them with four different viscoelastic Earth structures. We compare model predictions to observations of paleo sea level, present-day sea-level change, and present-day vertical land motion (VLM) around Nuuk, Greenland. We find that the modeled timing and magnitude of the Holocene retreat and readvance have a significant impact on modern sea-level change and VLM in Nuuk. Models that assume a readvance approaching the southwest GrIS' historical maximum between 2 and 1 ka are most consistent with observations. The RSL response, however, is less sensitive to the timing of the minimum GrIS extent. Nonetheless, better data-model fits are generally obtained when the minimum ice sheet extent is reached between 5 and 3 ka, within the tested range of 6-3 ka. Comparing this timing to local and regional records of temperature and ice-sheet change suggest that the evolution of the southwestern GrIS presented here was in-phase with the likely evolution of southwestern GrIS mass balance through the Holocene. Our results have implications for future ice sheet modeling studies targeting southwestern Greenland by providing additional constraints and strengthening existing ones. Moreover, this work provides a deeper understanding of the interactions between the climate and the cryosphere and thus of future ice sheet change. • We constrain Holocene Greenland ice sheet behavior using GIA modeling and local data. • Southwest Greenland Holocene minimum extent likely occurred between 5 and 3 ka. • Southwest Greenland historical maximum extent was likely approached between 2 and 1 ka. • Holocene Greenland ice margin evolution was likely in-phase with regional temperature records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Glacial iceberg versus deglacial meltwater plume discharge in the Labrador Sea. • Enhanced Irminger Current may have affected ice sheet retreat. • A polynya probably occurred south of Greenland during the Last Glacial Maximum. The study of the history of ice sheet retreat provides important insights into the interaction between ice sheets and oceans, especially under a sustained warming climate. The decay of ice sheets may affect the surrounding ocean environment, and changes in sea surface conditions can, in turn, affect the ice sheet stability. However, interactions between ice sheet dynamics and sea surface characteristics are still not fully understood. Here, we show sedimentary records from the eastern Labrador Sea, proximal to the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) and the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). These records span the last 50 ka, i.e., the last glacial-deglacial-Holocene period. The XRF, biomarker, and planktic/benthic foraminifer data document the collapse of the LIS/iceberg discharge during Heinrich Events (i.e., HE5, HE4, HE2, and HE1) and the occurrence of meltwater plumes from the GrIS and the LIS during the last deglaciation. Such meltwater discharges have caused surface freshening in the Labrador Sea and, consequently, decreased sea surface temperatures and open-water phytoplankton productivity. Enhanced Irminger Current inflow might have caused (sub-)surface warming in the Labrador Sea and triggered the retreat of ice sheets/meltwater discharge. In contrast to relatively low primary production during the glacial period, the Last Glacial Maximum was characterized by increased sea ice algae and phytoplankton production, suggesting the presence of a polynya in front of the southern GrIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fundamental aspect of marine benthic foraminiferal δ18O records of the last one million years is their "saw-tooth" pattern, characterized by gradual cooling to full glacial conditions followed by very rapid glacial terminations. Understanding the mechanism of this pattern is crucial for understanding ice age dynamics. We investigated the climatic trend within each glacial of the last 880 kyr by comparing the signal of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) with global terrestrial and marine paleoclimate records. Our new grain size record from the Huining loess-paleosol section in the western Chinese Loess Plateau, together with published climate records from the Yimaguan and Luochuan sections in the central Chinese Loess Plateau, demonstrates a strengthening trend of the EAWM within most glacials, which largely mirrors the "saw-tooth" pattern of the benthic foraminiferal δ18O record. However, the EAWM record during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 8 shows an unusual weakening trend which is the exception over the last 880 kyr. Based on the linkages between Arctic ice sheets, the Siberian High Pressure system, and the EAWM, we propose that the weakening trend of the EAWM throughout MIS 8 reflects the overall shrinking of Arctic ice sheets towards the glacial termination, in contrast to the increasing trend of the benthic foraminiferal δ18O values. This conclusion is supported by a compilation of global paleoclimate records suggesting that MIS 8 was a unique glacial period over the last 900 kyr, characterized by a mild climate in middle to high northern latitudes and a cold climate in high southern latitudes, during late MIS 8. The inferred changes in Arctic ice sheets would alone cause a decreasing trend in benthic foraminiferal δ18O values during MIS 8, which is the opposite to the observed trend. We suggest that an increased ice volume in high southern latitudes led to the cooling of Antarctic Bottom Water and hence to a decrease in ocean bottom water temperature with an effect to increase benthic foraminiferal δ18O during MIS 8 as observed. Our results highlight the complexity of using the benthic δ18O signal alone as a paleoclimate proxy, and that MIS 8 is an important time window for better understanding glacial dynamics driven by changes in the polar regions of both hemispheres. • Unusual weakening trend of the East Asian winter monsoon during MIS 8. • Weakening trend of the winter monsoon indicates the shrinking of Arctic ice sheets. • Opposite climate trends in the high latitudes of both hemispheres during MIS 8. • Southern Hemisphere forcing caused Antarctic cooling during MIS 8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat-flow data from deep boreholes are of particular value as a number of factors, including climatic surface temperature variations, may disturb subsurface thermal conditions, especially at shallow depths. This study provides thermal results from two boreholes, Gravberg-1 and Stenberg-1, drilled to large depths in the Siljan Ring impact structure, Baltic Shield, Central Sweden. Taking several high-resolution temperature logs to a depth of more than 5000 m in Gravberg-1 and close to 2000 m in Stenberg-1, and up to a long time after drilling, ensures high-quality deep temperature data. A good-quality thermal conductivity profile was determined from mineralogical composition and radiogenic heat production from a spectral gamma-ray log. The observations show overall thermal conductive profiles with local non-conductive temperature variations. Observed present-day near-surface heat flow (depth range 200–500 m) in Gravberg-1 is 47 mW/m2 (std. dev. 1.5 mW/m2). From observed deep background heat flow, considering heat production, the equivalent steady-state, unperturbed heat flow is estimated at 66–68 mW/m2. Data from Stenberg-1 provide similar results. The observed reduction of heat flow at near-surface level by about 20 mW/m2 is interpreted as originating from long-term palaeoclimatic temperature variations. During the last glacial period, the area was, to varying degree, both ice-free and covered by the Fennoscandian ice sheet. Thermal modelling, with a ground-surface mean-temperature increase by 12±2 °C from glacial to post-glacial time, shows consistency between observed and modelled heat flow perturbations for the full depth range of observations. Heat flow perturbations may be significant to depths of about 2000 m. These results show that, uncorrected for palaeoclimate, depending on depths of measurements, observed continental heat flow values might be markedly underestimated. This applies to Northern Europe and, likely, to many other areas as well. [Display omitted] • High-resolution thermal profile with heat flow to 5000 m depth in Baltic Shield. • Overall thermal conductive regime with local advective components. • Significant contribution to heat flow from radiogenic heat production. • Observed near-surface heat flow reduced by 20 mW/m2 due to palaeoclimatic effect. • Ground-surface mean-temperature rise by 12±2 °C from glacial to postglacial time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glacial erosion has long been recognized as a significant factor contributing to continental denudation during the Ediacaran Period, consequently leading to geochemical perturbations and biotic evolution in marine environments. However, the role of Ediacaran glaciation in the oceanic geochemical perturbations remains controversial due to ambiguous geochronological correlations and unresolved paleogeographic and tectonic settings. A total of 45 Ediacaran glacial records have been reviewed and categorized into four Ediacaran glaciations: Gaskiers (581–579 Ma), Fauquier (ca. 571 Ma), Bou-Azzer (ca. 565–560 Ma), and Hankalchough (ca. 562–551 Ma) glaciations. Of these glacial records, 53% have been reported in the Avalonian–Cadomian and Altaids accretionary orogenic belts, recognized as representing Cordilleran-type mountain ice sheets (CMISs). This study reports an Ediacaran glaciation in the southern Altaids, NW China, with 18 glacial and non-glacial facies and 1173 new U-Pb-Hf data from detrital zircons. The maximum ages of deposition based on detrital zircons from the Ediacaran to Lower Cambrian strata indicate an age range from 591.1 to 561.9 Ma for the glacial and deglacial sequences. The glacial sequences consist mostly of proglacial marine facies associated with ice-rafted diamictites and turbidite facies. The unimodal detrital zircon feature of these proglacial facies suggests that the glaciation center was located proximal to a ca. 644 Ma magmatic arc. A statistical comparison of detrital zircon facies was conducted on a regional Ediacaran dataset compiled from 12,291 U-Pb-Hf data points from the Altaids, Siberia, Tarim, North China and South China Cratons. The result suggests the presence of CMISs extending from Beishan to Yili Tianshan and Kyrgyz Tianshan along an active margin of the Paleo-Asian Ocean (PAO). The provenance shift and exhumation of a ca. 967 and 2469 Ma granitic basement suggests that erosion by the Ediacaran ice sheets provided a greater contribution to the terrestrial influx and geochemical perturbations in the late Ediacaran oceans compared with other glacial and tectonic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike other mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic, the Late Ordovician mass extinction took place during an icehouse interval, accompanied by the glaciation of Gondwana. Ice sheets reached their maximum during the Hirnantian and global sea-level dropped substantially. Consequently, the shallow tropical shelf environments of Laurentia and Baltica became subaerially exposed or remaining submerged shelves were characterized by very shallow water-depths. Redox proxies suggest that most shallow shelf settings were well oxygenated to that time, while the global extent of anoxic environments increased, implying that deoxygenation was confined to the open ocean. We speculate that the burial rate of the nutrient phosphorus (P) on shelves was minimal during the Hirnantian glacial maximum (HGM) due to bypass of the shelves in respect to the incoming riverine dissolved load. Hence, a large excess of bioavailable P entering the open ocean would have stimulated phytoplankton production which lowered oxygen concentrations by aerobic respiration. In order to test this hypothesis, we determined reactive P (P react) contents in two low-latitude carbonate successions (Anticosti Island and Estonia) spanning the HGM. Moreover, we measured total organic carbon (C) concentrations and calculated C/P ratios to evaluate the burial efficiency of P. Samples from both sites are characterized by overall low P react contents. We observe a decreasing trend in P react towards the HGM, reaching a minimum during the initial transgression thereafter. C/P ratios suggest efficient P-burial throughout the study interval and, hence, P react contents are assumed to be a direct measure of primary productivity, P-availability, and P-burial. Using the P react concentrations, we modeled shelf P-burial fluxes with estimates for global shelf area and sedimentation rates. The model suggests that shelf P-burial fluxes around the HGM were approximately halved due to a reduced shelf area and minimum P react contents. With the assumption of a constant P-input to the ocean, the proposed scenario serves as a plausible explanation for the observed redox gradients. • we provide phosphorus (P) speciation data for Late Ordovician carbonate samples. • samples were collected from two far-distant sections representing shelf settings. • P-burial into shelf sediments was minimal during the Hirnantian glacial maximum. • large excess of bioavailable P entered the open ocean fueling primary productivity. • high organic matter sinking flux led to intense anoxia as suggested by U-isotopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ribbed, sinuous and streamlined bedforms develop along evolutionary sequences. • Bedform volume is preserved along evolutionary sequences. • Bedform morphometry reflect the magnitude and orientation of finite bed deformation. • Distribution of bed deformation helps to constrain ice-meltwater-bed interactions. Subglacial bedforms are relevant geomorphic markers for palaeo-glaciological reconstructions. Due to the complexity of thermomechanical interactions between ice, till and water on subglacial beds, their formation processes and significance in palaeo-glaciology are still controversial. Based on the measurement and comparison of morphometric characteristics (length, width, amplitude, area and volume) of ∼250 000 bedforms formed below terrestrial ice sheets during the last glacial period, we propose a unified kinematic model, consistent with the 'bed deformation model', whereby bedform shapes and orientations depend on their degree of evolution and reflect the magnitude and orientation of finite bed deformation in response to motion of the overlying ice. Two application examples from the Low Land Ice Dome (British-Irish Ice Sheet) and Keewatin Ice Dome (Laurentide Ice Sheet) demonstrate how this model enables the derivation of palaeo-glaciological maps of finite bed deformation, which can then be used to better constrain ice flow directions, their relative velocities, and the location of subglacial drainage routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dense networks of dilated fractures occur locally in the upper 5–15 m of bedrock in basement gneisses in eastern Sweden. Near Forsmark, pre-existing sub-horizontal fractures have been jacked open and filled with water-lain sediment, likely during the latest Weichselian glaciation. Despite extensive previous research, it is uncertain whether subglacial hydraulic jacking led to the generation of new fractures, in addition to reactivation of pre-existing ones. Re-analysis of historic photos from excavations near the Forsmark power plant indicates formation of two types of new fracture. Firstly, rock fragments were broken off the main fracture surfaces as existing fractures were jacked open. Secondly, fracture analysis shows that whilst few subvertical fractures occur above tight sub-horizontal fractures, a higher density of vertical fractures occurs above dilated sub-horizontal fractures, suggesting new formation. We apply a model of beam failure theory, borrowed from structural engineering, to constrain potential new fracture generation, using assumptions based on measured water pressure fluctuations from beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. This modelling shows that beam failure is a plausible mechanism for the generation of new vertical fractures during a subglacial water fluctuation cycle under a range of realistic glaciological conditions. This implies that hydraulic jacking can result in further in situ disruption and brecciation of the shallow rock mass, decreasing the rock mass strength and increasing its hydraulic conductivity. Altogether, hydraulic jacking of existing fractures and the formation of new vertical fractures results in effective subglacial mechanical weathering of the shallow rock mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstructing the growth and decay of palaeo-ice sheets is critical to understanding the relationships between global climate and sea-level change and to testing numerical ice sheet models. In this study, we integrate recently acquired high-resolution 2D seismic reflection and borehole datasets from two wind-farm sites offshore of the Netherlands to investigate the sedimentary, geomorphological, and glaciotectonic records left by the Saalian Drenthe substage glaciation, when Scandinavian land ice reached its southernmost extent in the southern North Sea (ca. 160 ka, Marine Isotope Stage 6). A complex assemblage of glaciogenic sediments and glaciotectonic structures is buried in the shallow subsurface. The northern wind-farm site revealed a set of NE–SW-oriented subglacial meltwater channels filled with till and glaciofluvial sediments and an E–W-trending composite ridge with local evidence of intense glaciotectonic deformation that denotes the maximum limit reached by the ice. Based on the identified glacial geomorphology, we refine the mapping of the maximum ice sheet extent offshore, revealing that the ice margin morphology is more complex than previously envisaged and displaying a lobate shape. Ice retreat left an unusual paraglacial landscape characterised by the progressive infilling of topographic depressions carved by ice-driven erosion and a diffuse drainage network of outwash channels. The net direction of outwash was to the west and southwest into a nearby glacial basin. We demonstrate the utility of offshore wind-farm data as records of process–form relationships preserved in buried landscapes, which can be utilised in refining palaeo-ice sheet margins and informing longer-term drivers of change in low-relief settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fjords are glacially carved estuaries that profoundly influence ice-sheet stability by draining and ablating ice. Although abundant on modern high-latitude continental shelves, fjord-network morphologies have never been identified in Earth's pre-Cenozoic glacial epochs, hindering our ability to constrain ancient ice-sheet dynamics. We show that U-shaped valleys in northwestern Namibia cut during the late Paleozoic ice age (LPIA, ca. 300 Ma), Earth's penultimate icehouse, represent intact fjord-network morphologies. This preserved glacial morphology and its sedimentary fill permit a reconstruction of paleo-ice thicknesses, glacial dynamics, and resulting glacio-isostatic adjustment. Glaciation in this region was initially characterized by an acme phase, which saw an extensive ice sheet (1.7 km thick) covering the region, followed by a waning phase characterized by 100-m-thick, topographically constrained outlet glaciers that shrank, leading to glacial demise. Our findings demonstrate that both a large ice sheet and highland glaciers existed over northwestern Namibia at different times during the LPIA. The fjords likely played a pivotal role in glacier dynamics and climate regulation, serving as hotspots for organic carbon sequestration. Aside from the present-day arid climate, northwestern Namibia exhibits a geomorphology virtually unchanged since the LPIA, permitting unique insight into this icehouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) was the largest ice sheet during the last glacial period. An accurate representation of its behavior during the last deglaciation is critical to understanding its influence on and response to a changing climate. We use 10Be dating and Bayesian modeling to track the recession of the southwest sector of the Labrador Dome of the LIS along an ~500-km-long transect west of Lake Superior during the last deglaciation. This transect reflects terrestrial ice-margin retreat and crosses multiple moraine sets, with the southwestern part of the transect deglaciated by ca. 19 ka and the northeastern part deglaciated by ca. 10 ka. The predominant behavior of the ice margin during this interval is near-constant retreat with retreat rates varying between ~59 m/a and 38 m/a. The moraine sets mark standstills and/or readvances that in total constitute only ~17% of the retreat interval. The spatial and temporal pattern of ice-margin retreat tracked here differs from existing reconstructions that are based on using isochrons to define ice-margin positions. Acknowledging the uncertainties associated with the modeled ages of ice-margin retreat, we suggest that the overall retreat pattern is consistent with forcing by a gradual increase in Northern Hemisphere, high-latitude summer insolation. The pattern of ice-margin retreat is inconsistent with Greenland ice-core temperature records, and thus these records may not be suitable to drive models of the LIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variation in d18O and d13C values in a speleothem from the Cango Caves in southernmost South Africa enable the construction of coherent regional composite records spanning the past 113,500 yr. Novel for the region in terms of both their length and detail, these records indicate environmental and climatic changes that both are consistent with records from the wider region and show a clear evolution from low- to high-latitude forcing dominance across the last glacial period. Prior to ca. 70 ka, the influence of direct low-latitude insolation forcing is expressed through increases in summer rainfall during austral summer insolation maxima. With the onset of Marine Isotope Stage 4, cooler global conditions and the development of high-latitude ice sheets appear to have supplanted direct insolation forcing as the dominant driver pacing patterns of environmental change, with records from the Southern and Northern Hemisphere tropics exhibiting a positive relationship until after the Last Glacial Maximum. These results highlight the complexity of South African climate change dynamics as a response to changing global boundary conditions and provide a critical reference for regional and global comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new 40Ar/39Ar date from a pyroclastic density current deposit preserved on the northern slopes of the Lillooet River valley, British Columbia, indicates an explosive volcanic eruption of the Mount Meager Volcanic Complex (MMVC) at 24.3 ± 2.3 ka. The age of this pyroclastic deposit is a record of the second youngest explosive volcanic event for the MMVC and indicates that Mount Meager has erupted, explosively, at least twice in the past ∼25 000 years. The age of the volcanic eruption coincides with the early phase of growth of the late Wisconsin (Fraser) Cordilleran ice sheet. The deposit constrains the distribution and timing of glacier build-up in southwestern British Columbia over the last glacial cycle and suggests that the ice sheet was absent or thin in the upper Lillooet River valley at this time. Field evidence suggests the pyroclastic density current was sourced at high elevation near present-day Plinth Peak and was deposited and preserved on the adjoining Lillooet River valley wall. Coeval, proximal valley-filling glacial ice was up to ∼120 m thick. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Murtoos are recently discovered triangular‐shaped subglacial landforms that form under warm‐based ice and in association with significant subglacial meltwater flow. They appear in distinct fields and commonly occur in the area that was covered by the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet during glacial periods. Murtoos potentially represent a transition form from non‐channelized to channelized subglacial drainage networks. In the present study, we analyse and classify murtoos and murtoo‐related landforms in the Finnish area of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet based on their characteristics and appearance in LiDAR‐based digital elevations models. Combined with morphometric analyses, the observations suggest that five types of murtoos and murtoo‐related landforms are common and widespread in Finland: (i) triangle‐type murtoos (TTMs), (ii) chevron‐type murtoos (CTMs), (iii) lobate‐type murtoos (LTMs), (iv) murtoo‐related ridges and escarpments (MREs), and (v) other murtoo‐related polymorphous landforms (PMRs) that look like small mounds and ridges. The morphometric characteristics of the different types are described here in detail, and it is shown that they are spatially and geomorphologically related. In addition, we provide examples of murtoos other than the TTMs to demonstrate that different murtoo types and murtoo‐related landforms are composed of similar sediments and architectural characteristics. The diversity of murtoo landforms and the transition between distinct murtoo types indicate rapid and complicated variations in the configuration of subglacial hydrology at different spatial and temporal scales. This study emphasizes the essential role of subglacial meltwater in the shaping of glacial landscapes and the redistribution of large volumes of sediments during the deglaciation of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent glacial periods have included several periods of rapid sea level drop that are still not well understood. Here we show that rapid sea level drops can occur due to merger of two separate ice sheets without correspondingly rapid climate forcing. Using the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM), we simulate glaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) by gradually decreasing equilibrium‐line altitude (ELA). Merger of the extended Keewatin sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet with Labrador sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet south of Hudson Bay causes a positive feedback between increasing surface elevation and increasing surface mass balance in the merger region, leading to fast ice sheet growth. The simulated saddle merger of LIS lowers sea level by 20 m in less than 20 kyr with periods of sea level fall exceeding 2 m/kyr, similar to those observed in paleo‐sea level records. Plain Language Summary: Sea level dropped by about 120 m over a period of more than 80,000 years during the last ice age, though during brief intervals it has dropped by more than 20 m in less than 10,000 years. However, the cause of these rapid sea level drops is not known. Using a computer model of the flow of the North American Ice Sheet, we show that ice sheets grow quickly when separate ice sheets merge due to the increase of elevation and snowfall rate in the merger region. The simulated quick growth of ice sheets leads to a fast decrease in equivalent sea level similar to the past sea level records, as freshwater is sequestered on land in the form of an enlarged ice sheet. This study may provide a general explanation for rapid sea level falls in past ice ages. Key Points: The cause of rapid sea level drops observed during glaciations is unclearIce saddles form abruptly even during gradual climate coolingA model of Laurentide ice sheet glaciation simulates rapid sea level drop from ice‐dome mergers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glaciers over High-Mountain Asia (HMA) provide a critical window into past climate change and the linkage between high and low-latitude glaciation, but how glaciers may have varied during past glacial-interglacial cycles remains elusive. Here, we reconstruct the timing and extent of glaciations for the last 425 kyr over HMA, using a climate-glaciation simulation constrained by observations and glacial geologic evidence. We illustrate that there were multiple alpine-style glaciations comparable in extent to those during the last glacial maximum during the last four glacial-interglacial cycles. The extent and timing of glaciations vary across HMA, especially between the westerly influenced northern and the monsoonal-influenced southern HMA. The ~23-kyr periodicity dominates HMA glaciation due to the critical role of precession in regulating summer temperature and precipitation. Our results, in addition to helping to fill the incomplete glacial geologic record, provide a framework to test hypotheses linking orbital-scale climate, glaciation, and landscape evolution over HMA. Plain Language Summary Glaciers are sensitive indicators of climate change and sculpting the landscape we observe today, but there is an incomplete picture of how glaciers over High-Mountain Asia (HMA) might vary during past glacial-interglacial cycles. Here, we provide the first geological evidence-constrained scenario on glaciation evolution over HMA during the last four glacial-interglacial cycles. We illustrate that there were multiple significant glaciations masked by extensive valley glaciers and expanded ice caps for the last 425 kyr, but a continental-scale ice sheet did not develop. Meantime, the ~23-kyr periodicity dominates HMA glaciation, in contrast to the 100-kyr cycle for the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. Moreover, the extent and timing of glaciations vary across HMA, especially between the westerly influenced northern and monsoonal-influenced southern HMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the sensitivity of a distributed glacier surface mass and energy balance model using a variance-based analysis, for two distinct periods of the last glacial cycle: the present day (PD) and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The results can be summarized in three major findings: the sensitivity towards individual model parameters and parameterizations is as variable in space as it is in time. The model is most sensitive to uncertainty related to atmospheric emissivity and the down-welling longwave radiation. While the turbulent latent heat flux has a sizable contribution to the surface mass balance uncertainty in central Greenland today, it dominates over the entire ice sheet during the cold climate of the LGM, in spite of its low impact on the overall surface mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet in the modern climate. We conclude that quantifying the model sensitivity is very helpful for tuning free model parameters because it clarifies the relative importance of individual parameters and highlights interactions between them that need to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northern British Columbia was repeatedly covered by the Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS) during the glacial periods. However, its mountainous terrain and remote location have thus far impeded our understanding of the central sector of the ice sheet. The improved resolution of remotely sensed data provides new opportunities to unravel the glacial history of this inaccessible location. Here, we present a comprehensive map of glacial landforms for the central sector of the CIS (55° to 60° N). Seven landform categories were mapped: ice flow parallel lineations, moraines (CIS outlet glacier moraines, Late Glacial moraines and moraines of unknown origin), meltwater channels (lateral and submarginal, subglacial, proglacial, and meltwater channels of unknown origin), kame terraces, eskers (single ridges and esker complexes), perched deltas and subglacial ribs. Collectively, these landforms provide a record of the extent, thickness and behaviour of the CIS, the direction of its movement and pattern of ice retreat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Scandinavian Ice Sheet reached the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains during the Elsterian glaciation. A long ice‐sheet piedmont marginal zone affected by the rugged mountain foreland topography and associated slopes originated. This study focuses on the hilly Rychleby Mts. foreland (Eastern Sudetes, Czechia), which was a part of the piedmont marginal foreland zone of the ice sheet. The basal regime was reconstructed through an investigation of the sedimentology, structural features, and the nature of ice‐sheet erosion of preglacial landscapes evident at two sites located ~3–5 km inside the maximum ice‐sheet extent. These sites show a preglacial relief buried by sub‐ to supraglacial sediments. The sites were located under an ice cover of max. 200 m. Evidence of cold‐based conditions (including palaeotors with delicate structures on the bedrock, almost absent striations on clasts, originally frozen unlithified sedimentary rafts) exists at both sites. Permafrost composed of coarse‐grained sediments was subject to brittle deformation at the base of the ice sheet, whereas permafrost composed of fine‐grained sediments underwent ductile deformation. The margin of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in the Rychleby Mts. foreland was cold‐based, therefore glacial erosion was not sufficient to significantly remodel the palaeotors into roches moutonnées. During ice‐sheet decay, the preglacial landscape was partially buried by melt‐out tills and meltwater sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is focused on the palaeographic development of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland, during the maximum extent of the Sanian 2 (MIS 12) ice sheet and its retreat. The studies were based on archival cartographic data, coupled with new lithological and petrographic analyses of limni- and fluvioglacial sands, i.e., grain-size composition, quartz grain morphology and heavy mineral analysis, as well as analysis of the erratic material of tills. The results confirm the regional variability of the erratic material in the Sanian 2 tills and point to the long-term development of fluvioglacial sands cover documenting cold climate conditions. They also evidence that the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains was the area where two oppositely directed ice sheet lobes (Radoszyce and Sandomierz) advanced during the Sanian 2 Glaciation and that deglaciation of the area took place in two stages. Huge quantities of meltwater released at that time contributed to the intensification of earlier initiated karst phenomena, as well as filling of the existing caves by fluvioglacial sands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive North Atlantic iceberg discharges of the last glacial period, the so-called Heinrich events (HE), resulted in atmospheric and oceanic responses of the Mediterranean region that remain poorly documented and understood. This paper focuses on the climatic phases termed Heinrich stadials (HS) 4 and 5 generated by the HE 4 and 5 that occurred during a period of similar intermediate global ice volume and greenhouse gas concentrations but with different iceberg discharges and orbital boundary conditions. Our comparison of sea surface temperature and salinity changes with deep water conditions in the Gulf of Lions (planktonic and benthic foraminifera δ18O and δ13C records) and regional pollen-based temperature and precipitation reconstructions in NW Mediterranean for these Heinrich stadials reveal a paradoxical situation. A lower North American iceberg discharge during HS 5 compared to HS 4 is associated with colder and drier conditions in the NW Mediterranean borderlands. During the moderate iceberg discharge of HS 5 a relatively high salinity in the Gulf of Lions lead to stronger Western Mediterranean Deep Water formation and mixing of the surface with the deeper layers. By contrast during HS 4, we suggest that the massive North Atlantic iceberg break-up decreased the salinity of the Gulf of Lions and reduced the wind stress in the Mediterranean, leading to the stratification of the Mediterranean water column and inducing limited upward mixing of cold water, resulting in regional atmospheric warming and wetting compared to HS 5. This work highlights the potential crucial role of local processes in modulating the regional response to a global climate change related with ice-sheet instabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we present the first compilation of sediment volumes, sedimentation rates, and chronology of Quaternary sediment packages along the entire marine margin of the Eurasian ice sheets (EurIS; British-Irish, Kara-Barents Sea-Svalbard, and Fennoscandian). This compilation allows for a subdivision of the EurIS development into three phases (2.6-1.5 Ma, 1.5-0.78 Ma, and 0.78-0 Ma). At the start of the Quaternary, sedimentation rates increased, relative to pre-Quaternary rates, by an order of magnitude. This abruptness in rate change excludes tectonic raising of landmasses as the main factor, but more likely reflects climate change through increased glacial erosion. The sediment distribution data suggest that the Kara-Barents Sea-Svalbard Ice Sheet (KBSIS) already was quite large at the beginning of the Quaternary, and well before 1.5 Ma it extended to the shelf edge and coalesced with the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet (FIS), which prior to 1.5 Ma most likely was located near the coast. Large ice streams and intense glacial erosion characterized the KBSIS in the 1.5-0.78 Ma time period, whereas the FIS at that time extended farther out on the continental shelf. After 0.78 Ma, a north-south change in EurIS development occurred. In the FIS and the British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS), large ice streams developed and shelf-edge glaciations occurred nearly 1 m.y. later compared to the KBSIS. The FIS and BIIS also repetitively coalesced in the North Sea. A significant drop in sediment input along the KBSIS marine margin, to the lowest Quaternary level, suggests a less erosive KBSIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]