Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Irregular glacial interstadials recorded in a new Greenland ice core

Nature volume 359, pages 311–313 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

THE Greenland ice sheet offers the most favourable conditions in the Northern Hemisphere for obtaining high-resolution continuous time series of climate-related parameters. Profiles of 18O/<16O ratio along three previous deep Greenland ice cores1–3 seemed to reveal irregular but well-defined episodes of relatively mild climate conditions (interstadials) during the mid and late parts of the last glaciation, but there has been some doubt as to whether the shifts in oxygen isotope ratio were genuine representations of changes in climate, rather than artefacts due to disturbed stratification. Here we present results from a new deep ice core drilled at the summit of the Greenland ice sheet, where the depositional environ-ment and the flow pattern of the ice are close to ideal for core recovery and analysis. The results reproduce the previous findings to such a degree that the existence of the interstadial episodes can no longer be in doubt. According to a preliminary timescale based on stratigraphic studies, the interstadials lasted from 500 to 2,000 years, and their irregular occurrence suggests complexity in the behaviour of the North Atlantic ocean circulation.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Johnsen, S. J., Dansgaard, W., Clausen, H. B. & Langway, C. C. Jr Nature 235, 429–434 (1972).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Dansgaard, W. et al. Science 208, 1273–1279 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Johnsen, S. J. et al. Meddr. Grønland Geosci. 30, 22 pp. (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Dansgaard, W. et al. Nature 255, 24–88 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Jouzel, J., Lorius, C., Petit, J. R., Genthorn, C. & Barkov, N. I. Nature 329, 403–407 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Dansgaard, W., Johnsen, S. J., Clausen, H. B. & Langway, C. C. Jr in Late Cenozoic Ice Ages (ed. Turekian, K. K.) 37–56 (Yale Univ. Press, 1970).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Oeschger, H. et al. in Climate Processes and Climate Sensitivity (eds Hansen, J. E. & Takahachi, T.) Geophys. Monogr. 29, 299–306 (Am. Geophys. Un., Washington DC, 1984).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  8. Johnsen, S. J., Dansgaard, W. & White, J. W. Tellus B41, 452–468 (1989).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Ruddiman, W. F. & Mclntyre, A. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 35, 145–214 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Broecker, W. S., Bond, G., Klas, M., Bonani, G. & Wolfli, W. Palaeoceanography 5, 469–477 (1990).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Woillard, G. M. & Mode, W. D. Science 215, 159–161 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kolstrup, E. Geol. Mijnbouw 69, 253–262 (1990).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Fairbanks, R. G. Nature 342, 637–642 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Lehmann, S. J. & Keigwin, L. D. Nature 356, 757–762 (1992).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Overgaard, S. & Gundestrup, N. in Greenland Ice Cores: Geophysics, Geochemistry and Environment (eds Langway, C. C. Jr, Oschger, H. & Dansgaard, W.) Geophys. Monogr. 33, 49–56 (Am. Geophys. Un., Washington, DC, 1985).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  16. Hammer, C. U., Clausen, H. B. & Tauber, H. Radiocarbon 28, 2A, 284–291 (1986).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. CLIMAP project members Science 191, 1131–1137 (1976).

  18. Bard, E. Radiocarbon (in the press).

  19. Berger, A. et al. Trans. R. Soc. Edinb: Earth Sci. 82, 357–369 (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Raynaud, D. & Lorius, C. Nature 243, 283–284 (1973).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Dahl-Jensen, D. & Johnsen, S. J. Nature 320, 250–252 (1986).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Shackelton, N., Imbrie, J. & Hall, M. A. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 65, 233–244 (1983).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Dansgaard, W., Johnsen, S. J. & White, J. C. Nature 339, 532–534 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Veum, T., Jansen, T., Arnold, M., Beyer, I. & Duplessy, J. C. Nature 356, 783–785 (1992).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Zahn, R. Nature 356, 744–746 (1992).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geophysical Institute, University of Copenhagen, Haraldsgade 6, 2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark

    S. J. Johnsen, H. B. Clausen, W. Dansgaard, N. Gundestrup, C. U. Hammer, P. Iversen & J. P. steffensen

  2. Science Institute, University of Reykjavik, Dunhaga 3, Reykjavik, 107, Iceland

    S. J. Johnsen & K. Fuhrer

  3. Physikalisches Institut, Universitat Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, Bern, 3012, Switzerland

    B. Stauffer

  4. Laboratoire de Modelisation du Climat et de ('Environment, CEA/DSM, CE Saclay, 91191

    J. Jouzel

  5. Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Geophysique de ('Environment, BP 96, 38402, St Martin d'Heres Cedex, France

    J. Jouzel

Authors
  1. S. J. Johnsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. B. Clausen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. W. Dansgaard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. K. Fuhrer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. N. Gundestrup
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. C. U. Hammer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. P. Iversen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. J. Jouzel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. B. Stauffer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. J. P. steffensen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Johnsen, S., Clausen, H., Dansgaard, W. et al. Irregular glacial interstadials recorded in a new Greenland ice core. Nature 359, 311–313 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/359311a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/359311a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing