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Nature 394, 739-743 (20 August 1998) | doi:10.1038/29447; Received 1 September 1997; Accepted 13 February 1998

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Asynchrony of Antarctic and Greenland climate change during the last glacial period

T. Blunier1, J. Chappellaz2, J. Schwander1, A. Dällenbach1, B. Stauffer1, T. F. Stocker1, D. Raynaud2, J. Jouzel3,2, H. B. Clausen4, C. U. Hammer4 & S. J. Johnsen4,5

  1. Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
  2. CNRS Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement (LGGE), BP 96, 38402 St Martin d'Hères Cede, Grenoble, France
  3. Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, UMR CEA-CNRS 1572, CEA Saclay, Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif sur Yvette, France
  4. Department of Geophysics (NBIfAPG), University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, 2100 Copenhagen O, Denmark
  5. Science Institute, Department of Geophysics, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, Is-107 Reykjavik, Iceland

Correspondence to: T. Blunier1 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to T.B. (e-mail: Email: blunier@climate.unibe.ch).

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A central issue in climate dynamics is to understand how the Northern and Southern hemispheres are coupled during climate events. The strongest of the fast temperature changes observed in Greenland (so-called Dansgaard–Oeschger events) during the last glaciation have an analogue in the temperature record from Antarctica. A comparison of the global atmospheric concentration of methane as recorded in ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland permits a determination of the phase relationship (in leads or lags) of these temperature variations. Greenland warming events around 36 and 45 kyr before present lag their Antarctic counterpart by more than 1 kyr. On average, Antarctic climate change leads that of Greenland by 1–2.5 kyr over the period 47–23 kyr before present.

  1. Climate and Environmental Physics, Physics Institute, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
  2. CNRS Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l'Environnement (LGGE), BP 96, 38402 St Martin d'Hères Cede, Grenoble, France
  3. Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, UMR CEA-CNRS 1572, CEA Saclay, Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif sur Yvette, France
  4. Department of Geophysics (NBIfAPG), University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, 2100 Copenhagen O, Denmark
  5. Science Institute, Department of Geophysics, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, Is-107 Reykjavik, Iceland

Correspondence to: T. Blunier1 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to T.B. (e-mail: Email: blunier@climate.unibe.ch).