IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v600y2021i7889d10.1038_s41586-021-04148-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A large West Antarctic Ice Sheet explains early Neogene sea-level amplitude

Author

Listed:
  • J. W. Marschalek

    (Imperial College London)

  • L. Zurli

    (University of Siena)

  • F. Talarico

    (University of Siena)

  • T. Flierdt

    (Imperial College London)

  • P. Vermeesch

    (University College London)

  • A. Carter

    (Birkbeck, University of London)

  • F. Beny

    (Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences, UMR 8187 CNRS/Univ Lille/ULCO)

  • V. Bout-Roumazeilles

    (Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences, UMR 8187 CNRS/Univ Lille/ULCO)

  • F. Sangiorgi

    (Utrecht University)

  • S. R. Hemming

    (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University Palisades)

  • L. F. Pérez

    (British Antarctic Survey
    Department of Marine Geology)

  • F. Colleoni

    (National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS)

  • J. G. Prebble

    (GNS Science)

  • T. E. Peer

    (University College London
    University of Southampton Waterfront Campus)

  • M. Perotti

    (University of Siena)

  • A. E. Shevenell

    (University of South Florida)

  • I. Browne

    (University of South Florida)

  • D. K. Kulhanek

    (International Ocean Discovery Program
    Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel)

  • R. Levy

    (GNS Science
    Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel)

  • D. Harwood

    (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

  • N. B. Sullivan

    (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

  • S. R. Meyers

    (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

  • E. M. Griffith

    (Ohio State University)

  • C.-D. Hillenbrand

    (British Antarctic Survey)

  • E. Gasson

    (University of Exeter)

  • M. J. Siegert

    (Imperial College London
    Imperial College London)

  • B. Keisling

    (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University Palisades)

  • K. J. Licht

    (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis)

  • G. Kuhn

    (Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research)

  • J. P. Dodd

    (Northern Illinois University)

  • C. Boshuis

    (Utrecht University)

  • L. Santis

    (National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS)

  • R. M. McKay

    (Victoria University of Wellington)

Abstract

Early to Middle Miocene sea-level oscillations of approximately 40–60 m estimated from far-field records1–3 are interpreted to reflect the loss of virtually all East Antarctic ice during peak warmth2. This contrasts with ice-sheet model experiments suggesting most terrestrial ice in East Antarctica was retained even during the warmest intervals of the Middle Miocene4,5. Data and model outputs can be reconciled if a large West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) existed and expanded across most of the outer continental shelf during the Early Miocene, accounting for maximum ice-sheet volumes. Here we provide the earliest geological evidence proving large WAIS expansions occurred during the Early Miocene (~17.72–17.40 Ma). Geochemical and petrographic data show glacimarine sediments recovered at International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1521 in the central Ross Sea derive from West Antarctica, requiring the presence of a WAIS covering most of the Ross Sea continental shelf. Seismic, lithological and palynological data reveal the intermittent proximity of grounded ice to Site U1521. The erosion rate calculated from this sediment package greatly exceeds the long-term mean, implying rapid erosion of West Antarctica. This interval therefore captures a key step in the genesis of a marine-based WAIS and a tipping point in Antarctic ice-sheet evolution.

Suggested Citation

  • J. W. Marschalek & L. Zurli & F. Talarico & T. Flierdt & P. Vermeesch & A. Carter & F. Beny & V. Bout-Roumazeilles & F. Sangiorgi & S. R. Hemming & L. F. Pérez & F. Colleoni & J. G. Prebble & T. E. Pe, 2021. "A large West Antarctic Ice Sheet explains early Neogene sea-level amplitude," Nature, Nature, vol. 600(7889), pages 450-455, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:600:y:2021:i:7889:d:10.1038_s41586-021-04148-0
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04148-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04148-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41586-021-04148-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jenny A. Gales & Robert M. McKay & Laura De Santis & Michele Rebesco & Jan Sverre Laberg & Amelia E Shevenell & David Harwood & R. Mark Leckie & Denise K. Kulhanek & Maxine King & Molly Patterson & Re, 2023. "Climate-controlled submarine landslides on the Antarctic continental margin," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Suning Hou & Lennert B. Stap & Ryan Paul & Mei Nelissen & Frida S. Hoem & Martin Ziegler & Appy Sluijs & Francesca Sangiorgi & Peter K. Bijl, 2023. "Reconciling Southern Ocean fronts equatorward migration with minor Antarctic ice volume change during Miocene cooling," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:600:y:2021:i:7889:d:10.1038_s41586-021-04148-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.