Stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the pre-industrial Holocene

Richard S. Jones; Joanne S. Johnson; Yucheng Lin; Andrew N. Mackintosh; Juliet P. Sefton; James A. Smith; Elizabeth R. Thomas; Pippa L. Whitehouse

doi:10.1038/s43017-022-00309-5

Stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the pre-industrial Holocene

Richard S. Jones, Joanne S. Johnson, Yucheng Lin, Andrew N. Mackintosh, Juliet P. Sefton, James A. Smith, Elizabeth R. Thomas, Pippa L. Whitehouse

School of Earth Atmosphere and Environment

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review Article › Research › peer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The rate and magnitude of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) contribution to global sea-level rise beyond 2100 ce remains highly uncertain. Past changes of the AIS, however, offer opportunities to understand contemporary and future ice sheet behaviour. In this Review, we outline how the AIS evolved through the pre-industrial Holocene, 11,700 years ago to 1850 ce. Three main phases of ice sheet behaviour are identified: a period of rapid ice volume loss across all sectors in the Early and Mid Holocene; a retreat inland of the present-day ice sheet margin in some sectors, followed by readvance; and continued ice volume loss in several sectors during the past few millennia, and in some areas up to and into the industrial era. Global sea levels rose by 2.4–12 m owing to the period of rapid Antarctic ice loss and possibly fell by 0.35–1.2 m owing to subsequent readvance. Changes in the AIS during the Holocene were likely driven by similar processes to those acting today and predicted for the future, which are associated with oceanic and atmospheric conditions as well as bed topography. Further work is required to better understand these processes and to quantify Antarctica’s contribution to past sea-level change.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	500–515
Number of pages	16
Journal	Nature Reviews Earth and Environment
Volume	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-022-00309-5
Publication status	Published - 2022

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10.1038/s43017-022-00309-5

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@article{92efd2ed735345f9bbb8b6733ea61c5c,

title = "Stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the pre-industrial Holocene",

abstract = "The rate and magnitude of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) contribution to global sea-level rise beyond 2100 ce remains highly uncertain. Past changes of the AIS, however, offer opportunities to understand contemporary and future ice sheet behaviour. In this Review, we outline how the AIS evolved through the pre-industrial Holocene, 11,700 years ago to 1850 ce. Three main phases of ice sheet behaviour are identified: a period of rapid ice volume loss across all sectors in the Early and Mid Holocene; a retreat inland of the present-day ice sheet margin in some sectors, followed by readvance; and continued ice volume loss in several sectors during the past few millennia, and in some areas up to and into the industrial era. Global sea levels rose by 2.4–12 m owing to the period of rapid Antarctic ice loss and possibly fell by 0.35–1.2 m owing to subsequent readvance. Changes in the AIS during the Holocene were likely driven by similar processes to those acting today and predicted for the future, which are associated with oceanic and atmospheric conditions as well as bed topography. Further work is required to better understand these processes and to quantify Antarctica{\textquoteright}s contribution to past sea-level change.",

author = "Jones, {Richard S.} and Johnson, {Joanne S.} and Yucheng Lin and Mackintosh, {Andrew N.} and Sefton, {Juliet P.} and Smith, {James A.} and Thomas, {Elizabeth R.} and Whitehouse, {Pippa L.}",

note = "Funding Information: R.S.J. is supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) under grant number DE210101923. J.S.J. is supported by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grants NE/K012088/1 and NE/S006710/1. Y.L. is supported by China Scholarship Council–Durham University joint scholarship. J.A.S. is supported by NERC grant NE/M013081/1. This work was supported by ARC SRIEAS Grant SR200100005 Securing Antarctica{\textquoteright}s Environmental Future, Australia, and forms part of the British Antarctic Survey programme {\textquoteleft}Polar Science for Planet Earth{\textquoteright} funded by the NERC, UK. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022, Springer Nature Limited.",

year = "2022",

doi = "10.1038/s43017-022-00309-5",

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AU - Jones, Richard S.

AU - Johnson, Joanne S.

AU - Lin, Yucheng

AU - Mackintosh, Andrew N.

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AU - Smith, James A.

AU - Thomas, Elizabeth R.

AU - Whitehouse, Pippa L.

N1 - Funding Information: R.S.J. is supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) under grant number DE210101923. J.S.J. is supported by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grants NE/K012088/1 and NE/S006710/1. Y.L. is supported by China Scholarship Council–Durham University joint scholarship. J.A.S. is supported by NERC grant NE/M013081/1. This work was supported by ARC SRIEAS Grant SR200100005 Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future, Australia, and forms part of the British Antarctic Survey programme ‘Polar Science for Planet Earth’ funded by the NERC, UK. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, Springer Nature Limited.

PY - 2022

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N2 - The rate and magnitude of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) contribution to global sea-level rise beyond 2100 ce remains highly uncertain. Past changes of the AIS, however, offer opportunities to understand contemporary and future ice sheet behaviour. In this Review, we outline how the AIS evolved through the pre-industrial Holocene, 11,700 years ago to 1850 ce. Three main phases of ice sheet behaviour are identified: a period of rapid ice volume loss across all sectors in the Early and Mid Holocene; a retreat inland of the present-day ice sheet margin in some sectors, followed by readvance; and continued ice volume loss in several sectors during the past few millennia, and in some areas up to and into the industrial era. Global sea levels rose by 2.4–12 m owing to the period of rapid Antarctic ice loss and possibly fell by 0.35–1.2 m owing to subsequent readvance. Changes in the AIS during the Holocene were likely driven by similar processes to those acting today and predicted for the future, which are associated with oceanic and atmospheric conditions as well as bed topography. Further work is required to better understand these processes and to quantify Antarctica’s contribution to past sea-level change.

AB - The rate and magnitude of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) contribution to global sea-level rise beyond 2100 ce remains highly uncertain. Past changes of the AIS, however, offer opportunities to understand contemporary and future ice sheet behaviour. In this Review, we outline how the AIS evolved through the pre-industrial Holocene, 11,700 years ago to 1850 ce. Three main phases of ice sheet behaviour are identified: a period of rapid ice volume loss across all sectors in the Early and Mid Holocene; a retreat inland of the present-day ice sheet margin in some sectors, followed by readvance; and continued ice volume loss in several sectors during the past few millennia, and in some areas up to and into the industrial era. Global sea levels rose by 2.4–12 m owing to the period of rapid Antarctic ice loss and possibly fell by 0.35–1.2 m owing to subsequent readvance. Changes in the AIS during the Holocene were likely driven by similar processes to those acting today and predicted for the future, which are associated with oceanic and atmospheric conditions as well as bed topography. Further work is required to better understand these processes and to quantify Antarctica’s contribution to past sea-level change.

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DO - 10.1038/s43017-022-00309-5

M3 - Review Article

AN - SCOPUS:85134263150

SN - 2662-138X

VL - 3

SP - 500

EP - 515

JO - Nature Reviews Earth and Environment

JF - Nature Reviews Earth and Environment

ER -

Stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the pre-industrial Holocene

Abstract

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Characteristics and controls of ice sheet loss on centennial timescales

SAEF: Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future – An Evidence-Based, Informatics Approach

Cite this

Stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the pre-industrial Holocene

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Projects

Characteristics and controls of ice sheet loss on centennial timescales

SAEF: Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future – An Evidence-Based, Informatics Approach

Cite this