Synchronous volcanic eruptions and abrupt climate change ~17.7 ka plausibly linked by stratospheric ozone depletion

Joseph R. McConnell*, Andrea Burke, Nelia W. Dunbar, Peter Köhler, Jennie L. Thomas, Monica M. Arienzo, Nathan J. Chellman, Olivia J. Maselli, Michael Sigl, Jess F. Adkins, Daniel Baggenstos, John F. Burkhart, Edward J. Brook, Christo Buizert, Jihong Cole-Dai, T. J. Fudge, Gregor Knorr, Hans F. Graf, Mackenzie M. Grieman, Nels IversonKenneth C. McGwire, Robert Mulvaney, Guillaume Paris, Rachael H. Rhodes, Eric S. Saltzman, Jeffrey P. Severinghaus, Jørgen Peder Steffensen, Kendrick C. Taylor, Gisela Winckler

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

69 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Glacial-state greenhouse gas concentrations and Southern Hemisphere climate conditions persisted until ~17.7 ka, when a nearly synchronous acceleration in deglaciation was recorded in paleoclimate proxies in large parts of the Southern Hemisphere, with many changes ascribed to a sudden poleward shift in the Southern Hemisphere westerlies and subsequent climate impacts. We used high-resolution chemical measurements in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide, Byrd, and other ice cores to document a unique, ~192-y series of halogen-rich volcanic eruptions exactly at the start of accelerated deglaciation, with tephra identifying the nearby Mount Takahe volcano as the source. Extensive fallout from these massive eruptions has been found >2,800 km from Mount Takahe. Sulfur isotope anomalies and marked decreases in ice core bromine consistent with increased surface UV radiation indicate that the eruptions led to stratospheric ozone depletion. Rather than a highly improbable coincidence, circulation and climate changes extending from the Antarctic Peninsula to the subtropics—similar to those associated with modern stratospheric ozone depletion over Antarctica—plausibly link the Mount Takahe eruptions to the onset of accelerated Southern Hemisphere deglaciation ~17.7 ka.

Original languageEnglish
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume114
Issue number38
Pages (from-to)10035-10040
Number of pages6
ISSN0027-8424
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Keywords

  • Aerosol
  • Climate
  • Deglaciation
  • Ozone
  • Volcanism

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