Climate variability in the Early Pliocene Arctic: Annually resolved evidence from stable isotope values of sub-fossil wood, Ellesmere Island, Canada

Csank, A. Z.; Patterson, William P.; Eglington, B. M.; Rybczynski, Natalia; Basinger, James F.

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.05.038

Cited by 54 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…1) reconstruct a Pliocene Greenland similar to a projected future Greenland with very limited ice cover (see, e.g., Ridley et al, 2005;Huybrechts et al, 2011a). Reconstructions of palaeo-vegetation for the Pliocene agree, in particular, on ice-free conditions in northern and northeastern Greenland, and regions in southern Greenland (e.g., Csank et al, 2011). We conclude that ice presence was most likely limited to the eastern and southern high altitudes resembling scenario Plio nogris.icefree , as simulated with highest confidence (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Ice sheet model dependency of the simulated Greenland Ice Sheet in the mid-Pliocene

et al. 2015

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Abstract. The understanding of the nature and behavior of ice sheets in past warm periods is important for constraining the potential impacts of future climate change. The Pliocene warm period (between 3.264 and 3.025 Ma) saw global temperatures similar to those projected for future climates; nevertheless, Pliocene ice locations and extents are still poorly constrained. We present results from the efforts to simulate mid-Pliocene Greenland Ice Sheets by means of the international Pliocene Ice Sheet Modeling Intercomparison Project (PLISMIP). We compare the performance of existing numerical ice sheet models in simulating modern control and mid-Pliocene ice sheets with a suite of sensitivity experiments guided by available proxy records. We quantify equilibrated ice sheet volume on Greenland, identifying a potential range in sea level contributions from warm Pliocene scenarios. A series of statistical measures are performed to quantify the confidence of simulations with focus on intermodel and inter-scenario differences. We find that Pliocene Greenland Ice Sheets are less sensitive to differences in ice sheet model configurations and internal physical quantities than to changes in imposed climate forcing. We conclude that Pliocene ice was most likely to be limited to the highest elevations in eastern and southern Greenland as simulated with the highest confidence and by synthesizing available regional proxies; however, the extent of those ice caps needs to be further constrained by using a range of general circulation model (GCM) climate forcings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Ice sheet model dependency of the simulated Greenland Ice Sheet in the mid-Pliocene

et al. 2015

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“…For example, a cooler estimate could reflect high use of snow or permafrost meltwater, or magnification of the winter precipitation signal in groundwater. This bias likely has a greater effect on fen environments as posited for BP (Csank et al, 2011a).…”

Section: Discussion Comparisons To Previous Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 98%

Floral Dissimilarity and the Influence of Climate in the Pliocene High Arctic: Biotic and Abiotic Influences on Five Sites on the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

et al. 2017

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A recurring goal in ecological and paleoclimatic studies is to either forecast how ecosystems will respond to future climate or hindcast climate from past ecosystem assemblages. The Pliocene is a useful deep-time laboratory for understanding an equilibrium climate state under modern atmospheric CO 2 , and has been a focus for climate modelers. Accurate estimates of proxy data-model mismatch are hindered by the scarcity of well-constrained observations from well-dated sites in the High Arctic. Using a recently developed community-based approach (Climate Reconstruction Analysis using Coexistence Likelihood Estimation: CRACLE) compared with an established method (The Coexistence Approach: CA), and applied to extraordinary, permafrost-driven preservation of floras, we explore the climate and community assemblages at five Pliocene sites in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The results suggest that climatic differences at this scale do not simply correlate to differences in community assemblage between sites. The threshold temperature for tree line is one important component, but other factors in the environment (e.g., soil characteristics) may drive dissimilarity of communities where the taxa could share the same climate space. Estimates from CRACLE agree with previous estimates where available, and generally fall within the ranges of CA. Mean annual temperatures were ∼22 • C hotter (ranging from 0.8 to 6.2 • C by species across sites) and mean annual precipitation ∼500 mm wetter (ranging from 530 to 860 mm by species across sites) during the Early to "mid"-Pliocene (∼3.6 Ma) when compared with modern climate station data in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Comparison of estimates for three levels of taxonomic input suggest judicious interpretation is needed when generic level identifications are used, especially in the Polar Regions. The results herein are a reminder of the large impact of non-climatic abiotic and biotic factors to be accounted for when predicting future ranges of communities under different climate conditions from the present, and when hindcasting climate from past ecosystem assemblages.

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“…climate oscillations and modes, such as El Niño) as it affects vegetation carbon fixation is unknown (Holmgren et al, 2001;Birks and Edwards, 2009;Sjostrom and Welker, 2009). We continue to recognize that tree rings may be recorders of the general isotopic history of source water (Briffa, 2000;Csank et al, 2011) regardless of geologic time period. However, understanding the extent to which these moisture sources and climate phases are recorded and how plant physiology alters the source water signal in the long-term growth record of trees is one of the great challenges today.…”

Section: Tracing Climate Phase Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress and challenges in using stable isotopes to trace plant carbon and water relations across scales

et al. 2012

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Abstract. Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool for assessing plant carbon and water relations and their impact on biogeochemical processes at different scales. Our processbased understanding of stable isotope signals, as well as technological developments, has progressed significantly, opening new frontiers in ecological and interdisciplinary research. This has promoted the broad utilisation of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen isotope applications to gain insight into plant carbon and water cycling and their interaction with the atmosphere and pedosphere. Here, we highlight specific areas of recent progress and new research challenges in plant carbon and water relations, using selected examples covering scales from the leaf to the regional scale. Further, we discuss strengths and limitations of recent technological Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. C. Werner et al.: Progress and challenges in using stable isotopesdevelopments and approaches and highlight new opportunities arising from unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution of stable isotope measurements.

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Climate variability in the Early Pliocene Arctic: Annually resolved evidence from stable isotope values of sub-fossil wood, Ellesmere Island, Canada

Cited by 54 publications

References 67 publications

Ice sheet model dependency of the simulated Greenland Ice Sheet in the mid-Pliocene

Ice sheet model dependency of the simulated Greenland Ice Sheet in the mid-Pliocene

Floral Dissimilarity and the Influence of Climate in the Pliocene High Arctic: Biotic and Abiotic Influences on Five Sites on the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Progress and challenges in using stable isotopes to trace plant carbon and water relations across scales

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