Atmospheric circulation over Europe during the Younger Dryas

Brice Rea* (Corresponding Author), Roger Braithwaite, Matteo Spagnolo, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Hans Renssen, Ramon Pellitero, Philip Hughes, Adriano Ribolini, Sven Lukas

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

60 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

The Younger Dryas (YD) was a period of rapid climate cooling that occurred at the end of the last glaciation. Here, we present the first palaeoglacier-derived reconstruction of YD precipitation across Europe, determined from 122 reconstructed glaciers and proxy atmospheric temperatures. Positive precipitation anomalies (YD versus modern) are found along much of the western seaboard of Europe and across the Mediterranean. Negative precipitation anomalies occur over the Fennoscandian ice sheet, the North European Plain, and as far south as the Alps. This is consistent with a more southerly and zonal storm track, which is linked to a concomitant southern location of the Polar Frontal Jet Stream, generating cold air outbreaks and enhanced cyclogenesis, especially over the eastern Mediterranean. This atmospheric configuration resembles the modern Scandinavian (SCAND) circulation over Europe (a blocking high pressure over Scandinavia pushing storm tracks south and east), and by analogy, a seasonally varying palaeoprecipitation pattern is interpreted.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbereaba4844
Number of pages14
JournalScience Advances
Volume6
Issue number50
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Dec 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We would like to acknowledge all the efforts of the many scientists who mapped, dated, and published the details of the palaeoglaciers used in this research. Without the researchers? efforts, this paper would not have been possible. V. Duci? is thanked for providing modern climate data for Montenegro. E. Armstrong is thanked for assistance in helping obtain outputs from modeling work. Thanks to the editor and two anonymous referees who helped to improve the paper significantly. Funding: This research has been supported by the Leverhulme Trust International Network Grant IN-2012-140.

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2020 The Authors,

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