Do blue-ice moraines in the Heritage Range show the West Antarctic ice sheet survived the last interglacial?

C.J. Fogwill; A.S. Hein; D.E. Sugden; M.J. Bentley

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.01.027

Do blue-ice moraines in the Heritage Range show the West Antarctic ice sheet survived the last interglacial?

C.J. Fogwill, A.S. Hein, D.E. Sugden, M.J. Bentley

School of Geosciences

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

Abstract / Description of output

We present a hypothesis that best explains cosmogenic isotope data on blue-ice moraines in the Heritage Range, West Antarctica. The age of the moraines implies that they, and the related ice-sheet surface with which they are associated, have persisted on the flanks of nunataks throughout at least the last interglacial/glacial cycle. The implication is that although the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) may have fluctuated in thickness during glacial cycles, the central dome has remained intact for at least 200 kyr and possibly even for 400 kyr. Such a finding, if substantiated, would contribute to our understanding of the sensitivity of the WAIS to climate change. Further it would be a powerful geomorphic constraint on models of the past behaviour of the ice sheet during glacial cycles and thus those predicting the future of the ice sheet in a warming world.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	61-70
Number of pages	10
Journal	Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
Volume	335-336
Early online date	4 Feb 2011
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.01.027
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2012

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10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.01.027

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@article{ad3ed539e6974f4290f6c09dfa23d735,

title = "Do blue-ice moraines in the Heritage Range show the West Antarctic ice sheet survived the last interglacial?",

abstract = "We present a hypothesis that best explains cosmogenic isotope data on blue-ice moraines in the Heritage Range, West Antarctica. The age of the moraines implies that they, and the related ice-sheet surface with which they are associated, have persisted on the flanks of nunataks throughout at least the last interglacial/glacial cycle. The implication is that although the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) may have fluctuated in thickness during glacial cycles, the central dome has remained intact for at least 200 kyr and possibly even for 400 kyr. Such a finding, if substantiated, would contribute to our understanding of the sensitivity of the WAIS to climate change. Further it would be a powerful geomorphic constraint on models of the past behaviour of the ice sheet during glacial cycles and thus those predicting the future of the ice sheet in a warming world.",

author = "C.J. Fogwill and A.S. Hein and D.E. Sugden and M.J. Bentley",

year = "2012",

month = jun,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.01.027",

language = "English",

volume = "335-336",

pages = "61--70",

journal = "Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology",