Past perspectives on the present era of abrupt Arctic climate change

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelfagfællebedømt

Abrupt climate change is a striking feature of many climate records, particularly the warming events in Greenland ice cores. These abrupt and high-amplitude events were tightly coupled to rapid sea-ice retreat in the North Atlantic and Nordic Seas, and observational evidence shows they had global repercussions. In the present-day Arctic, sea-ice loss is also key to ongoing warming. This Perspective uses observations and climate models to place contemporary Arctic change into the context of past abrupt Greenland warmings. We find that warming rates similar to or higher than modern trends have only occurred during past abrupt glacial episodes. We argue that the Arctic is currently experiencing an abrupt climate change event, and that climate models underestimate this ongoing warming.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftNature climate change
Vol/bind10
Udgave nummer8
Sider (fra-til)714-721
Antal sider8
ISSN1758-678X
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 1 aug. 2020

ID: 246868433