Antarctic Peninsula Climate Variability: Historical and Paleoenvironmental Perspectives

256 Pages·2003·10.747 MB·English

ANTARCTIC
AmericanG eophysicaUl nion RESEARCH
SERIES
Antarctic Research Series Volumes 28 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasV III D. L. Pawson,
L. S. Korniker (Eds.)
29 Upper AtmosphereR esearchi n Antarctica L.J.
1 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasI Milton O. Lee
Lanzerotti,C . G Park (Eds.)
30 Terrestrial BiologyI I B. Parker (Ed.)
2 Antarctic Snow and lce StudiesM . Mellor (Ed.)
31 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasI X L. S. Kornicker
3 PolychaetaE rrantia of Antarctica O. Hartman
((cid:127)a.)
32 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasX L. S. Kornicker
4 Geomagnetisma nd Aeronomy A. H. Waynick
((cid:127)a.)
33 Dry ValleyD rilling Project L. D. McGinnis( Ed.)
5 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasI I GA. Llano (Ed.)
34 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasX i L. S. Korniker
6 Geologya nd Paleontologyo f the Antarctic J. B.
Hadley (Ed.)
35 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasX II D. Pawson
7 PolychaetaM yzostomidaea nd Sedentariao f
Antarctica O. Hartman (Ed.)
36 Geologyo f the Central Transantarctic
8 Antarctic Soils and Soil Forming Processes (cid:127).
Mountains M.D. TurnerJ, . E Splettstoesse(Er ds.)
C. E Tedrow( Ed.)
37 Terrestrial Biologyi I1 B. Parker (Ed.)
9 Studiesi n Antarctic Meteorology M. J. Rubin
38 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasX lII [crinoids,
hydrozoa,c opepodsa, mphipodal L. S. Korniker
10 Entomologyo f Antarctica J. L. Gressit( Ed.)
11 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasI ll GA. Llano, W.
39 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasX IV L. S.
L. Schmitt( Eds.)
Kornicker( Ed.)
12 Antarctic Bird StudiesO . L. Austin,d r. (Ed.)
40 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasK V L. S. Korniker
13 Antarctic Ascidiacea P. Kon (Ed.)
14 Antarctic Cirripedia W.A . Newman,A . Ross
41 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasX VI L. S. Korniker
15 Antarctic OceanologyI L. Reid (Ed.)
42 The RossI ce Shelf: Glaciology and Geophysics
16 Antarctic Snow and Ice StudiesI I A. P Crary
C. R. BentleyD, . E. Hayes (Eds.)
43 Oceanologyo f the Antarctic ContinentalS helf S.
17 Biologyo f the AntarcticS easI V GA. Llano,I .
Jacobs( Ed.)
E. Wallen( Eds.)
44 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasK Vii [benthics ati-
18 Antarctic Pinnipedia W.H . Butt (Ed.)
afion, brittle star feeding,p elagics hrimps,
19 Antarctic OceanologyI I: The Australian-New marine birdsl L. S. Korniker (Ed.)
Zealand Sector D. E. Hayes (Ed.)
45 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasK VIII, Crustacea
20 Antarctic Terrestrial Biology GA. Llano (Ed.) Tanaidacea of the Antarctic and the
21 Recent Antarctic and SubantarcticB rachiopods Subantarctic 1. On Material Collected at Tierra
M. W.F oster (Ed.) del Fuego,I sla de los Estados,a nd the West
22 Human Adaptability to Antarctic ConditionsE . Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula L. S. Korniker
K. Eric Gunderson( Ed.)
23 Biology of the Antarctic SeasV D. L. Pawson 46 GeologicalI nvestigationsi n Northern Victoria
Land E. Stump( Ed.)
24 Birds of the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic G E. 47 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasX iX [copepods,
Watson(E d.) teleostsl L. S. Korniker (Ed.)
25 MeteorologicalS tudiesa t Plateau Station, 48 Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern
Antarctica J. Businger( Ed.) Oceans W.E . LeMasurierd, . W. Thomson(E ds.)
26 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasV I D. L. Pawson 49 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasX X, Antarctic
SiphonophoresF rom Plankton Sampleso f the
27 Biologyo f the Antarctic SeasV II D. L. Pawson United StatesA ntarctic Research Program L. S.
Kornicker (Ed.)
50 Contributions to Antarctic Research I D. H. 66 Volcanologicala nd Environmental Studies of
Elliot (Ed.) Mt. Erebus P R. Kyle (Ed.)
51 Mineral Resources Potential of Antarctica (cid:127) E 67 Contributions to Antarctic Research IV D. H.
SplettstoesseGr,A . M. Dreschhoff( Eds.) Elliot, G L. Blaisdell (Eds.)
52 Biology of the Antarctic SeasX XI lannelids, 68 Geologya nd SeismicS tratigraphy of the
mites, leechesl L. S. Korniker (Ed.) Antarctic Margin A. K. Cooper,P E Barker, G
53 Contributions to Antarctic Research I1 D. H. Brancolini (Eds.)
Elliot (Ed.) 69 Biology of the Antarctic SeasX XIV, Antarctic
54 Marine Geologicala nd GeophysicalA tlas of the and Subantarctic Pycnogonida:N ymphonidae,
Circum-Antarcfic to 30ES D. E. Hayes (Ed.) ColossendeidaeR, hynchothoraxida,
55 Molluscan Systematicsa nd Biostratigraphy Pycnogonidae,P hoxichilidiidae, Endeididae,
Lower Tertiary La Meseta Formation, Seymour and Callipallenidae S. D. Cairns (Ed.)
Island, Antarctic Peninsula (cid:127) D. Stilwell, W.J. 70 Foundations for Ecological Research West of the
Zinsmeister Antarctic Peninsula R. M. Ross,E . E. Holmann,
56 The Antarctic PaleoenvironmentA: Perspective L. B. Quetin (Eds.)
on Global Change, Part One (cid:127) R Kennett,D . ,4. 71 Geology and SeismicS tratigraphy of the
Warnk e (Eds.) Antarctic Margin, Part 2 P E Barker,A . K.
57 Contributions to Antarctic Research Ill D. H. Cooper( Eds.)
Elliot (Ed.) 72 EcosystemD ynamics in a Polar Desert: The
58 Biology of the Antarctic SeasX XII S. D. Cairns McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica John C.
Priscu (Ed)
59 Physical and BiogeochemicalP rocessesin 73 Antarctic Sea Ice: Biological Processes,
Antarctic Lakes W.J. Green, E. L Friedmann Interactions and Variability Michael P Lizotte,
Kevin R. Arrigo (Eds.)
60 The Antarctic Paleoenvironment:A Perspective 74 Antarctic Sea Ice: Physical Processes,
on Global Change, Part Two J. P Kennett,D . A. Interactions and Variability Martin O. Jeffries
Warnke( Eds.) ((cid:127)a.)
61 Antarctic Meteorology and Climatology: Studies 75 Ocean, lce and Atmosphere: Interactions at the
Based on Automatic Weather Stations D. H. Continental Margin StanleyS . Jacobs,R ay E
Bromwich,C . R. Steams( Eds.) Weiss( Eds.)
62 Ultraviolet Radiation in Antarctica: 76 Paleobiologya nd Paleoenvironmentso f Eocene
Measurementsa nd BiologicalE ffects C.S. Rocks, McMurdo Sound,E ast Antarctica Jeffrey
WeilerP, A. Penhale (Eds.) D. Stilwell,R odneyM . Feldmann( Eds.)
63 Biology of the Antarctic SeasX XIV, Antarctic 77 The West Antarctic Ice Sheet: Behavior and
and Subantarctic Pycnogonida:A mmotheidae Environment RichardB . Alley and RobertA .
and Austrodecidae S. D. Cairns (Ed.) Bi ndschadler(E ds.)
64 Atmospheric Halos W. Tape 78 Biogeochemistryo f the Ross Sea GiacomoR .
65 Fossil Scleractinian Corals From James Ross DiTullio and RobertB . Dunbar(Eds.)
Basin, Antarctica H. E Filkorn
ANTARCTIC
Volume 7.9 RESEARCH
SERIES
AntarcticP eninsulaC limateV ariability
Historical and PaleoenvironmentaPl erspectives
EugeneD omack,A my Leventer,A dam Burnett,R obertB indschadler,
PeterC onvey,a nd Matthew Kirby
Editors
AmericaGne ophysiUcnali on
WashingtonD, .C.
2003
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA CLIMATE VARIABILITY: HISTORICAL AND PALEOENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVES
EugeneD omack,A my Leventer,A dam Burnett,R obertB indschadlerP, eterC onvey,a ndM atthew Kirby, Editors
Publishedu ndert he aegiso f the Board of AssociateD irectors,A ntarcticR esearchS eries
Library of CongressC ataloging-in-Publication Data
AntarcticP eninsulac limatev ariability:historical andp aleoenvironmentaple rspectives/
EugeneD omack... [et al.], editors.
p. cm.- (Antarcticr esearchs eries; v. 79)
Includesb ibliographicarle ferences.
ISBN 0-87590-973-6
1. AntarcticP eninsula( Antarctica)--Climate.2 . Climate changes--Antarctica--Antarctic
Peninsula.3 . Glaciers--Antarctica--AntarcticP eninsula.I . Domack, Eugene,1 956- II. Series.
QC994.9.A59 2003
551.69989--dc22
2003060053
ISBN 0-87590-973-6
ISSN 0066-4634
Front cover: View from the bridgew ing of the R VIB NathanielB . Palmer lookings outhwesat crossB orkowskiB ay towardst he
Nordensk61dC oasta nd the Drygalski Glacier.B orkowskiB ay is the area formerly coveredb y the LarsenA Ice Shelf. Imaged
May 19, 2000. ¸2000 Dave Tewksbury
Back cover: False color compositeo f LANDSAT 7 image acquiredF ebruary2 000 usingb ands2 ,3 & 5.
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CONTENTS
Preface
Eugene I/ED omack ix
Introduction
EnvironmentalS ettingo f the Antarctic Peninsula
Eugenel IED. omack,A damB urnett,a nd Amy Leventer
Meteorological Record and Modeling Results 15
AntarcticP eninsulaC limateV ariabilitya ndi ts Causesa sR evealedb y Analysiso f InstrumentaRl ecords
d.C. King, d. Turner,G d. Marshall, lIEM. . Cormally,a nd T. A. Lachlan-Cope 17
Regionala ndL arge-ScaleIn fluenceso nA ntarcticP eninsulaC limate
Ian Simmonds 31
Responsoe f WintertimeA ntarcticT emperaturetso theA ntarcticO scillation:
Resultso f a RegionalC limateM odel
Michiel R. Vand en Broekea nd Nicole P M. van Lipzig 43
Glacio!ogical Climate Relationships 59
Spatiala ndT emporaVl ariationo f SurfaceT emperaturoe n theA ntarcticP eninsula
and the Limit of Variability of Ice Shelves
Elizabeth M. Morris and David G. Vaughan 61
ImpactA ssessmenotf RegionaCl limaticW armingo n Glaciersa ndI ce Shelveso f theN ortheasterAnn tarctic
Peninsula
Pedro Skvarcaa nd Hern(cid:127)n De Angelis 69
Climate-InducedIc e Shelf Disintegrationin the AntarcticP eninsula
Ted Scambos, Christina Hulbe, and Mark Fahnestock 79
Terrestrial Archives of Paleoenvironmetal Change 93
The Late Pleistocenea nd HoloceneG lacial and Climate History of the AntarcticP eninsulaR egion
as Documentedb y the Land and Lake SedimentR ecords--A Review
ChristiaHnj ort,6 (cid:127)lafuIrn. gOl(cid:127)sonM, ichaedl .B entleya,n dS vantBe j6rck 95
An Overview of the Late Pleistocene Glaciation in the South Shetland Islands
Brenda L. Hall 103
Ice Core Paleoclimate Histories from the Antarctic Peninsula: Where Do We Go From Here?
Ellen Mosley-Thompsoann d Lonnie G Thompson 115
Ecologic Responses 129
PalmerL ong-TermE cologicalR esearcho n the AntarcticM arine Ecosystem
RaymondC . Smith,W illiamR . Fraser,S haronE . Stammerjohna,n d Maria Vernet 131
MaritimeA ntarcticP eninsulaC limateC hange:S ignalsf rom TerrestriaBl iology
Peter Convey 145
EcologicalR esponseosf MaritimeA ntarcticL akest o RegionalC limateC hange
WendyC . Quayle,P eter ConveyL, loyd S. Peck, Cynand . Ellis-Evans,H elen G. Butler,a nd Helen J. Peat 159
Late HoloceneP enguinO ccupationa nd Diet at King GeorgeI sland,A ntarcticP eninsula
Steven D. Emslie, Peter Ritchie, and David Lambert 171
Marine Geological Records 181
RetreatH istoryo f the Gerlache-BoydIc e Stream,N orthernA ntarcticP eninsulaA: n Ultra-High Resolution
AcousticS tudyo f the Deglaciala nd Post-GlacialS edimentD rape
VeronicaM . Willmott,M iquel Canals,a nd Jos(cid:127) L. Casamor 183
DeglacialH istory of the GreenpeaceT rough:I ce Sheett o Ice Shelf Transition
in the Northwestern Weddell Sea
Robert Gilbert,E ugeneW .D omack,a ndA ngeloC amerlenghi 195
Marine SedimentaryR ecordo f Natural EnvironmentaVl ariability
and RecentW armingi n the AntarcticP eninsula
Eugene W.D omack,A my LeventerS, tephanieR oot,J im Ring, Eric Williams,D avid Carlson,
Emily Hirshorn, William Wright,R obert Gilbert, and GeorgeB urr 205
Originsa ndP aleoceanographSicig nificanceo f LayeredD iatom Ooze Intervalf rom
Bransfield Strait in the Northern Antarctic Peninsula around 2500 Yrs. BP
Ho I. YoonB, yong-KwonP ark, YeadongK im, CheonY .K ang, and Sung-HoK ang 225
ForaminiferaDl istributionsin the FormerL arsen-AI ce Shelf andP rinceG ustavC hannelR egion,
EasternA ntarcticP eninsulaM argin:A Baselinef or HoloceneP aleoenvironmentCalh ange
ScottE . Ishmana nd Phillip Szymcek 239
PREFACE
The AntarcticP eninsular egionr epresentso ur bestn at- and the uniquec apabilitieso f the Long-TermE cological
ural laboratoryt o investigateh ow earth'sm ajor climate Researchp rogram,n ow into its secondd ecadeo f obser-
systemsi nteracta nd how suchs ystemsr espondt o rapid vations and summaryw ithin the westernp ortion of the
regionalw arming. The scale of environmentacl hanges AntarcticP eninsula.F rom this temporalp erspectivew e
now takingp lacea crossth e regioni s largea ndt heir pace integrateo ceanographiacn d glaciologicals tudiesw ithin
rapid but the subsystemisn volveda re still small enough the regiona nd authorsm ake recommendationfso r future
to observe and accuratelyd ocument cause and affect collaborativer esearcht hat is urgentlyn eeded.
mechanismsF. or example,c larificationo f ice shelf sta- Many papersp resentedin this volume derive from the
bility via the LarsenI ce Shelf is vital to understandintgh e work discusseda t an internationalw orkshop held at
entire Antarctic Ice Sheet, its climate evolution, and its Hamilton Collegei n April 2002 (http://academics.hamil-
responseto andc ontrolo f seal evel.B y encompassintgh e ton.edu/workshops/antarcticab/u),t the designa nd orga-
broadestr ange of interdisciplinarys tudies,t his volume nization of the volume are by necessityo f spaces ome-
provides the global change research and educational what more limited than the workshop agenda.A s the
communities a framework in which to advance our Antarctic Peninsulaw orking group informally plans to
knowledgeo f the causesb ehind regionalw arming, the reconvenee very other year, this volume will also serve
dramaticg laciala nd ecologicalr esponsesa,n d the poten- as a guidepostt oward theses ubsequenst ymposia.
tial uniquenesso f the event within the region'sp aleocli- The editors wish to thank the numerous reviewers who
mate record. The volume also serves as a vital resource handledm anuscriptsin a timely and constructivem an-
for public policy and governmentaflu ndinga genciesa s ner. We also wish to acknowledgeth e generouss upport
well as a means to educatet he large number of eco- of the Environmental Studies Program at Hamilton
touristst hat visit the regione acha ustrals ummer. College, the National Science Foundation'sO ffice of
The content is internationali n scope with chapters Polar Programs( including programsi n ocean/climate,
contributedb y authorsf rom elevenc ountries.T he orga- geology/geophysics,b iology, and glaciology), and
nization of the volume follows the order of temporal Colgate University for supporto f this endeavor.T he
databasesf rom historical meteorological observations volumew ould not have beenp ossiblew ithout the gener-
and modelings tudies,t hroughe xpandingt ime scaleso f ous and timely contributionso f all authorsa nd for the
paleoenvironmentala rchives of ice cores, lake, and high level of scholarshipe xhibitedw ithin eachc hapter.
marine sediments equencesA. lso providedi s documen-
tation of the ecologicale ffectso f rapid regionalw arming EugeneW . Domack
List of Reviewers
John Anderson Sharon Kanfoush
Tony Amo!d Matthew Kirby
Glenn Berger Carina Lange
Dana Bergstrom Amy Leventer
Bob Bindschad!er Andreas MacKensen
Stefanie Brachfeld Diane McKnight
RaymondB radley Andrew McMinn
Dave Bromwich Julie Palais
Bill Budd David Peel
Adam Burnett Paul Pettre
Angelo Camer!enghi Jennifer Pike
Andrew Carleton Leonid Polyak
Andrew Clarke Marie Poole
William Connolley Carol Pudsey
Peter Convey Marilyn Raphael
Sarah Das Tony Rathbum
Tad Day Eric Rignot
David DeMaster Ted Scambos
Marianne Douglas Reed Scherer
Steve Emslie Peter Sedwick
JaneF errigno Geoffrey Seltzer
Robert Gilbert Amelia Shevenell
Brenda Hall StephanieS hipp
ChristianH jort Ellen Mosley-Thompson
TerenceH ughes RossV irginia
Stan Jacobs Andrew Watkins
Anne Jennings Richard Williams
Philip Jones Jan-Gunnar Winther
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA CLIMATE VARIABILITY
ANTARCTIC RESEARCH SERIES VOLUME 79, PAGES 1-13
ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING OF THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA
EugeneW . Domack
Department of Geology,H amilton College Clinton New York
Adam Burnett and Amy Leventer
Departmento f Geographya nd Geology,C olgateU niversityH, amiltonN ew York
"One of the warnings ignst hat a dangerousw armingt rendi s underw ay in Antarcticaw ill be the breakupo f ice
shelveso n bothc oastso f theA ntarcticP eninsula,s tartingw ith the northernmosat nd extendingg radually
southward. "J. H. Mercer, 1978.
Perhapsn owhere on the surfaceo f the earth have environmentalc hangest aken place
with such rapidity and capturedt he interesto f such a diverse communityt han those
observeda crosst he Antarctic Peninsulai n the last 10 years. Wholesale decay of ice
shelves,l ong consideredto be the harbingero f climate warming,h as spurredi nteresti n
our attemptst o understandth e interactiono f earths ystemso n historicalt o millennial time
scales.B ecauses uchc hangesi n the cryospherea lso impactr egionale cosystemsth e bio-
logical communityh as also becomed eeply involved in the climate debate.W hile envi-
ronmentalc hangesn ow taking place acrosst he AntarcticP eninsulaa re historicallyw ell
documentedb y a diverses et of meteorologicaal nd remotes ensingd ata, considerablyle ss
is known concerningth e behavioro f the atmosphere-ocean-cryosphesryes temd uringt he
past 10,000y ears( the interglaciaHl oloceneE poch).T he first purposeo f this volumei s to
integrateo ur presentu nderstandinogf currentm eteorologicatlr endsa nd comparet hemt o
recordso f paste nvironmentacl hangeT. he hopei s that sucha comparisonw ill stimulate
future studiest hat are directed at decipheringt he key forcing mechanismso perating
acrosst he AntarcticP eninsulas o that naturals ignalsc an be understoodw ithin the context
of potentiala nthropogenicch angesT. he secondk ey objectiveo f the volumei s to help fur-
ther our understandinogf how the paleoenvironmentaalr chivesa re interpreteda nd what
archivesn eedt o be acquired.C learlyp rogressto wardb oth goalsm ustb e achievedt ogeth-
er. We also hopet hat the volume will servea s a usefulr eferencef or studentsa nd senior
investigators.
GEOLOGIC AND GEOMORPHOLOGIC landmass(u p to 3500 m) thatp rojectsf rom the main con-
BACKGROUND tinent some 1250-km to the north. This physiography
extendsA ntarctica'sg lacial carapacei nto sub polar cli-
The Antarctic Peninsula( AP) region encompasseas mates while subjectingi t to contrastingo ceanographic
contrastingp hysiologic,g eologic,a nd glaciologict errain and meteorologicacl onditionsa crossa n eastt o west gra-
that is similar to the southern cordillera of the Andes. The dient (Figures1 and 2), [seea lsoB AS, 2000]. Before the
AP consistso f a narrow (less than 250 km), elevated final break up of Gondwanaland,t he southernA ndean
Copyright2 003 by the AmericanG eophysicaUl nion