ORCID
- Roberts, Neil: 0000-0002-9379-1598
Abstract
The early Holocene cooling, which occurred around 8200 calendar years before present, was a prominent abrupt event around the north Atlantic region. Here, we investigate the timing, duration, magnitude and regional coherence of the event as expressed in carbonate oxygen-isotope records from three lakes on northwest Europe's Atlantic margin in western Ireland, namely Loch Avolla, Loch Gealáin and Lough Corrib. An abrupt negative oxygen-isotope excursion lasted about 200 years. Comparison of records from three sites suggests that the excursion was primarily the result of a reduction of the oxygen-isotope values of precipitation, which was likely caused by lowered air temperatures, possibly coupled with a change in atmospheric circulation. Comparison of records from two of the lakes (Loch Avolla and Loch Gealáin), which have differing bathymetries, further suggests a reduction in evaporative loss of lake water during the cooling episode. Comparison of climate model experiments with lake-sediment isotope data indicates that effective moisture may have increased along this part of the northeast Atlantic seaboard during the 8200-year climatic event, as lower evaporation compensated for reduced precipitation.
DOI
10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.06.027
Publication Date
2016-01-01
Publication Title
Quaternary Science Reviews
Volume
131
ISSN
0277-3791
Embargo Period
2017-01-01
Organisational Unit
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Keywords
8200-year event, Early Holocene, Ireland, Isotope-enabled GCM, Oxygen-isotopes
First Page
341
Last Page
349
Recommended Citation
Holmes, J. A., Tindall, J., Roberts, N., Marshall, W., Marshall, J., Bingham, A., Feeser, I., O'Connell, M., Atkinson, T., Jourdan, A., March, A., & Fisher, E. (2016) 'Lake isotope records of the 8200-year cooling event in western Ireland: Comparison with model simulations', Quaternary Science Reviews, 131, pp. 341-349. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.06.027
