Mechanisms of abrupt climate change of the last glacial period

摘要: [1] More than a decade ago, ice core records from Greenland revealed that the last glacial period was characterized by abrupt climate changes recurred on millennial time scales. Since their discovery, there has been large effort to determine whether these events were global phenomenon or just confined North Atlantic region and also reveal mechanisms responsible for them. In this paper, we review available paleoclimate observations of change during in order place constraints possible mechanisms. Three different are then reviewed: ocean thermohaline circulation, sea feedbacks, tropical processes. Each mechanism is tested its ability explain key features observations, particularly with regard abruptness, recurrence, geographical extent observed changes. It found each explanatory strengths weaknesses, areas which progress could be made improving understanding long-term behavior, both observational modeling approaches, suggested. Finally, it proposed complete requires inclusion processes at low high latitudes, as well potential feedbacks between Some suggestions experimental approaches test such coupled models given.