Sensitivity of the Late Saalian (140 kyrs BP) and LGM (21 kyrs BP) Eurasian ice sheet surface mass balance to vegetation feedbacks

• This work uses an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) asynchronously coupled to an equilibrium vegetation model to investigate whether vegetation feedbacks could be one of the reasons why the Late Saalian ice sheet (140 kyrs BP) in Eurasia was substantially larger than the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 21 kyrs BP) Eurasian ice sheet. The modeled vegetation changes induce a regional cooling for the Late Saalian while they cause a slight regional warming for LGM. As a result, ablation along the margins of the Late Saalian ice sheet is significantly reduced, leading to an increased surface mass balance, while there are no significant mass balance changes observed from vegetation feedbacks at LGM.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Klimatforskning (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Climate Research (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

vegetation modeling

Late Saalian

Quaternary

climate

ice sheet

surface mass balance

Climatology

Klimatologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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