Modelling the Last Glacial Maximum and Abrupt Climate Changes during the Last Glacial-Interglacial Cycle

Abstract

The climate during the last glacial-interglacial cycle exhibits distinct climate states and variability in various time scales with different spatial characteristics. In this dissertation work, our first scientific focus is to clarify the mechanistic effects of a higher Northern Hemisphere ice sheet on large-scale North Atlantic Ocean surface circulation and Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during glacial climate periods. The second part of our work is targeted at the explanation of the difference of abrupt decadal climate changes during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. In addition, we employ a regional high-resolution ocean model for further understanding of the hydrographic process of the surface Nordic Seas during the Last Glacial Maximum, which has been reconstructed to be in different conditions by proxies in the CLIMAP (the Climate Long-Range Investigation, Mapping and Prediction) and GLAMAP (the Glacial Atlantic Ocean Mapping) projects.