Oxygen-isotope analyses and Pleistocene ice volumes

Auteurs :
MIX, A. C.
RUDDIMAN, W. F.

Description :
The oxygen-isotope record from fossil foraminifera in deep-sea sediments is commonly used as a proxy for global ice volume. The linkage between O and ice volume, however, is probably nonlinear. The AA. have developed a simple numerical model of the isotopic response of the oceans to ice-volume change. They illustrate the response of their model to simple hypothetical ice-volume transitions of ice growth and ice decay. Sensitivity tests are illustrated for all model parameters. The results suggest that oxygen-isotope records reproduce the general patterns on ice-volume change fairly accurately. The foraminiferal isotope record, however, may misrepresent the true amplitude of the ice-volume signal and lag true ice volume by 1000 to 3000 yr.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Quaternary research New York, 1984, vol. 21, n°. 1, p. 1-20, Références bibliographiques : 80 réf.

Date :
1984