Article
Geography, Physical
Adriano Ribolini, Matteo Spagnolo, Andrew J. Cyr, Paolo Roberto Federici
Summary: This study investigates the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the early retreat glacial phases in the Stura Valley of the Maritime Alps through the combination of geomorphologic surveys, glacial modelling, and 10Be exposure ages of boulders on moraines. The research reveals a consistent glacial response in the Maritime Alps to climatic forcing, with minimal variation in the mass balance of glaciers. The study also confirms the synchronicity of LGM recessional standstills or readvances in the Southern Alps.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sarah Kamleitner, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Giovanni Monegato, Franco Gianotti, Naki Akcar, Christof Vockenhuber, Marcus Christl, Hans-Arno Synal
Summary: We present a new glacier chronology of the Ticino-Toce glacier in the Southern Alps, reconstructing the timing and extent of its Last Glacial Maximum advance with detailed landform relationships and surface exposure dating. The study reveals that the glacier remained relatively stable with only minor oscillations over a period of approximately 5000 years, and the Verbano piedmont lobe was larger than previously thought. Additionally, the research suggests synchronized glacier advances across the Western Alps, except for the southwestern massifs.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Qiang Wei, Yonggang Liu, Qing Yan, Tandong Yao, Miao Wang, Han Huang, Yongyun Hu
Summary: The growth of glaciers affects the local climate system and can either promote or prohibit further glacier growth. This feedback mechanism has not been included in previous glacier modeling studies of the Tibetan Plateau and its surroundings during the Last Glacial Maximum. However, this study found that when considering the feedback, the simulated volume and area of the glaciers were 20% and 10% less, respectively, compared to a standalone glacier model. The expansion of glaciers also led to changes in spatial patterns, improved model-data comparison, and had significant impacts on the winter surface temperature and precipitation distribution in the region.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
P. Moreno, E. Fercovic, R. L. Soteres, P. Ugalde, E. A. Sagredo, R. P. Villa-Martinez
Summary: This study investigates the evolution of glaciers, terrestrial ecosystems, and climate in northwestern Patagonia based on glacial sediments, landform assemblages, and palynological data from the Chilotan archipelago. The research finds that during the Last Glacial Termination, the glaciers retreated due to deglacial warming, leading to changes in vegetation from cold-tolerant trees to arboreal dominance. Subsequent glacier stabilization and worsening climate conditions resulted in the deposition of more glacial sediments. Furthermore, the study reveals the impact of climate change on vegetation types and fire activity.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Liang Liu, Hongjie Zhang, Wei Zhang, Le Chai
Summary: This study reconstructs the age and glacial activity of Mount Taibai during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The results indicate a significant decrease in glacial coverage and equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) during the LGM, as well as a reduction in precipitation compared to the present. Temperature decrease is identified as the primary driver of glacial formation during the LGM on Mount Taibai.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Alice M. Doughty, Meredith A. Kelly, James M. Russell, Margaret S. Jackson, Brian M. Anderson, Jonathan Chipman, Bob R. Nakileza
Summary: The magnitude of tropical cooling during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is still debated, with sea-surface temperatures cooling less than temperatures reconstructed at high elevations. Some studies proposed a steeper lapse rate during the LGM, which means that temperature decreased more with elevation. Using temperature and precipitation estimates, this study simulated LGM glacier extents in the Rwenzori Mountains and found that a steeper lapse rate was necessary for glaciers to reach their LGM positions.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cosimo Posth, He Yu, Ayshin Ghalichi, Helene Rougier, Isabelle Crevecoeur, Yilei Huang, Harald Ringbauer, Adam B. Rohrlach, Kathrin Nagele, Vanessa Villalba-Mouco, Rita Radzeviciute, Tiago Ferraz, Alexander Stoessel, Rezeda Tukhbatova, Dorothee G. Drucker, Martina Lari, Alessandra Modi, Stefania Vai, Tina Saupe, Christiana L. Scheib, Giulio Catalano, Luca Pagani, Sahra Talamo, Helen Fewlass, Laurent Klaric, Andre Morala, Mathieu Rue, Stephane Madelaine, Laurent Crepin, Jean-Baptiste Caverne, Emmy Bocaege, Stefano Ricci, Francesco Boschin, Priscilla Bayle, Bruno Maureille, Foni Le Brun-Ricalens, Jean-Guillaume Bordes, Gregorio Oxilia, Eugenio Bortolini, Olivier Bignon-Lau, Gregory Debout, Michel Orliac, Antoine Zazzo, Vitale Sparacello, Elisabetta Starnini, Luca Sineo, Johannes van der Plicht, Laure Pecqueur, Gildas Merceron, Geraldine Garcia, Jean-Michel Leuvrey, Coralie Bay Garcia, Asier Gomez-Olivencia, Marta Poltowicz-Bobak, Dariusz Bobak, Mona Le Luyer, Paul Storm, Claudia Hoffmann, Jacek Kabacinski, Tatiana Filimonova, Svetlana Shnaider, Natalia Berezina, Borja Gonzalez-Rabanal, Manuel Gonzalez R. Morales, Ana B. Marin-Arroyo, Belen Lopez, Carmen Alonso-Llamazares, Annamaria Ronchitelli, Caroline Polet, Ivan Jadin, Nicolas Cauwe, Joaquim Soler, Neus Coromina, Isaac Rufi, Richard Cottiaux, Geoffrey Clark, Lawrence G. Straus, Marie-Anne Julien, Silvia Renhart, Dorothea Talaa, Stefano Benazzi, Matteo Romandini, Luc Amkreutz, Herve Bocherens, Christoph Wissing, Sebastien Villotte, Javier Fernandez-Lopez de Pablo, Magdalena Gomez-Puche, Marco Aurelio Esquembre-Bebia, Pierre Bodu, Liesbeth Smits, Benedicte Souffi, Rimantas Jankauskas, Justina Kozakaite, Christophe Cupillard, Hartmut Benthien, Kurt Wehrberger, Ralf W. Schmitz, Susanne C. Feine, Tim Schueler, Corinne Thevenet, Dan Grigorescu, Friedrich Lueth, Andreas Kotula, Henny Piezonka, Franz Schopper, Jiri Svoboda, Sandra Sazelova, Andrey Chizhevsky, Aleksandr Khokhlov, Nicholas J. Conard, Frederique Valentin, Katerina Harvati, Patrick Semal, Bettina Jungklaus, Alexander Suvorov, Rick Schulting, Vyacheslav Moiseyev, Kristiina Mannermaa, Alexandra Buzhilova, Thomas Terberger, David Caramelli, Eveline Altena, Wolfgang Haak, Johannes Krause
Summary: By analyzing ancient hunter-gatherer genomes from western and central Eurasia, this study uncovers genetic changes and migrations during the human colonization of Europe. The Last Glacial Maximum led to population replacements in southern Europe and gene flow between western and eastern European hunter-gatherers.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Andre L. C. Franco, Byron J. Adams, Melisa A. Diaz, Nathan P. Lemoine, Nicholas B. Dragone, Noah Fierer, W. Berry Lyons, Ian Hogg, Diana H. Wall
Summary: Studies have shown that Antarctic soil biotic communities have significantly changed in response to climate change since the Last Glacial Maximum. Newly exposed soils are more suitable for invertebrates compared to older soils, with faunal abundance and diversity strongly influenced by climate-driven changes.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Ting Wang, Na Wang, Dabang Jiang
Summary: We investigate changes in the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) during the last glacial maximum (LGM) using multiple simulations. Most models show that the LGM ITCZ shifts southward, narrows, and weakens on a global scale. Regionally, the central and eastern Pacific show the largest position and intensity changes, while the Indian Ocean-western Pacific experience the most obvious width changes. The September-October-November and June-July-August seasons contribute the most to the annual ITCZ changes globally and in most regions.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jingsong Ma, Chunqiao Song, Yanjun Wang
Summary: Climate warming is accelerating the melting of glaciers and the growth of glacial lakes in the Alps, mainly concentrated in the western and central regions. The number, area, and water volume of glacial lakes are increasing, with different types of lakes showing varied distribution and characteristics.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
J. M. Lora, C. B. Skinner, W. D. Rush, S. H. Baek
Summary: Proxy reconstructions and model simulations show that the hydroclimate during the Last Glacial Maximum was mainly influenced by ice sheets, causing reductions in moisture transport and precipitation globally, except for increases in precipitation over Patagonia, Iberia, and southwestern North America.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Guillaume Jouvet, Denis Cohen, Emmanuele Russo, Jonathan Buzan, Christoph C. Raible, Wilfried Haeberli, Sarah Kamleitner, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Michael A. Imhof, Jens K. Becker, Angela Landgraf, Urs H. Fischer
Summary: By using a multiphysical coupled climate and glacier transient modeling approach, we have successfully reconstructed the evolution of glaciers in the Alps during the last glacial period, with results matching geological evidence.
JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lukas Rettig, Giovanni Monegato, Matteo Spagnolo, Irka Hajdas, Paolo Mozzi
Summary: Glacier-based reconstructions of Equilibrium Line Altitudes (ELAs) are crucial for understanding long-term changes in temperature and precipitation. Our study focuses on the south-eastern part of the European Alps during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), providing new insights into the ELA based on geomorphological evidence.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Jingwei Zhang, Xing Liang, Menggui Jin, Jing Li, Shuai Shen, Luxia Wang, Teng Ma
Summary: This study aims to understand the evolution pattern of groundwater flow system (GFS) in the Jianghan Plain and its underlying mechanism. It reveals that the sedimentary environment changed with the fluctuations of the Yangtze River, leading to the evolution of the GFS pattern.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Minda Moriah Monteagudo, Jean Lynch-Stieglitz, Thomas M. Marchitto, Matthew W. Schmidt
Summary: This study reveals that the central equatorial Pacific cooled by about 2.0 degrees Celsius during the Last Glacial Maximum, contradicting previous estimates but aligning with climate models. This suggests a larger magnitude of cooling in the tropical region during the LGM, implying a higher equilibrium climate sensitivity.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Richard F. Ott, Dirk Scherler, Karl W. Wegmann, Mitch K. D'Arcy, Richard J. Pope, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Marcus Christl, Christoph Vockenhuber, Tammy M. Rittenour
Summary: This study quantifies sediment supply in alluvial channels of Crete and finds that past climate changes had little effect on landscape-wide denudation rates but exerted a strong control on the aggradation-incision behavior.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Dario Puentener, Pavel Samonil, Dmitry Tikhomirov, Pavel Danek, Marcus Christl, Jan Rolecek, Markus Egli
Summary: Despite long-term human impact, Central and Eastern Europe contain steppe ecosystems with the highest plant species diversity worldwide. The persistence of these ecosystems can be attributed to various disturbances such as grazing, fire events, and human activities, as recorded in local erosion rates. A study in Transylvania, Romania, aimed to understand soil dynamics by deciphering long- and short-term erosion rates and the age of the soil mantle.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sarah Kamleitner, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Lucia Manatschal, Naki Akcar, Marcus Christl, Christof Vockenhuber, Irka Hajdas, Hans-Arno Synal
Summary: This study evaluates glacial landforms preserved within the former LGM Rhine glacier and the eastern lobes of the LGM Reuss glacier system to understand LGM glacier dynamics. Through geomorphological mapping and new dating techniques, it is determined that the Rhine and Reuss glaciers reached their LGM maximum positions around 26-22 ka and 25/24 +/- 2 ka respectively. The glaciers showed subsequent oscillations, with late LGM readvances occurring after 20.6 +/- 1.7 ka and 20.8 +/- 1.3 ka for the Rhine and Reuss glaciers. The results provide valuable insights into the glacial history of the Alpine forelands.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Marcus Christl, Philip Gautschi, Sascha Maxeiner, Arnold Milenko Mueller, Christof Vockenhuber, Hans-Arno Synal
Summary: Compact, low-energy accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) has become one of the most sensitive, selective, and robust techniques for analyzing heavy and long-lived radionuclides. This study focuses on the analytical capabilities of the compact AMS system MILEA, specifically for 236U analyses. The setup for actinide analyses and the technical setup for 23xU/238U (x = 3, 6, 5) are discussed, followed by a detailed investigation of the background and sensitivity for 236U/238U. The results demonstrate that the ETH Zurich MILEA system is well-suited for fast, reliable, high-sensitivity, and nearly background-free analyses of 236U/238U in environmental samples.
NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH SECTION B-BEAM INTERACTIONS WITH MATERIALS AND ATOMS
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Hans Fernandez-Navarro, Juan-Luis Garcia, Samuel U. Nussbaumer, Dmitry Tikhomirov, Francia Perez, Isabelle Gartner-Roer, Marcus Christl, Markus Egli
Summary: This study reconstructed glacier fluctuations during the latest Holocene using Terrestrial Cosmogenic Nuclides (10Be) dating of boulders on moraines in central Chile. The findings reveal at least two maximum glacier advances by the Universidad Glacier in the 13th-16th centuries and the early to mid-19th century. These fluctuations were attributed to the equatorward shift of the Southern Westerly Winds (SWW), influenced by the long-term negative phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and associated humid and cold conditions in central Chile. The glacier chronology aligns with other regions, showing the culmination of the latest Holocene glacial maximum in the mid-19th century followed by accelerated ice loss in a warming world since the mid-20th century.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Shan Xing, Chenyang Peng, Marcus Christl, Keliang Shi, Hans-Arno Synal, Xiaolin Hou
Summary: A new method was developed for simultaneous determination of transuranium nuclides using 300 kV AMS after sequential chemical separation. The method showed consistent chemical behaviors of Np and Pu on the TK200 column and Am and Cm on the DGA column during the separation process. The detection limits for all radionuclides were below femtogram level.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Joanna Beata Kowalska, Markus Egli, Martina Vogtli, Dmitry Tikhomirov, Beata Labaz, Marcus Christl, Jaroslaw Waroszewski
Summary: Loess deposits are important archives for studying deposition and erosion events. Long-term erosion rates are crucial for understanding loess stability and soil evolution. This study used meteoric Be-10 to analyze its distribution, determine erosion rates, and assess soil thickness and stability over time.
Article
Geography, Physical
Pavel Samonil, Jakub Jaros, Pavel Danek, Dmitry Tikhomirov, Vojtech Novotny, George Weiblen, Marcus Christl, Markus Egli
Summary: Trees play an important role in hillslope dynamics by mechanically disturbing the soil. This study focuses on determining soil erosion rates and the role of trees in hillslope processes in a tropical forest in Papua New Guinea.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Marjolaine Verret, Cassandra Trinh-Le, Warren Dickinson, Kevin Norton, Denis Lacelle, Marcus Christl, Richard Levy, Tim Naish
Summary: Continental-scale ice sheets have covered Antarctica since around 33.9 million years ago. The sequence of events that led to the persistent ice sheet in East Antarctica remains disputed. By assessing meteoric beryllium-10 profiles, researchers have found that the polar aridity in high elevations of East Antarctica began in the late Miocene. This finding suggests that the McMurdo Dry Valleys may be more susceptible to climate change than previously believed.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lukas Rettig, Giovanni Monegato, Matteo Spagnolo, Irka Hajdas, Paolo Mozzi
Summary: Glacier-based reconstructions of Equilibrium Line Altitudes (ELAs) are crucial for understanding long-term changes in temperature and precipitation. Our study focuses on the south-eastern part of the European Alps during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), providing new insights into the ELA based on geomorphological evidence.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Amaneh Kaveh-Firouz, Jean-Pierre Burg, Negar Haghipour, Sanjay Kumar Mandal, Marcus Christl, Ali Mohammadi
Summary: The study focuses on the tectonic and climatic controls on landscape evolution in the NNW Iranian Plateau and west Alborz region. By analyzing erosion rates and topographic/climatic metrics, the researchers found that erosion rates were low in the Plateau and relatively high in the west Alborz, with sediment fluxes controlled by topographic parameters and surface uplift and active thrust-faulting in the respective regions. Climate had a secondary role in erosion rates. Exhumation rates were also calculated and showed an increase during the collision between Arabia and Eurasia. The study highlights the importance of understanding the interplay between tectonic and climatic factors in shaping landscapes.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Giulia Sinnl, Florian Adolphi, Marcus Christl, Kees C. Welten, Thomas Woodruff, Marc Caffee, Anders Svensson, Raimund Muscheler, Sune Olander Rasmussen
Summary: During the last glacial, Greenland experienced a cold stadial phase with two short warm interstadials. Greenland ice-core calcium data shows two periods of high atmospheric dust loading, which is not well understood. The Chinese Hulu Cave speleothems also exhibit an climate signal during the same time. Antarctic ice cores show a relative warming, interpreted as a counterpart to a cool phase in the Northern Hemisphere. New Be-10 datasets from Greenland and Antarctic ice cores are examined to test the agreement between different timescales. Evidence of an event similar to the Maunder Solar Minimum is found in the new Be-10 datasets, supporting a synchronization with the Chinese speleothem around 22 kyr b2k. The offset between the Greenland ice-core chronology and the Antarctic chronology is determined to be 125 +/- 40 years, and the offset between the speleothem and ice-core timescales is determined to be 375 years for GICC05 and 225 years for WD2014, respectively.
CLIMATE OF THE PAST
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Robert Mulvaney, Eric W. Wolff, Mackenzie M. Grieman, Helene H. Hoffmann, Jack D. Humby, Christoph Nehrbass-Ahles, Rachael H. Rhodes, Isobel F. Rowell, Frederic Parrenin, Loic Schmidely, Hubertus Fischer, Thomas F. Stocker, Marcus Christl, Raimund Muscheler, Amaelle Landais, Frederic Prie
Summary: We propose an age model for the Skytrain Ice Rise ice core in Antarctica, which includes aligning the core with the AICC2012 age model using tie points and applying the Paleochrono program. Methane and delta O-18(air) are used for ties in the gas phase, while Be-10 and ice chemistry related to dust transport are used in the ice phase. The model provides a good outcome up to about 605 m, with signs of flow disturbance and possible repeated ice sections beyond that.
CLIMATE OF THE PAST
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Shan Xing, Chenyang Peng, Marcus Christl, Keliang Shi, Hans-Arno Synal, Xiaolin Hou
Summary: Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a highly sensitive technique for measuring long-lived actinides. A new method was developed for simultaneous determination of transuranium nuclides (Np, Pu, Am, and Cm isotopes) using 300 kV AMS. The method uses sequential chemical separation and tracers for monitoring yield. The established method has high detection efficiency and has been successfully applied in nuclear forensic investigation.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Costanza Del Gobbo, Renato R. Colucci, Giovanni Monegato, Manja Zebre, Filippo Giorgi
Summary: This study investigates the physical processes sustaining Alpine glaciers during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using a regional climate model. The results show increased summer convection and precipitation over the southern Alps, leading to an expanded summer snow range and a lower equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of glaciers. The study also demonstrates the potential of the regional climate model for use in paleoclimate studies.
CLIMATE OF THE PAST
(2023)