Science· 2026Q1
Late Holocene reexpansion of the Laurentide Ice Sheet
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
The Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) reexpanded ~2000 years ago after reaching minimum interglacial dimensions ~3.6 thousand years ago, marking the onset of the next glaciation, which was ultimately terminated by anthropogenic warming.
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Key points
- The Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) remnant, Barnes Ice Cap, reached minimum interglacial dimensions ~3.6 thousand years ago.
- The LIS began reexpanding ~2000 years ago, marking the start of the next glaciation.
- The glaciation reached maximum dimensions around 1960 CE.
- Anthropogenic summer warming caused a negative mass balance and ice margin recession, terminating the glaciation.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
During interglaciations, the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS), which is the largest of the Pleistocene ice sheets, retreats to Arctic Canada, where it achieves a minimum configuration. The reexpansion of the LIS following this minimum marks the start of the next glaciation. Here, we show that the last remaining remnant of the most recent LIS, Barnes Ice Cap (Baffin Island, Canada), achieved its minimum interglacial dimensions after ~3.6 thousand years ago, before reexpanding ~2000 years ago, marking the onset of the next glaciation. The new LIS reached maximum dimensions in ~1960 CE, after which anthropogenic summer warming resulted in a negative mass balance, ice margin recession, and the termination of the next glaciation. The demise of the next glaciation, despite the ongoing decline in summer insolation, illustrates the influence of anomalous greenhouse gas forcing on climate.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Atmospheric Science
Atmospheric ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences