An Zhisheng, Zhou Weijian, Zhang Zeke, Zhang Xu, Liu Zhonghui, Sun Youbin, Clemens Steven C, Wu Lixin, Zhao Jiaju, Shi Zhengguo, Ma Xiaolin, Yan Hong, Li Gaojun, Cai Yanjun, Yu Jimin, Sun Yuchen, Li Siqi, Zhang Yu'ao, Stepanek Christian, Lohmann Gerrit, Dong Guocheng, Cheng Hai, Liu Yu, Jin Zhangdong, Li Tao, Hao Yifei, Lei Jing, Cai Wenju
State Key Laboratory of Loess Science, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China.
Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
Science. 2024 Aug 2;385(6708):560-565. doi: 10.1126/science.abn4861. Epub 2024 Aug 1.
Despite extensive investigation, the nature and causes of the Mid-Pleistocene Transition remain enigmatic. In this work, we assess its linkage to asynchronous development of bipolar ice sheets by synthesizing Pleistocene mid- to high-latitude proxy records linked to hemispheric ice sheet evolution. Our results indicate substantial growth of the Antarctic Ice Sheets (AISs) at 2.0 to 1.25 million years ago, preceding the rapid expansion of Northern Hemisphere Ice Sheets after ~1.25 million years ago. Proxy-model comparisons suggest that AIS and associated Southern Ocean sea ice expansion can induce northern high-latitude cooling and enhanced moisture transport to the Northern Hemisphere, thus triggering the Mid-Pleistocene Transition. The dynamic processes involved are crucial for assessing modern global warming that is already inducing asynchronous bipolar melting of ice sheets.
尽管进行了广泛的研究，但中更新世过渡的本质和原因仍然不明。在这项研究中，我们通过综合与半球冰盖演化相关的更新世中高纬度替代记录，评估其与两极冰盖异步发展的联系。我们的结果表明，在约125万年前北半球冰盖迅速扩张之前，南极冰盖在200万至125万年前有显著增长。替代模型比较表明，南极冰盖及相关的南大洋海冰扩张可导致北半球高纬度地区降温，并增强向北半球的水分输送，从而引发中更新世过渡。所涉及的动态过程对于评估已经导致冰盖两极异步融化的现代全球变暖至关重要。
