Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 13 April 1979:
Vol. 204. no. 4389, pp. 171 - 173
DOI: 10.1126/science.204.4389.171
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Pleistocene Climate: Deterministic or Stochastic?

MICHELLE A. KOMINZ 1 and NICKLAs G. PISIAS 2

1 Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Kingston 02881
2 Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912

Application of a simple linear model to the earth's ice volume record of the past 730,000 years indicates that although forcing by variations in the earth's orbital parameters of tilt and precession is real, it is small (less than 25 percent of the variance in the record). No relationship with the eccentricity is observed. This indicates that the Pleistocene glacial variations are largely stochastic in nature.

Submitted on October 13, 1978
Revised on January 19, 1979


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Is there an orbital signal in the polar layered deposits on Mars?.
J. T. Perron and P. Huybers (2009)
Geology 37, 155-158
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Resolving Milankovitch: Consideration of signal and noise.
S. R. Meyers, B. B. Sageman, and M. Pagani (2008)
Am J Sci 308, 770-786
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Natural variability of atmospheric temperatures and geomagnetic intensity over a wide range of time scales.
J. D. Pelletier (2002)
PNAS 99, 2546-2553
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
A theoretical framework for the Pleistocene ice ages: William Smith Lecture.
J. Imbrie (1985)
Journal of the Geological Society 142, 417-432
   Abstract »    PDF »
Oceanic Mechanisms for Amplification of the 23,000-Year Ice-Volume Cycle.
W. F. Ruddiman, W. F. Ruddiman, and A. McIntyre (1981)
Science 212, 617-627
   Abstract »    PDF »
Milankovitch theory and ice ages.
J. G. Lockwood and J.G. Lockwood (1980)
Progress in Physical Geography 4, 79-87
   PDF »
Modeling the Climatic Response to Orbital Variations.
J. Imbrie, J. Imbrie, and J. Z. Imbrie (1980)
Science 207, 943-953
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)