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Science 5 September 2003:
Vol. 301. no. 5638, p. 1285
DOI: 10.1126/science.301.5638.1285o
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Large and rapid climate changes that occurred at high northern latitudes during the last deglaciation were recorded most clearly in the air temperature records contained in ice cores from Greenland. These changes were accompanied by variations in the concentration of atmospheric methane, which suggests but does not prove that tropical wetlands--thought to be the primary source of that methane--also experienced dramatic climatic shifts. Lea et al. (p. 1361) present a high-resolution record of sea surface temperature derived from measurements of Mg/Ca ratios in planktonic foraminifera. This record shows that the surface water off the coast of Venezuela warmed and cooled quickly, by as much as 4°C, during two of these episodes. The authors propose that these high-latitude and tropical changes were synchronized by changes in the positions in the intertropical convergence zone.




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