Timing, pace and controls on ice sheet retreat: an introduction to the BRITICE‐CHRONO transect reconstructions of the British–Irish Ice Sheet

Clark, C. D., Chiverrell, R. C., Fabel, D. , Hindmarsh, R. C. A., Ó Cofaigh, C. and Scourse, J. D. (2021) Timing, pace and controls on ice sheet retreat: an introduction to the BRITICE‐CHRONO transect reconstructions of the British–Irish Ice Sheet. Journal of Quaternary Science, 36(5), pp. 673-680. (doi: 10.1002/jqs.3326)

Abstract

Motivated to help improve the robustness of predictions of sea level rise, the BRITICE-CHRONO project advanced knowledge of the former British–Irish Ice Sheet, from 31 to 15 ka, so that it can be used as a data-rich environment to improve ice sheet modelling. The project comprised over 40 palaeoglaciologists, covering expertise in terrestrial and marine geology and geomorphology, geochronometric dating and the modelling of ice sheets and oceans. A systematic and directed campaign, organised across eight transects from the continental shelf edge to a short distance (10s of kilometres) onshore, was used to collect 914 samples which yielded 639 new ages, tripling the number of dated sites constraining the timing and rates of change of the collapsing ice sheet. This special issue synthesises these findings of ice advancing to the maximum extent and its subsequent retreat for each of the eight transects to produce definitive palaeogeographic reconstructions of ice margin positions across the marine to terrestrial transition. These results are used to understand the controls that drove or modulated ice sheet retreat. A further paper reports on how ice sheet modelling experiments and empirical data can be used in combination, and another probes the glaciological meaning of ice-rafted debris.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council consortium grant, BRITICE-CHRONO, NE/J009768/1; NERC Cosmogenic Isotope Analysis Facility (Allocations 9139.1013, 9155.1014) and NERC Radiocarbon Facility (Allocations 1722.0613, 1878.1014, 1976.1015); the SUERC AMS Laboratory, East Kilbride; and the BGS Marine Operations team (vibrocorer) and NOC/NMEP team (piston corer). This work has also benefitted from funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (PalGlac; Grant agreement No. 787263).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Fabel, Dr Derek
• Authors: Clark, C. D., Chiverrell, R. C., Fabel, D., Hindmarsh, R. C. A., Ó Cofaigh, C., and Scourse, J. D.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre
• Journal Name: Journal of Quaternary Science
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 0267-8179
• ISSN (Online): 1099-1417
• Published Online: 31 May 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Journal of Quaternary Science 36(5): 673-680
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License