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

Clark, Chris D.; Chiverrell, Richard C.; Fabel, Derek; Hindmarsh, Richard C.A.; Ó Cofaigh, Colm; Scourse, James D.

doi:10.1002/jqs.3326

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

Clark, Chris D.; Chiverrell, Richard C.; Fabel, Derek; Hindmarsh, Richard C.A.; Ó Cofaigh, Colm; Scourse, James D.

Authors

Chris D. Clark

Richard C. Chiverrell

Derek Fabel

Richard C.A. Hindmarsh

Professor Colm O'Cofaigh colm.ocofaigh@durham.ac.uk
Head Of Department

James D. Scourse

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.

Citation

Clark, C. D., Chiverrell, R. C., Fabel, D., Hindmarsh, R. C., Ó Cofaigh, C., & 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), 673-680. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3326

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Apr 9, 2021
Online Publication Date	May 31, 2021
Publication Date	2021-07
Deposit Date	Jul 14, 2021
Publicly Available Date	Jul 14, 2021
Journal	Journal of Quaternary Science
Print ISSN	0267-8179
Electronic ISSN	1099-1417
Publisher	Wiley
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	36
Issue	5
Pages	673-680
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3326
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1272147

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