The last glaciation of earth: Size and volume of ice-sheets

Abstract

The volume and size of the late glacial ice-sheets in the Northern Hemisphere has been estimated, based on geomorphic and chronostratigraphic data. Limited glacial extents during the late glacial maximum characterized both Arctic Canada and northern Eurasia, in contrast to the presence of the large Laurentide, Scandinavian and Devensian ice-sheets to the south. Glacial maxima were not synchronous throughout the Northern Hemisphere: for example, the Novaya Zemlya ice-sheet reached its maximum extent ca. 39,000 BP, approximately 20,000 years earlier than the maximum extent of the contiguous Scandinavian ice-sheet. Western and central Siberia, and the Chukhui Peninsula, were marked by limited glaciation during the last glacial maximum, although pre-Sartanian events were more extensive. Mountain glaciation in northeast Asia was similarly restricted during the last glacial maximum. Spatial and dynamic characteristics of the last glaciation developed in response to climatic factors. The establishment and strength of high-pressure systems over Siberia limited precipitation and glacier formation throughout northeastern Eurasia.