Climate Effects of True Polar Wander During the Late Ediacaran Ice Age
ID:311
Oral Presentation
2027-01-12 11:10 (China Standard Time)
Session:Session 35 - Ocean-climate dynamics through Earth history: integrating proxies, modeling, and data science
Abstract
True polar wander (TPW) has been proposed as a potential trigger for continental reorganization, yet its climatic consequences during the late Ediacaran ice age (ca. 580-560 Ma) have not been systematically quantified. Here, we use the Community Earth System Model version 1.2.2 to conduct simulations based on five continental reconstructions that incorporate TPW, and employ the energy-balance method to disentangle temperature contributions. Under an extremely cold scenario with atmospheric CO2 level (pCO2) set at 35 ppmv, the simulated global mean surface temperature during 580-560 Ma ranges from -8.1°C to -4.3°C, with a general warming trend from 580 Ma to the 575-560 Ma interval. Surface albedo feedback accounts for more than 50% of the temperature change, followed by greenhouse gas emissivity, while the contribution of cloud albedo exhibits a phased shift in response to TPW. When pCO2 is further raised to the glaciation threshold of 140 ppmv, global mean surface temperature increases to between -1.0°C and 1.7°C, accompanied by retreat of sea ice and land snow cover. In this scenario, the contribution of surface albedo weakens or even shifts toward cooling, whereas cloud albedo exerts a stronger warming effect. This study elucidates the mechanisms through which TPW modulated Ediacaran glacial climate during the late Neoproterozoic via the coupled interplay of albedo, greenhouse gas, and cloud feedbacks.
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Jan 30
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Jan 12–15
2027
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