Last interglacial and early glacial circulation in the northern North Atlantic Ocean

Studies of marine records from the northwestern European shelf and the northern North Atlantic suggest that last interglacial environments were less stable in this area than in the mid-latitude Atlantic. The influx of Atlantic water masses to the northern North Atlantic was generally higher, and the meridional temperature gradient was steeper, during the last interglaciation than during the Holocene. Strong north-south sea-surface-temperature gradients during the early Weichselian indicate a generally low influx of Atlantic water to the northern North Atlantic, even during interstades. (C) 2002 University of Washington.