- 1Universite catholique de Louvain, UCL, ELIC, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium (michel.crucifix@uclouvain.be)
- 2Faculty of Health Data Science, Juntendo Univerity, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan
- 3Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 4Earth System Modelling, School of Engineering & Design, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- 5Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany
The dominant periodicity of the late Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles is roughly 100 kyr, rather than other major orbital periods such as 19, 23, 41, and 400 kyr. Various models explain this fact through distinct dynamical mechanisms, which include synchronization of self-sustained oscillations and resonance in mono- or multi-stable systems. However, the variety of proposed models and dynamical mechanisms could obscure the essential factor for realizing the 100-kyr periodicity.
In this study, we propose the hypothesis that the ice-sheet climate system responds to orbital forcing at the 100-kyr periodicity because the intrinsic timescale of the system is closer to 100 kyr than to other major orbital periods. We support this hypothesis with analyses and sensitivity studies of several simple ice age models with contrasting mechanisms.
How to cite: Crucifix, M., Mitsui, T., Ditlevsen, P., and Boers, N.: 100-kyr glacial-interglacial cycles seen as a timescale matching problem, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-18358, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-18358, 2025.
