Continental-Hemispheric Scale Dust Events Driven by Last Glacial Alpine Ice Sheet Dynamics

Yunus Baykal; Gábor Újvári; Thomas Stevens; Sergio Andò; Adriano Banak; Sanja Šuica; Marta Barbarano; Eduardo Garzanti

doi:10.1029/2025GL115382

Continental-Hemispheric Scale Dust Events Driven by Last Glacial Alpine Ice Sheet Dynamics

Yunus Baykal^*
, Gábor Újvári
, Thomas Stevens
, Sergio Andò
, Adriano Banak
, Sanja Šuica
, Marta Barbarano
, Eduardo Garzanti

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research Centre For Astronomy and Earth Sciences
Uppsala University
University of Milan - Bicocca
Croatian Geological Survey
University of Zagreb

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Abstract

Greenland ice cores demonstrate that transient last glacial cold climate events (stadials) were associated with greatly enhanced atmospheric dust loading. Detailed radiocarbon dating of loess in central Europe reveals concurrent increases in dust activity in dust-emitting regions. However, the causes of these changes in dust emission and the role of dust in rapid climate change remain unclear. We address this uncertainty through multi-proxy analysis of loess sources in Hungary. Our results demonstrate that loess particles were dominantly produced by subglacial grinding processes in the eastern Alps. These particles were released along with stadial Alpine Ice Sheet-driven meltwater pulses, turning major river systems into efficient dust sources for loess deposition in Europe. Concurrent strengthened anticyclonic circulation over northern Europe would have caused wider dispersal of Alpine Ice Sheet-derived dust as far as Greenland. Resultant continental-hemispheric scale changes in atmospheric dust loading likely amplified concomitant North Atlantic climate cooling and ice sheet decay during Greenland stadials.

Original language	English
Article number	e2025GL115382
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	52
Issue number	13
Number of pages	12
ISSN	0094-8276
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115382
Publication status	Published - 2025

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SDG 13 Climate Action

Keywords

Climate change events
Detrital zircon U–Pb ages
European loess
Heavy mineral assemblages
Provenance
Quartz grain morphology

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10.1029/2025GL115382

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@article{d27a734e16ae4b28bf1ae02b1172b1c3,

title = "Continental-Hemispheric Scale Dust Events Driven by Last Glacial Alpine Ice Sheet Dynamics",

abstract = "Greenland ice cores demonstrate that transient last glacial cold climate events (stadials) were associated with greatly enhanced atmospheric dust loading. Detailed radiocarbon dating of loess in central Europe reveals concurrent increases in dust activity in dust-emitting regions. However, the causes of these changes in dust emission and the role of dust in rapid climate change remain unclear. We address this uncertainty through multi-proxy analysis of loess sources in Hungary. Our results demonstrate that loess particles were dominantly produced by subglacial grinding processes in the eastern Alps. These particles were released along with stadial Alpine Ice Sheet-driven meltwater pulses, turning major river systems into efficient dust sources for loess deposition in Europe. Concurrent strengthened anticyclonic circulation over northern Europe would have caused wider dispersal of Alpine Ice Sheet-derived dust as far as Greenland. Resultant continental-hemispheric scale changes in atmospheric dust loading likely amplified concomitant North Atlantic climate cooling and ice sheet decay during Greenland stadials.",

keywords = "Climate change events, Detrital zircon U{\textendash}Pb ages, European loess, Heavy mineral assemblages, Provenance, Quartz grain morphology",

author = "Yunus Baykal and G{\'a}bor {\'U}jv{\'a}ri and Thomas Stevens and Sergio And{\`o} and Adriano Banak and Sanja {\v S}uica and Marta Barbarano and Eduardo Garzanti",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025. The Author(s).",

year = "2025",

doi = "10.1029/2025GL115382",

language = "English",

volume = "52",

journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

issn = "0094-8276",

publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Inc.",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Continental-Hemispheric Scale Dust Events Driven by Last Glacial Alpine Ice Sheet Dynamics

AU - Baykal, Yunus

AU - Újvári, Gábor

AU - Stevens, Thomas

AU - Andò, Sergio

AU - Banak, Adriano

AU - Šuica, Sanja

AU - Barbarano, Marta

AU - Garzanti, Eduardo

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - Greenland ice cores demonstrate that transient last glacial cold climate events (stadials) were associated with greatly enhanced atmospheric dust loading. Detailed radiocarbon dating of loess in central Europe reveals concurrent increases in dust activity in dust-emitting regions. However, the causes of these changes in dust emission and the role of dust in rapid climate change remain unclear. We address this uncertainty through multi-proxy analysis of loess sources in Hungary. Our results demonstrate that loess particles were dominantly produced by subglacial grinding processes in the eastern Alps. These particles were released along with stadial Alpine Ice Sheet-driven meltwater pulses, turning major river systems into efficient dust sources for loess deposition in Europe. Concurrent strengthened anticyclonic circulation over northern Europe would have caused wider dispersal of Alpine Ice Sheet-derived dust as far as Greenland. Resultant continental-hemispheric scale changes in atmospheric dust loading likely amplified concomitant North Atlantic climate cooling and ice sheet decay during Greenland stadials.

AB - Greenland ice cores demonstrate that transient last glacial cold climate events (stadials) were associated with greatly enhanced atmospheric dust loading. Detailed radiocarbon dating of loess in central Europe reveals concurrent increases in dust activity in dust-emitting regions. However, the causes of these changes in dust emission and the role of dust in rapid climate change remain unclear. We address this uncertainty through multi-proxy analysis of loess sources in Hungary. Our results demonstrate that loess particles were dominantly produced by subglacial grinding processes in the eastern Alps. These particles were released along with stadial Alpine Ice Sheet-driven meltwater pulses, turning major river systems into efficient dust sources for loess deposition in Europe. Concurrent strengthened anticyclonic circulation over northern Europe would have caused wider dispersal of Alpine Ice Sheet-derived dust as far as Greenland. Resultant continental-hemispheric scale changes in atmospheric dust loading likely amplified concomitant North Atlantic climate cooling and ice sheet decay during Greenland stadials.

KW - Climate change events

KW - Detrital zircon U–Pb ages

KW - European loess

KW - Heavy mineral assemblages

KW - Provenance

KW - Quartz grain morphology

U2 - 10.1029/2025GL115382

DO - 10.1029/2025GL115382

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:105009909320

SN - 0094-8276

VL - 52

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 13

M1 - e2025GL115382

ER -

Continental-Hemispheric Scale Dust Events Driven by Last Glacial Alpine Ice Sheet Dynamics

Abstract

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Keywords

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