Near-Synchronous Interhemispheric Termination of the Last Glacial Maximum in Mid-Latitudes

Isotopic records from polar ice cores imply globally asynchronous warming at the end of the last glaciation. However, ¹⁰Be exposure dates show that large-scale retreat of mid-latitude Last Glacial Maximum glaciers commenced at about the same time in both hemispheres. The timing of retreat is consistent with the onset of temperature and atmospheric CO₂ increases in Antarctic ice cores. We suggest that a global trend of rising summer temperatures at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum was obscured in North Atlantic regions by hypercold winters associated with unusually extensive winter sea ice.