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| Eemian interglacial | |
|---|---|
| Name | Eemian interglacial |
| Period | Pleistocene |
| Start | ~129,000 years BP |
| End | ~116,000 years BP |
| Predecessor | Last Glacial Period |
| Successor | Last Glacial Period (Weichselian/Valdai) |
Eemian interglacial The Eemian interglacial was a warm interval during the Pleistocene preceding the Last Glacial Period, notable for elevated temperatures, high sea levels, and rich biotic assemblages that have informed paleoclimate research at institutions such as Royal Society, Max Planck Society, and United States Geological Survey. Studies by researchers affiliated with University of Cambridge, Princeton University, Stockholm University, ETH Zurich, and University of Copenhagen have integrated data from marine cores, ice cores, and terrestrial sequences to refine its chronology and paleoenvironments.
The name derives from the Eemian Stage or Eemian (regional stage) first described from boreholes near the River Eem and sites like Amersfoort and Zeist, with contributions by geologists associated with Geological Survey of the Netherlands, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and early Quaternary researchers such as Reinier van der Veen. Alternative regional names include the Ipswichian Stage in United Kingdom stratigraphy, the Riss-Würm interglacial usage in Alpine studies promoted by researchers from University of Innsbruck, and correlations with the Marine Isotope Stage 5e defined by isotope stratigraphers at institutions like Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory.
Chronological frameworks rely on correlation between Marine Isotope Stage records, radiometric dating at facilities such as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and stratigraphic markers in sequences studied by teams from Natural History Museum, London and Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum. The interval is most commonly equated with MIS 5e (~129–116 ka) and is identified in sequences including the Boreal stage equivalents and in loess–paleosol successions analyzed in collaboration with Peking University and University of Bern. Key stratigraphic sites include coastal terraces in Bermuda, sedimentary archives in Mediterranean Sea basins, and speleothems from caves like Soreq Cave and Lehman Caves.
Reconstruction efforts by research groups from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution indicate Eemian climates were warmer than preindustrial conditions in regions studied by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change authors, with amplified polar warming recorded in Greenland Ice Sheet proxies and in cores drilled by projects involving European Space Agency. Vegetation reconstructions informed by palynological work at Smithsonian Institution and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew show expansion of deciduous taxa in areas around Paris, Berlin, and Moscow, while pollen assemblages from sites investigated by University of Helsinki document shifts toward temperate forests across Scandinavia.
Sea-level highstands documented by geomorphologists at University of Miami and University of Sydney indicate global mean sea level possibly 6–9 m above present, with some reconstructions suggesting up to 10–20 m in localized studies by Plymouth University and University of Southampton. Contributions from partial retreat of the Greenland Ice Sheet and dynamic changes in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet have been inferred by glaciologists affiliated with British Antarctic Survey, Norwegian Polar Institute, and Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research. Coral reef terraces studied at Great Barrier Reef and Bahamas sites by research teams from James Cook University and University of the West Indies provide independent sea-level constraints.
Faunal assemblages from paleontological collections at Natural History Museum, London and Smithsonian Institution include temperate megafauna such as Mammuthus relatives and cervids documented in deposits near Sweden, Germany, and Poland, while mollusk faunas from Mediterranean Sea cores have been characterized by marine biologists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Archaeological investigations by teams from University of Cambridge, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and University of Oxford report hominin occupations in regions like Levant caves and Siberia sites, with lithic assemblages and possible coastal resource use preserved at localities studied by Hebrew University of Jerusalem and University of Tübingen.
Proxy compilations assembled by data centers such as PANGAEA and groups at National Center for Atmospheric Research integrate isotopic series from Greenland Ice Sheet Project cores, foraminiferal assemblages from Ocean Drilling Program sites, and speleothem δ18O records from Hua Cave and Soreq Cave. High-resolution records from the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic cores analyzed at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and terrestrial records from Loess Plateau sequences curated by Chinese Academy of Sciences provide regional contrasts that have been the focus of syntheses by authors at University of Bergen and University of Exeter.
Interpretations emphasize orbital forcing described by the Milankovitch cycles framework developed by scientists including Milutin Milanković and synthesized by researchers at Institut Pierre Simon Laplace, with insolation maxima at northern latitudes correlating with the MIS 5e warmth identified by modelers at Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. Feedbacks involving greenhouse gas concentrations constrained by EPICA and Vostok ice core records, ocean circulation changes tied to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation explored by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, and ice-sheet dynamics simulated at National Center for Atmospheric Research collectively explain regional heterogeneity.
The Eemian is used as an analogue for ongoing and future warming in assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and climate impact studies at United Nations Environment Programme and World Meteorological Organization, informing risk assessments for coastal cities such as New York City, Rotterdam, and Mumbai. Research priorities coordinated by consortia including PAGES and INTIMATE emphasize improved constraints on ice-sheet sensitivity, sea-level projections, and ecosystem responses, with ongoing field campaigns led by teams from University of California, Santa Cruz and Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences to refine paleoclimate analogues for twenty-first century scenarios.