Northern Hemisphere ice sheets

E179505

Northern Hemisphere ice sheets are vast continental glaciers that repeatedly expanded and retreated over North America and Eurasia, profoundly shaping global climate, sea levels, and landscapes during the Quaternary.

All labels observed (2)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (53)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Quaternary megascale glacier
cryospheric component
glacial system
affected monsoon systems
storm tracks
caused glacial isostatic adjustment
large-scale erosion
postglacial rebound
coveredAreaAtMaximum tens of millions of square kilometers
created U-shaped valleys
drumlins
eskers
fjords
moraines
outwash plains
proglacial lakes
expandedDuring Pleistocene epoch
expandedOver Eurasia
North America
experienced multiple glacial–interglacial cycles
growthControlledBy greenhouse gas concentrations
ice–albedo feedbacks
orbital forcing
included Barents–Kara Ice Sheet
Cordilleran Ice Sheet
Fennoscandian Ice Sheet
Greenland Ice Sheet (North American sector)
surface form: Greenland Ice Sheet (paleoglacial extent)

Laurentide Ice Sheet in North America
surface form: Laurentide Ice Sheet
increased planetary albedo
influenced continental landscapes
global climate
sea level
lastGlacialMaximumAge approximately 26,000 to 19,000 years ago
leftLegacyIn present-day topography of North America
present-day topography of northern Europe
soil distribution of mid-latitudes
locatedIn Northern Hemisphere
locatedOn Earth
loweredGlobalSeaLevelBy about 120 meters at Last Glacial Maximum
majorComponentOf Quaternary glaciations
maximumExtentDuring Last Glacial Maximum
meltwaterDischargeInfluenced thermohaline circulation
meltwaterDischargeTriggered abrupt climate events
modulated atmospheric circulation
ocean circulation
reconstructedUsing geomorphological evidence
ice core records
marine sediment cores
reflected incoming solar radiation
retreatedDuring Holocene
surface form: Holocene epoch
stored large volumes of freshwater
studiedBy glaciologists
paleoclimatologists

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Quaternary period associatedWith Northern Hemisphere ice sheets
Greenland Ice Sheet (North American sector) partOf Northern Hemisphere ice sheets
this entity surface form: Northern Hemisphere cryosphere