Holocene deglaciation and climate history of the northern Antarctic Peninsula region: a discussion of correlations between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres

The chronology of post-last Glacial Maximum dceglaciation in the northern Antarctic Peninsula region is discussed. It is concluded that, contrary to what was earlier believed, the deglaciation process here was largely out-of-phase with that in the Northern Hemisphere. Although, for global eustatic reasons, the marine-based glaciers may have retreated simultaneously with ice-melting in the Northern Hemisphere, the land-based glaciers retreated only slowly during the first half of the Hulocene, about 9000-5000 BP. This may have been due either to increased precipitation counterweighing ablation or to delayed warming: A distinct but rather brief glacial readvance took place. around 5000 BP, probably caused by a period of renewed cooling It was followed by the Holocene climatic optimum, about 4000-3000 Be This warm "hypsithermal" period thus came much later than its equivalent in the Northern Hemisphere, but it roughly coincided with the Milankovitchean Holocene insolation maximum for these southern latitudes.