Last Glacial Maximum

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), also referred to as the Last Glacial Coldest Period, was the most recent time during the Last Glacial Period that ice sheets were at their greatest extent 26 ka - 20 ka ago. Ice sheets covered much of Northern North America, Northern Europe, and Asia and profoundly affected Earth's climate by causing a major expansion of deserts, along with a large drop in sea levels. Based on changes in position of ice sheet margins dated via terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides and radiocarbon dating, growth of ice sheets commenced 33,000 years ago and maximum coverage has been estimated to have occurred sometime between 26,500 years ago and 20,000 years ago. After this, deglaciation commenced in the Northern Hemisphere, causing an abrupt rise in sea level. Decline of the West Antarctica ice sheet occurred between 14,000 and 15,000 years ago, consistent with evidence for another abrupt rise in the sea level about 14,500 years ago. Glacier fluctuations around the Strait of Magellan suggest the peak in glacial surface area was constrained to between 25,200 and 23,100 years ago. Continental ice sheets never reached their isostatic equilibrium during the LGM, as evidenced by high variability in ice volume over short spans of time. The LGM is referred to in Britain as the Dimlington Stadial, dated to between 31,000 and 16,000 years. In the archaeology of Paleolithic Europe, the LGM spans the Aurignacian, Gravettian, Solutrean, Magdalenian and Périgordian cultures. The average global temperature around 19,000 BC (about 21,000 years ago) was about 6 °C (11 °F) colder than today. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), permanent summer ice covered about 8% of Earth's surface and 25% of the land area during the last glacial maximum. The USGS also states that sea level was about lower than in present times (2012). When comparing to the present, the average global temperature was for the 2013–2017 period. As of 2012 about 3.1% of Earth's surface and 10.7% of the land area is covered in year-round ice.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related publications (12)

Related people (2)

Related concepts (100)

Related courses (1)

Related lectures (11)

Seascape Genomics of the Sugar Kelp Saccharina latissima along the North Eastern Atlantic Latitudinal Gradient

Chloé Christiane Laurence Jollivet, Stéphane Mauger

Temperature is one of the most important range-limiting factors for many seaweeds. Driven by the recent climatic changes, rapid northward shifts of species' distribution ranges can potentially modify

MDPI2020

Uncertainties in isoprene photochemistry and emissions: implications for the oxidative capacity of past and present atmospheres and for climate forcing agents

Jed Oliver Kaplan

Isoprene and its oxidation products are major players in the oxidative chemistry of the troposphere. Current understanding of the factors controlling biogenic isoprene emissions and of the fate of iso

Copernicus Gesellschaft Mbh2015

Flooding of the continental shelves as a contributor to deglacial CH4 rise

Jed Oliver Kaplan

The transition from the last glacial and beginning of BollingAllerod and Pre-Boreal periods in particular is marked by rapid increases in atmospheric methane (CH4) concentrations. The CH4 concentratio

Wiley-Blackwell2012

ENV-410: Science of climate change

The course equips students with a comprehensive scientific understanding of climate change covering a wide range of topics from physical principles, historical climate change, greenhouse gas emissions

Sea level rise

Between 1901 and 2018, the average global sea level rose by , or an average of 1–2 mm per year. This rate accelerated to 4.62 mm/yr for the decade 2013–2022. Climate change due to human activities is the main cause. Between 1993 and 2018, thermal expansion of water accounted for 42% of sea level rise. Melting temperate glaciers accounted for 21%, with Greenland accounting for 15% and Antarctica 8%. Sea level rise lags changes in the Earth's temperature.

Quaternary glaciation

The Quaternary glaciation, also known as the Pleistocene glaciation, is an alternating series of glacial and interglacial periods during the Quaternary period that began 2.58 Ma (million years ago) and is ongoing. Although geologists describe this entire period up to the present as an "ice age", in popular culture this term usually refers to the most recent glacial period, or to the Pleistocene epoch in general. Since Earth still has polar ice sheets, geologists consider the Quaternary glaciation to be ongoing, though currently in an interglacial period.

Last Glacial Period

The Last Glacial Period (LGP), also known colloquially as the Last Ice Age or simply Ice Age, occurred from the end of the Eemian to the end of the Younger Dryas, encompassing the period 115,000-11,700 years ago. The LGP is part of a larger sequence of glacial and interglacial periods known as the Quaternary glaciation which started around 2,588,000 years ago and is ongoing. The definition of the Quaternary as beginning 2.58 million years ago (Mya) is based on the formation of the Arctic ice cap.

Climate Sensitivity: Historical Climate Change Overview ENV-410: Science of climate change

Provides an overview of historical climate change, focusing on methane emissions, equilibrium climate sensitivity, and climate model evolution.

Paleoclimate: Climate Change Patterns ENV-410: Science of climate change

Explores paleoclimate through ice cores, isotopes, and temperature reconstructions, highlighting the influence of Earth's orbit and greenhouse gases on climate patterns.

Biomineralization: Paleoclimatology and Foraminifera

Explores paleoclimatology using foraminifera as proxies and addresses the Cool-tropics Paradox.