ABSTRACT
After the last glacial maximum, atmospheric warming gradually led to the eventual disappearance of the Eurasian and Laurentide ice sheets as well as many smaller ice caps, ice fields and valley glaciers. These changes led to a complex global response. For example, the rate of glacio-eustatic sea level rise was dictated by the patterns of ice melting while the enormous influx of fresh water into the world’s oceans led to substantial changes in global ocean circulation. Furthermore, the melting of the large ice sheets of the northern hemisphere led to a complete reorganisation of global atmospheric circulation.
