Pleistocene glacial history of the New Zealand subantarctic islands

A multidisciplinary study of the New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands reveals that significant glaciation occurred during Marine Isotope Stage 10 (~384,000 years ago) and a restricted glacial period around 72–62 thousand years ago, rather than at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The research, combining geomorphological surveys, sedimentary analyses, dating, and glacier modeling, challenges previous assumptions about LGM glaciation. Findings suggest that despite cooler temperatures during the LGM, high seasonality and low precipitation prevented substantial ice formation. Instead, northward expansion of winter sea ice likely led to reduced precipitation, limiting glacial extent.

Rainsley, E., Turney, C. S. M., Golledge, N. R., Wilmshurst, J. M., McGlone, M. S., Hogg, A. G., Li, B., Thomas, Z. A., Roberts, R., Jones, R. T., Palmer, J. G., Flett, V., de Wet, G., Hutchinson, D. K., Lipson, M. J., Fenwick, P., Hines, B. R., Binetti, U., & Fogwill, C. J. (2019). Pleistocene glacial history of the New Zealand subantarctic islands. Climate of the Past, 15(2), 423–448. https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-423-2019