Last Interglacial

The warm interval between the penultimate and last glacial periods, about 129,000 to 116,000 years ago. It is also called the Eemian in Europe.

Milankovitch cycles: Long-term variations in Earth's orbit and axial orientation that alter the distribution of incoming solar radiation. High-latitude summer insolation helped initiate and sustain the interval's warmth.
Eemian: The European name for the Last Interglacial, based on deposits and biological evidence in the Eem region of Germany. This regional stage name is commonly used for the interval in European geology.
Pleistocene: The geological epoch from about 2.58 million to 11,700 years ago, marked by repeated glacial cycles. The Last Interglacial is one warm phase within this epoch's repeated climate swings.
Holocene: The current geological epoch, beginning about 11,700 years ago after the last glacial period. It is the present interglacial, with different orbital conditions and human influences.
Ice-albedo feedback: A climate feedback in which changes in ice cover alter reflectivity and amplify temperature changes. Shrinking ice sheets reduced reflectivity, reinforcing warming during the interval.
Sangamonian: The North American geological stage commonly correlated with the Last Interglacial. This is the principal North American stratigraphic name associated with the interval.
Interglacial: A warm interval between glacial periods, when continental ice sheets retreat and global temperatures rise. The Last Interglacial is a named example of this recurring climate state.
Last Glacial Period: The cold interval following the Last Interglacial and ending with the onset of the Holocene. It followed the warm interval and brought renewed expansion of continental ice sheets.
Atlantic meridional overturning circulation: A system of Atlantic Ocean currents that transports heat northward and returns deep water southward. Its changes influenced how warmth and precipitation were distributed around the North Atlantic.
MIS 5e: The marine isotope substage marking the peak of the Last Interglacial in deep-sea climate records. It identifies the interval's central warm phase in a global ocean-sediment framework.

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