Younger Dryas

The Younger Dryas was a cold interval about 12,900–11,700 years ago that interrupted warming near the end of the last ice age.

Atlantic meridional overturning circulation: A system of Atlantic Ocean currents that transports heat northward and returns cold water at depth. Its weakening is a leading explanation for abrupt North Atlantic cooling during the Younger Dryas.
Last Glacial Maximum: The peak of the last ice age, when global ice sheets and glaciers reached their greatest extent. It anchors the broader glacial climate from which postglacial warming began.
Younger Dryas stadial: The cold phase in the North Atlantic region from about 12,900 to 11,700 years ago. This is the regional climate expression that gives the interval its name.
Younger Dryas Boundary: A layer at the onset of the Younger Dryas reported to contain unusual geochemical and microscopic materials. Its interpretation underlies disputed claims of an impact-related environmental catastrophe.
North Atlantic Deep Water: Cold, dense water formed in the North Atlantic that flows southward through the deep ocean. Reduced formation would have curtailed ocean heat transport during the cold interval.
Bølling–Allerød: A relatively warm interval in the North Atlantic region from about 14,700 to 12,900 years ago. The Younger Dryas interrupted the warming established during this preceding interval.
NGRIP ice core: A deep ice core drilled at the North Greenland Ice Core Project site. Its abrupt isotope changes help locate the interval's onset and termination.
Megafaunal extinction: The late Pleistocene disappearance of many large animal species across several continents. Its timing overlaps the Younger Dryas in some regions, though causes remain debated.
Agassiz Ice Lake: A vast glacial lake that occupied parts of central North America as the ice sheet melted. Its drainage may have sent freshwater into the North Atlantic and disrupted circulation.
Holocene: The current geological epoch, beginning about 11,700 years ago after the last glacial period. Its onset marks the abrupt end of the Younger Dryas in the standard chronology.

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