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Creators/Authors contains: "Kirk, Marie"

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  1. We present new measurements of methane (CH4), nitrogen isotopes (d15N-N2), and total air content (TAC) from the North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM), North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP), and Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) Greenland ice cores from the Last Glacial Maximum through the late Holocene (0 to ~18 thousand years before present [ka BP]). These records provide insight into spatial pattern of Greenland climate evolution across the deglaciation and the Holocene Thermal Maximum. The methane data allow for gas-phase synchronization of ice cores across Greenland and Antarctica, providing empirical delta age reconstructions. The nitrogen isotopic composition data allow for reconstruction of abrupt Greenland surface climate variations, which is provided for all 3 sites. Data are a combination of measurements conducted at Oregon State University, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the National Institute for Polar Research using previously established techniques. 
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  2. Abstract Holocene temperature evolution remains poorly understood. Proxies in the early and mid‐Holocene suggest a Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) where temperatures exceed the pre‐industrial, whereas climate models generally simulate monotonic warming. This discrepancy may reflect proxy seasonality biases or errors in climate model internal feedbacks or dynamics. Using seasonally unbiased ice core reconstructions at NEEM, NGRIP, and Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2, we identify a Greenland HTM of ∼2°C above pre‐industrial, in agreement with other Northern Hemisphere proxy reconstructions. The firn‐based reconstructions are verified through borehole thermometry, producing a multi‐core, multi‐proxy reconstruction of Greenland climate from the last glacial to pre‐industrial. HTM timing across Greenland is heterogenous, occurring earlier at high elevations. Total air content measurements suggest a temperature contribution from elevation changes; regional oceanographic conditions, a weakened polar lapse rate, or variable near‐surface inversions may also be important sensitivities. Our reconstructions support climate simulations with dynamic Holocene vegetation, highlighting the importance of vegetation feedbacks. 
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