- Mercer (1969) suggested that the onset of the Younger Dryas marks
a major influx of tabular icebergs from a disintegrating Arctic ice shelf.
- Ruddiman and McIntyre(1981) use evidence from the deep sea cores
to support Mercer hypothesis.
- Boyle and Keigwin(1987) call on shifts in the pattern of orographic winds in response to the retreat of the ice sheets as a possible cause.
The problem with these and other proposals is that they do not make a convincing case as to how such a large change in regional climate could be so quickly initiated and quickly terminated.(Broecker, 88)
The only proposal which may offer a logistical explanation is that of Johnson and McClure(1976) which calls upon diversions of meltwater between the Mississippi and St. Lawrence. Rooth (1982) pursued this idea and suggesting that the impact of this diversion was to turn off deepwater production in the North Atlantic.
