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Abstract The GISP2 oxygen isotope record, with its high-resolution detail, yields crucial information on past climate change. The glacial δ 18 O oscillations of the GISP2 core, with their very fast onsets, are templates of a prototype oscillation of variable duration with an amplitude of 3.9‰. The halfway mark of the cold–warm transition is reached in 2 years; the top is reached in 50 years. The δ 18 O–time gradient of the leading front is about 7.8‰ per 100 yr. After reaching the top, δ 18 O slowly declines by −0.14‰ per 100 yr. The duration of δ 18 O decline varies from a couple of centuries for fast oscillations to about 4000 yr for slower ones. The subsequent δ 18 O downturn during the warm–cold transition has a δ 18 O–time gradient of −3.2‰ per 100 yr and lasts about 80 yr.
Stuiver et al. (2000) studied this question.