Our understanding of how global climatic changes are translated into ice-sheet fluctuations and sea-level change is currently limited by a lack of knowledge of the configuration of ice sheets prior to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Here, we compile a synthesis of empirical data and numerical modelling results related to pre-LGM ice sheets to produce new hypotheses regarding their extent in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) at 17 time-slices that span the Quaternary. Our reconstructions illustrate pronounced ice-sheet asymmetry within the last glacial cycle and significant variations in ice-marginal positions between older glacial cycles. We find support for a significant reduction in the extent of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) during MIS 3, implying that global sea levels may have been 30-40 m higher than most previous estimates. Our ice-sheet reconstructions illustrate the current state-of-the-art knowledge of pre-LGM ice sheets and provide a conceptual framework to interpret NH landscape evolution.

Department of Geography Durham University DH1 3LE Durham UK

Department of Geography University of Cambridge Scott Polar Research Institute CB2 1ER Cambridge UK

Department of Geography University of Sussex BN1 9RH Brighton UK

Department of Geoscience and Petroleum Norwegian University of Science and Technology NO 7491 Trondheim Norway

Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology Charles University 128 43 Prague Czech Republic

Department of Zoology University of Cambridge CB2 3EJ Cambridge UK

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