The Holocene spans the last 11,700years, and was an interval of more stable climate than the last glacial period, but still marked by significant climate variability. Records of climate proxies reconstructed from marine sediments show periods of colder and warmer climates. Prominent among these oscillations are the Holocene Climate Optimum (HCO), the medieval warm period (MWP) and the Little Ice Age (LIA). Superimposed on these events were multi-decadal- to century-scale ice-rafting maxima (the so-called Bond cycles), by some interpreted as cooling events. Causes of the climate variability in the Holocene remain uncertain, and even the extent to which the short-term cooling events are true events or artifacts resulting from under-sampling annual cycles is under discussion. However, the intensity and relative dominance of the major deep ocean currents that form the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation—the North Atlantic Deep Water and Antarctic Bottom Water- are likely important factors in Holocene climate variability.
