{
  "abstract": "The Marine Isotope Stage 7 (MIS 7, ~ 245–190 ka) displays an unusual morphology compared to the other interglacials of the late Pleistocene. It comprises two major warm periods (MIS 7e and MIS 7c) each preceded by multi-millennial-scale warming intervals (Termination III (TIII) and TIIIa, respectively) and separated by a brief return to glacial conditions (MIS 7d). When considered as two distinct warm phases, MIS 7 has been compared to the 41-ka obliquity-driven climate cycles of the pre-mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) world. However, a coherent spatio-temporal picture of MIS 7 surface temperature remains lacking to enable a comprehensive comparison with other interglacials. Here we compiled 132 high-resolution (better than 4 ka) sea surface temperature (SST) records derived from 85 marine sites over the time interval 260–190 ka. In order to provide a spatio-temporal comparison of these records, we (i) align them on a common temporal framework relying on the AICC2023 reference ice core chronology and (ii) recompute SSTs using a homogenized proxy-calibration, both steps applying Bayesian and Monte Carlo approaches to quantify the attached uncertainty. Finally, we produce global and regional stacks of SST anomalies relative to the pre-industrial covering TIII and the following MIS 7. Our results evidence that global mean surface temperature remains below pre-industrial (PI) values over both MIS 7e (-1.4 ± 0.3 °C) and MIS 7c (-1.0 ± 0.3 °C) periods. The warmest phase across MIS 7 occurs during the MIS 7c substage, a period when atmospheric CO2 concentrations are 30 ppm lower than during MIS 7e, highlighting a decoupling between radiative forcing and the global surface temperature response. In addition, TIII exhibits a greater warming amplitude than TIIIa, both globally and regionally. The spatial and temporal dynamics of the two terminations differ markedly. TIII follows a \"classic\" sequential deglaciation pattern, with an early warming initiated in the Southern Hemisphere, which then gradually propagates toward the Northern Hemisphere. In contrast, TIIIa displays near-synchronous warming across all latitudes, lacking the interhemispheric pattern typical of classical terminations. This suggests that TIIIa is not a standard glacial termination, but rather a distinct climatic transition. Supporting this, correlation analyses between orbital parameters and regional SST stacks evidence the role of obliquity in shaping MIS 7 temperature records, likely due to the most extreme obliquity values of the Pleistocene occurring over this period. We therefore propose that TIIIa is the result of a self-sustained climatic oscillation that temporarily re-synchronised to the 41-ka cycles because of an exceptional orbital context. As a result, MIS 7 represents a hybrid interglacial, embedded within the post-MPT 100-ka framework, yet shaped by obliquity-driven forcing such as during the early Pleistocene.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Etienne Legrain"
    },
    {
      "name": "Nathan Stevenard"
    },
    {
      "name": "Emilie Capron"
    },
    {
      "name": "Frédéric Parrenin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Natalia Vazquez Riveiros"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b8sa8m7fgra0y.bib",
  "cited_by": 1,
  "doi": "10.5194/cp-22-1223-2026",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "b8sa8m7fgra0y",
  "issns": [
    "1814-9324",
    "1814-9332"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05854049v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "hal",
      "0.sdu"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1902|Geology and Paleoclimatology Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W4416784314",
  "pdf_url": "https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/22/1223/2026/cp-22-1223-2026.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-05",
  "publisher": "European Geosciences Union (EGU) [2005-....]",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b8sa8m7fgra0y.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T12:20:44Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05854049",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05854049v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:1902|Geology and Paleoclimatology Research",
      "subfield": "atmospheric"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The Marine Isotopic Stage 7: a relic of the “41 ka world”? Perspectives from a global-scale sea-surface temperature synthesis",
  "title_text": "The Marine Isotopic Stage 7: a relic of the “41 ka world”? Perspectives from a global-scale sea-surface temperature synthesis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:20:25Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/b8sa8m7fgra0y",
  "venue": "Climate of the Past",
  "versions": []
}