Paleoclimate proxy records from Greenland ice cores, archiving e.g. $$\delta ^{18}$$ O as a proxy for surface temperature, show that sudden climatic shifts called Dansgaard–Oeschger events (DO) occurred repeatedly during the last glacial interval. They comprised substantial warming of the Arctic region from cold to milder conditions. Concomitant abrupt changes in the dust concentrations of the same ice cores suggest that sudde...