1. |
- Acosta, R. P., et al.
(author)
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A Model-Data Comparison of the Hydrological Response to Miocene Warmth : Leveraging the MioMIP1 Opportunistic Multi-Model Ensemble
- 2024
-
In: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. - 2572-4517 .- 2572-4525. ; 39:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Miocene (23.03-5.33 Ma) is recognized as a period with close to modern-day paleogeography, yet a much warmer climate. With large uncertainties in future hydroclimate projections, Miocene conditions illustrate a potential future analog for the Earth system. A recent opportunistic Miocene Model Intercomparison Project 1 (MioMIP1) focused on synthesizing published Miocene climate simulations and comparing them with available temperature reconstructions. Here, we build on this effort by analyzing the hydrological cycle response to Miocene forcings across early-to-middle (E2MMIO; 20.03-11.6 Ma) and middle-to-late Miocene (M2LMIO; 11.5-5.33 Ma) simulations with CO2 concentrations ranging from 200 to 850 ppm and providing a model-data comparison against available precipitation reconstructions. We find global precipitation increases by similar to 2.1 and 2.3% per degree of warming for E2MMIO and M2LMIO simulations, respectively. Models generally agree on a wetter than modern-day tropics; mid and high-latitude, however, do not agree on the sign of subtropical precipitation changes with warming. Global monsoon analysis suggests most monsoon regions, except the North American Monsoon, experience higher precipitation rates under warmer conditions. Model-data comparison shows that mean annual precipitation is underestimated by the models regardless of CO2 concentration, particularly in the mid- to high-latitudes. This suggests that the models may not be (a) resolving key processes driving the hydrological cycle response to Miocene boundary conditions and/or (b) other boundary conditions or processes not considered here are critical to reproducing Miocene hydroclimate. This study highlights the challenges in modeling and reconstructing the Miocene hydrological cycle and serves as a baseline for future coordinated MioMIP efforts. This study looks at Earth's hydrological cycle during the Miocene (23-5 million years ago). During this period, the Earth's climate was 3-7 degrees C warmer than today, with carbon dioxide (CO2) estimates ranging between 400 and 850 ppm. Understanding how the hydrological cycle responded during warmer climate conditions can give us insight into what might happen as the Earth gets warmer. We analyzed a suite of Miocene paleoclimate simulations with different CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere and compared them against fossil plant data, which gives an estimate of the average annual rainfall during the period. We found that during the Miocene global rainfall increased by about 2.1%-2.3% for each degree of warming. The models agree that the tropics, mid- and high-latitude, became wetter than they are today but have lower agreement on whether subtropical areas got wetter or drier as they warmed. Compared to proxies, models consistently underestimated how much rain fell in a year, especially in the mid- to high-latitude. This illustrates the challenges in reconstructing the Miocene's hydrological cycle and suggests that the models might not fully capture the range of uncertainties associated with changes in the hydrological cycle due to warming or other factors that differentiated the Miocene. A multi-model comparison of the hydrological cycle in early-to-middle and middle-to-late Miocene simulations is conductedModels generally agree on wetter than modern tropics, middle and high latitudes, but not on the sign of subtropical precipitation changesModel-data comparison shows mean annual precipitation is underestimated by the models, particularly in the mid- to high-latitudes
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2. |
- Burls, N. J., et al.
(author)
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Simulating Miocene Warmth : Insights From an Opportunistic Multi-Model Ensemble (MioMIP1)
- 2021
-
In: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. - 2572-4517 .- 2572-4525. ; 36:5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Miocene epoch, spanning 23.03-5.33 Ma, was a dynamic climate of sustained, polar amplified warmth. Miocene atmospheric CO2 concentrations are typically reconstructed between 300 and 600 ppm and were potentially higher during the Miocene Climatic Optimum (16.75-14.5 Ma). With surface temperature reconstructions pointing to substantial midlatitude and polar warmth, it is unclear what processes maintained the much weaker-than-modern equator-to-pole temperature difference. Here, we synthesize several Miocene climate modeling efforts together with available terrestrial and ocean surface temperature reconstructions. We evaluate the range of model-data agreement, highlight robust mechanisms operating across Miocene modeling efforts and regions where differences across experiments result in a large spread in warming responses. Prescribed CO2 is the primary factor controlling global warming across the ensemble. On average, elements other than CO2, such as Miocene paleogeography and ice sheets, raise global mean temperature by similar to 2 degrees C, with the spread in warming under a given CO2 concentration (due to a combination of the spread in imposed boundary conditions and climate feedback strengths) equivalent to similar to 1.2 times a CO2 doubling. This study uses an ensemble of opportunity: models, boundary conditions, and reference data sets represent the state-of-art for the Miocene, but are inhomogeneous and not ideal for a formal intermodel comparison effort. Acknowledging this caveat, this study is nevertheless the first Miocene multi-model, multi-proxy comparison attempted so far. This study serves to take stock of the current progress toward simulating Miocene warmth while isolating remaining challenges that may be well served by community-led efforts to coordinate modeling and data activities within a common analytical framework.
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3. |
- Bradshaw, Catherine D., et al.
(author)
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Hydrological impact of Middle Miocene Antarctic ice-free areas coupled to deep ocean temperatures
- 2021
-
In: Nature Geoscience. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1752-0894 .- 1752-0908. ; 14, s. 429-436
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Oxygen isotopes from ocean sediments (δ18O) used to reconstruct past continental ice volumes additionally record deep water temperatures (DWTs). Traditionally, these are assumed to be coupled (ice-volume changes cause DWT changes). However, δ18O records during peak Middle Miocene warmth (~16–15 million years ago) document large rapid fluctuations (~1–1.5‰) difficult to explain as huge Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) volume changes. Here, using climate modelling and data comparisons, we show DWTs are coupled to AIS spatial extent, not volume, because Antarctic albedo changes modify the hydrological cycle, affecting Antarctic deep water production regions. We suggest the Middle Miocene AIS had retreated substantially from previous Oligocene maxima. The residual ice sheet varied spatially more rapidly on orbital timescales than previously thought, enabling large DWT swings (up to 4 °C). When Middle Miocene warmth terminated (~13 million years ago) and a continent-scale AIS had stabilized, further ice-volume changes were predominantly in height rather than extent, with little impact on DWT. Our findings imply a shift in ocean sensitivity to ice-sheet changes occurs when AIS retreat exposes previously ice-covered land; associated feedbacks could reduce the Earth system’s ability to maintain a large AIS. This demonstrates ice-sheet changes should be characterized not only by ice volume but also by spatial extent.
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4. |
- Lunt, Daniel J., et al.
(author)
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DeepMIP : model intercomparison of early Eocene climatic optimum (EECO) large-scale climate features and comparison with proxy data
- 2021
-
In: Climate of the Past. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1814-9324 .- 1814-9332. ; 17:1, s. 203-227
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present results from an ensemble of eight climate models, each of which has carried out simulations of the early Eocene climate optimum (EECO, similar to 50 million years ago). These simulations have been carried out in the framework of the Deep-Time Model Intercomparison Project (DeepMIP; http://www.deepmip.org , last access: 10 January 2021); thus, all models have been configured with the same paleogeographic and vegetation boundary conditions. The results indicate that these non-CO2 boundary conditions contribute between 3 and 5 degrees C to Eocene warmth. Compared with results from previous studies, the DeepMIP simulations generally show a reduced spread of the global mean surface temperature response across the ensemble for a given atmospheric CO2 concentration as well as an increased climate sensitivity on average. An energy balance analysis of the model ensemble indicates that global mean warming in the Eocene compared with the preindustrial period mostly arises from decreases in emissivity due to the elevated CO2 concentration (and associated water vapour and long-wave cloud feedbacks), whereas the reduction in the Eocene in terms of the meridional temperature gradient is primarily due to emissivity and albedo changes owing to the non-CO2 boundary conditions (i.e. the removal of the Antarctic ice sheet and changes in vegetation). Three of the models (the Community Earth System Model, CESM; the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, GFDL, model; and the Norwegian Earth System Model, NorESM) show results that are consistent with the proxies in terms of the global mean temperature, meridional SST gradient, and CO2, without prescribing changes to model parameters. In addition, many of the models agree well with the first-order spatial patterns in the SST proxies. However, at a more regional scale, the models lack skill. In particular, the modelled anomalies are substantially lower than those indicated by the proxies in the southwest Pacific; here, modelled continental surface air temperature anomalies are more consistent with surface air temperature proxies, implying a possible inconsistency between marine and terrestrial temperatures in either the proxies or models in this region. Our aim is that the documentation of the large-scale features and model-data comparison presented herein will pave the way to further studies that explore aspects of the model simulations in more detail, for example the ocean circulation, hydrological cycle, and modes of variability, and encourage sensitivity studies to aspects such as paleogeography, orbital configuration, and aerosols.
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5. |
- Coxall, Helen K., et al.
(author)
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Export of nutrient rich Northern Component Water preceded early Oligocene Antarctic glaciation
- 2018
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In: Nature Geoscience. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1752-0894 .- 1752-0908. ; 11:3, s. 190-196
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The onset of the North Atlantic Deep Water formation is thought to have coincided with Antarctic ice-sheet growth about 34 million years ago (Ma). However, this timing is debated, in part due to questions over the geochemical signature of the ancient Northern Component Water (NCW) formed in the deep North Atlantic. Here we present detailed geochemical records from North Atlantic sediment cores located close to sites of deep-water formation. We find that prior to 36 Ma, the northwestern Atlantic was stratified, with nutrient-rich, low-salinity bottom waters. This restricted basin transitioned into a conduit for NCW that began flowing southwards approximately one million years before the initial Antarctic glaciation. The probable trigger was tectonic adjustments in subarctic seas that enabled an increased exchange across the Greenland-Scotland Ridge. The increasing surface salinity and density strengthened the production of NCW. The late Eocene deep-water mass differed in its carbon isotopic signature from modern values as a result of the leakage of fossil carbon from the Arctic Ocean. Export of this nutrient-laden water provided a transient pulse of CO2 to the Earth system, which perhaps caused short-term warming, whereas the long-term effect of enhanced NCW formation was a greater northward heat transport that cooled Antarctica.
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6. |
- de Boer, Agatha M., et al.
(author)
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The control of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies on the position of the Subtropical Front
- 2013
-
In: Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 2169-9275 .- 2169-9291. ; 118:10, s. 5669-5675
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In recent years the latitudinal position of the Subtropical Front (STF) has emerged as a key parameter in the global climate. A poleward positioned front is thought to allow a greater salt flux from the Indian to the Atlantic Ocean and so drive a stronger Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Here the common view that the STF aligns with the zero wind stress curl (WSC) is challenged. Based on the STF climatologies of Orsi et al. (1995), Belkin and Gordon (1996), Graham and De Boer (2013), and on satellite scatterometry winds, we find that the zero WSC contour lies on average ∼10°, ∼8°, and ∼5° poleward of the front for the three climatologies, respectively. The circulation in the region between the Subtropical Gyres and the zero WSC contour is not forced by the WSC but rather by the strong bottom pressure torque that is a result of the interaction of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current with the ocean floor topography. The actual control of the position of the STF is crucially dependent on whether the front is regarded as simply a surface water mass boundary or a dynamical front. For the Agulhas Leakage problem, the southern boundary of the so-called Super Gyre may be the most relevant property but this cannot easily be identified in observations.
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7. |
- Goudsmit-Harzevoort, Barbara, et al.
(author)
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The Relationship Between the Global Mean Deep-Sea and Surface Temperature During the Early Eocene
- 2023
-
In: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. - 2572-4517 .- 2572-4525. ; 38:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Estimates of global mean near-surface air temperature (global SAT) for the Cenozoic era rely largely on paleo-proxy data of deep-sea temperature (DST), with the assumption that changes in global SAT covary with changes in the global mean deep-sea temperature (global DST) and global mean sea-surface temperature (global SST). We tested the validity of this assumption by analyzing the relationship between global SST, SAT, and DST using 25 different model simulations from the Deep-Time Model Intercomparison Project simulating the early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO) with varying CO2 levels. Similar to the modern situation, we find limited spatial variability in DST, indicating that local DST estimates can be regarded as a first order representative of global DST. In line with previously assumed relationships, linear regression analysis indicates that both global DST and SAT respond stronger to changes in atmospheric CO2 than global SST by a similar factor. Consequently, this model-based analysis validates the assumption that changes in global DST can be used to estimate changes in global SAT during the early Cenozoic. Paleo-proxy estimates of global DST, SST, and SAT during EECO show the best fit with model simulations with a 1,680 ppm atmospheric CO2 level. This matches paleo-proxies of EECO atmospheric CO2, indicating a good fit between models and proxy-data.
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8. |
- Graham, Robert M., et al.
(author)
-
Identifying sources and transport pathways of iron in the Southern Ocean
-
In: Deep Sea Research Part I. - 0967-0637 .- 1879-0119.
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Over large regions of the global ocean primary productivity is limited by the availability of dissolved iron. Changes in the supply of iron to these regions could have major impacts on primary productivity and the carbon cycle. One of the largest sources of dissolved iron to the ocean is thought to be from shelf sediments, and this source is often parameterized in biogeochemical models as a depth dependent iron flux through the seafloor. Using the knowledge that Southern Ocean surface waters are iron limited, we infer source regions of iron to the Southern Ocean by identifying where the most intense chlorophyll blooms develop. We further derive surface current patterns from satellite sea surface height fields to assess the role of the ocean circulation in transporting iron away from these source regions. We find a tight relationship between satellite chlorophyll concentrations and sea surface height. Large chlorophyll blooms develop on the shelf and where the western boundary currents detach from the continental shelves and turn eastward into the Southern Ocean. This is likely due to shelf supplied iron becoming entrained into western boundary currents and advected into the Southern Ocean along the Dynamical Subtropical Front. The most intense chlorophyll blooms are located along coastal margins of islands and continents. Blooms do not develop over submerged seamounts or plateaus in the open ocean. This suggests that shelf sediments in coastal regions act as large bioavailable iron sources to the Southern Ocean. We recommend that a more accurate method of parameterizing the shelf sediment iron flux could be to prescribe this flux only through grid cells neighboring coastlines. Finally, we hypothesize how changes in sea level during glacial-interglacial cycles may have altered the distribution of shelf sediment iron sources in the Southern Ocean and helped to drive export production anomalies in the Sub-Antarctic Zone.
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9. |
- Graham, Robert M., et al.
(author)
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Inferring source regions and supply mechanisms of iron in the Southern Ocean from satellite chlorophyll data
- 2015
-
In: Deep Sea Research Part I. - : Elsevier BV. - 0967-0637 .- 1879-0119. ; 104, s. 9-25
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Primary productivity is limited by the availability of iron over large areas of the global ocean. Changes in the supply of iron to these regions could have major impacts on primary productivity and the carbon cycle. However, source regions and supply mechanisms of iron to the global oceans remain poorly constrained. Shelf sediments are considered one of the largest sources of dissolved iron to the global ocean, and a large shelf sediment iron flux is prescribed in many biogeochemical models over all areas of bathymetry shallower than 1000 m. Here, we infer the likely location of shelf sediment iron sources in the Southern Ocean, by identifying where satellite chlorophyll concentrations are enhanced over shallow bathymetry (< 1000 m). We further compare chlorophyll concentrations with the position of ocean fronts, to assess the relative role of horizontal advection and upwelling for supplying iron to the ocean surface. We show that mean annual chlorophyll concentrations are not visibly enhanced over areas of shallow bathymetry that are located more than 500 km from a coastline. Mean annual chlorophyll concentrations > 2 mg m(-3) are only found within 50 km of a continental or island coastline. These results suggest that sedimentary iron sources only exist on continental and island shelves. Large sedimentary iron fluxes do not seem present on seamounts and submerged plateaus. Large chlorophyll blooms develop where the western boundary currents detach from the continental shelves, and turn eastward into the Sub-Antarctic Zone. Chlorophyll concentrations are enhanced along contours of sea surface height extending off the continental shelves, as shown by the trajectories of virtual water parcels in satellite altimetry data. These analyses support the hypothesis that bioavailable iron from continental shelves is entrained into western boundary currents, and advected into the Sub-Antarctic Zone along the Dynamical Subtropical Front. Our results indicate that upwelling at fronts in the open ocean is unlikely to deliver iron to the ocean surface from deep sources. Finally, we hypothesise how a reduction in sea level may have altered the distribution of shelf sediment iron sources in the Southern Ocean and increased export production over the Sub-Antarctic Zone during glacial intervals.
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10. |
- Graham, Robert M., et al.
(author)
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Southern Ocean fronts : Controlled by wind or topography?
- 2012
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research. - 0148-0227 .- 2156-2202. ; 117
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The location of fronts has a direct influence on both the physical and biological processes in the Southern Ocean. Here we explore the relative importance of bottom topography and winds for the location of Southern Ocean fronts, using 100 years of a control and climate change simulation from the high resolution coupled climate model HiGEM. Topography has primary control on the number and intensity of fronts at each longitude. However, there is no strong relationship between the position or spacing of jets and underlying topographic gradients because of the effects of upstream and downstream topography. The Southern Hemisphere Westerlies intensify and shift south by 1.3 degrees in the climate change simulation, but there is no comparable meridional displacement of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current's (ACC) path or the fronts within its boundaries, even over flat topography. Instead, the current contracts meridionally and weakens. North of the ACC, the Subtropical Front (STF) shifts south gradually, even over steep topographic ridges. We suggest the STF reacts more strongly to the wind shift because it is strongly surface intensified. In contrast, fronts within the ACC are more barotropic and are therefore more sensitive to the underlying topography. An assessment of different methods for identifying jets reveals that maxima of gradients in the sea surface height field are the most reliable. Approximating the position of fronts using sea surface temperature gradients is ineffective at high latitudes while using sea surface height contours can give misleading results when studying the temporal variability of front locations.
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11. |
- Graham, Robert M., 1988-, et al.
(author)
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The Dynamical Subtropical Front
- 2013
-
In: Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 2169-9275 .- 2169-9291. ; 118:10, s. 5676-5685
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Southern Ocean Subtropical Front (STF) is thought to play a key role in the global climate system. Theory suggests that the latitude of the STF regulates the volume of saline Agulhas Leakage into the Atlantic Ocean from the Indian. Here we use satellite sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH) data to study the physical characteristics of the STF water mass boundary. We find that the strong currents in this region do not align with the surface water mass boundary. Therefore, we provide a new climatology for these currents which we define as the Dynamical STF (DSTF). The DSTF is the eastward extension of the western boundary current in each basin and is characterized by strong SST and SSH gradients and no seasonal cycle. At the center of each basin it merges with the Sub-Antarctic Front. On the eastern side of basins, the STF surface water mass boundary coincides with a separate region of multiple SST fronts. We call this the Subtropical Frontal Zone (STFZ). The fronts in the STFZ have a large seasonal cycle and no SSH signature. Despite lying close to the same water mass boundary, the DSTF and STFZ are completely unrelated. We therefore suggest the term STF only be used when referring to the surface water mass boundary. When studying the strong currents on the western side of basins the term DSTF is more relevant and, similarly, the term STFZ better describes the region of enhanced SST gradients towards the east.
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12. |
- Graham, Robert M., 1988-
(author)
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The Location and Variability of Southern ocean Fronts
- 2013
-
Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The location of fronts has a direct influence on both the physical and biological processes in the Southern Ocean. Moreover, the Subtropical Front (STF) is believed play a key role in the global climate system. Model simulations have shown that a wind induced poleward shift of the STF may strengthen the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation by allowing a stronger salt flux from the Indian to the Atlantic Ocean. This hypothesis has important implications for our future climate, as global warming scenarios predict an intensification and southward shift of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies. Nonetheless, confirmation of the theory has been limited by a lack of data and also our poor dynamical understanding of fronts. In this thesis we produce a new working dynamical definition of the STF and study the relation of this and other Southern Ocean fronts to the winds and topography.We first explore the relative importance of bottom topography and winds for determining the location and structure of Southern Ocean fronts, using 100 years of a control and climate change simulation on the high resolution coupled climate model HiGEM. Topography has primary control on the number and intensity of fronts at each longitude. However, there is no strong relationship between the position or spacing of jets and underlying topographic gradients because of the effects of upstream and downstream topography. The Southern Hemisphere Westerlies intensify and shift south by 1.3° in the climate change simulation, but there is no comparable meridional displacement of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current’s (ACC) path or the fronts within its boundaries, even over flat topography. Instead, the current contracts meridionally and weakens. North of the ACC, the STF shifts south gradually, even over steep topographic ridges. We suggest the STF reacts more strongly to the wind shift because it is strongly surface intensified. In contrast, fronts within the ACC are more barotropic and are therefore more sensitive to the underlying topography.We then use satellite sea surface temperature (SST) data to show that the traditional STF, as defined by water mass properties, is comprised of two distinct dynamical regimes. On the western side of each basin the traditional STF coincides with a deep current that has strong SST gradients and no seasonal cycle. We define this as the Dynamical STF (DSTF). Further east, the DSTF diverges from the traditional STF and tracks south-eastwards into the centre of each basin to merge with the Sub-Antarctic Front. The traditional STF continues to the eastern side of the basins where it coincides with the so-called Subtropical Frontal Zone, a zone of shallow SST fronts that have little transport and large seasonal cycles.Finally, we compare the position of our DSTF and previous STF climatologies to the mean wind stress curl field, from satellite scatterometry winds. We find that contrary to previous suggestions, the position of the STF does not coincide with the zero or maximum wind stress curl. Using output from the HiGEM model we show that instead of being controlled purely by the wind field, transport south of the subtropical gyre, including the latitude of the zero wind stress curl, is forced strongly by the bottom pressure torque that is a product of the interaction of the ACC with the ocean floor topography.Here in these studies we have provided a new simple and reproducible method for identifying fronts. We have also given new insights into the seasonal and decadal variability of fronts, as well as how fronts may respond to future climate change. This has highlighted previous misconceptions regarding the relationship between the position of fronts and winds. Finally we have provided a new framework to study the behaviour of the STF and interpret observations, paving the way for better predictions on the likelihood and impact of future STF changes.
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13. |
- Inglis, Gordon N., et al.
(author)
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Global mean surface temperature and climate sensitivity of the early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO), Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), and latest Paleocene
- 2020
-
In: Climate of the Past. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1814-9324 .- 1814-9332. ; 16:5, s. 1953-1968
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Accurate estimates of past global mean surface temperature (GMST) help to contextualise future climate change and are required to estimate the sensitivity of the climate system to CO2 forcing through Earth's history. Previous GMST estimates for the latest Paleocene and early Eocene (similar to 57 to 48 million years ago) span a wide range (similar to 9 to 23 degrees C higher than pre-industrial) and prevent an accurate assessment of climate sensitivity during this extreme greenhouse climate interval. Using the most recent data compilations, we employ a multi-method experimen- tal framework to calculate GMST during the three DeepMIP target intervals: (1) the latest Paleocene (similar to 57 Ma), (2) the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; 56 Ma), and (3) the early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO; 53.3 to 49.1 Ma). Using six different methodologies, we find that the average GMST estimate (66% confidence) during the latest Paleocene, PETM, and EECO was 26.3 degrees C (22.3 to 28.3 degrees C), 31.6 degrees C (27.2 to 34.5 degrees C), and 27.0 degrees C (23.2 to 29.7 degrees C), respectively. GMST estimates from the EECO are similar to 10 to 16 degrees C warmer than pre-industrial, higher than the estimate given by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report (9 to 14 degrees C higher than pre-industrial). Leveraging the large signal associated with these extreme warm climates, we combine estimates of GMST and CO2 from the latest Paleocene, PETM, and EECO to calculate gross estimates of the average climate sensitivity between the early Paleogene and today. We demonstrate that bulk equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS; 66% confidence) during the latest Paleocene, PETM, and EECO is 4.5 degrees C (2.4 to 6.8 degrees C), 3.6 degrees C (2.3 to 4.7 degrees C), and 3.1 degrees C (1.8 to 4.4 degrees C) per doubling of CO2. These values are generally similar to those assessed by the IPCC (1.5 to 4.5 ffiC per doubling CO2) but appear incompatible with low ECS values (< 1 :5 per doubling CO2).
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14. |
- Schuster, U., et al.
(author)
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Measurements of total alkalinity and inorganic dissolved carbon in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent Southern Ocean between 2008 and 2010
- 2014
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In: Earth System Science Data. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1866-3508 .- 1866-3516. ; 6:1, s. 175-183
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Water column dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity were measured during five hydrographic sections in the Atlantic Ocean and Drake Passage. The work was funded through the Strategic Funding Initiative of the UK's Oceans2025 programme, which ran from 2007 to 2012. The aims of this programme were to establish the regional budgets of natural and anthropogenic carbon in the North Atlantic, the South Atlantic, and the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, as well as the rates of change of these budgets. This paper describes in detail the dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity data collected along east-west sections at 47 degrees N to 60 degrees N, 24.5 degrees N, and 24 degrees S in the Atlantic and across two Drake Passage sections. Other hydrographic and biogeochemical parameters were measured during these sections, and relevant standard operating procedures are mentioned here. Over 95% of dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity samples taken during the 24.5 degrees N, 24 degrees S, and the Drake Passage sections were analysed onboard and subjected to a first-level quality control addressing technical and analytical issues. Samples taken along 47 degrees N to 60 degrees N were analysed and subjected to quality control back in the laboratory. Complete post-cruise second-level quality control was performed using crossover analysis with historical data in the vicinity of measurements, and data were submitted to the CLIVAR and Carbon Hydrographic Data Office (CCHDO), the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) and and will be included in the Global Ocean Data Analyses Project, version 2 (GLODAP 2), the upcoming update of Key et al. (2004).
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15. |
- Sime, Louise C., et al.
(author)
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Southern Hemisphere westerly wind changes during the Last Glacial Maximum : model-data comparison
- 2013
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 64, s. 104-120
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Southern Hemisphere (SH) westerly winds are thought to be critical to global ocean circulation, productivity, and carbon storage. For example, an equatorward shift in the winds, though its affect on the Southern Ocean circulation, has been suggested as the leading cause for the reduction in atmospheric CO2 during the Last Glacial period. Despite the importance of the winds, it is currently not clear, from observations or model results, how they behave during the Last Glacial. Here, an atmospheric modelling study is performed to help determine likely changes in the SH westerly winds during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Using LGM boundary conditions, the maximum in SH westerlies is strengthened by similar to+1 m s(-1) and moved southward by similar to 2 degrees at the 850 hPa pressure level. Boundary layer stabilisation effects over equatorward extended LGM sea-ice can lead to a small apparent equatorward shift in the wind band at the surface. Further sensitivity analysis with individual boundary condition changes indicate that changes in sea surface temperatures are the strongest factor behind the wind change. The HadAM3 atmospheric simulations, along with published PMIP2 coupled climate model simulations, are then assessed against the newly synthesised database of moisture observations for the LGM. Although the moisture data is the most commonly cited evidence in support of a large equatorward shift in the SH winds during the LGM, none of the models that produce realistic LGM precipitation changes show such a large equatorward shift. In fact, the model which best simulates the moisture proxy data is the HadAM3 LGM simulation which shows a small poleward wind shift. While we cannot prove here that a large equatorward shift would not be able to reproduce the moisture data as well, we show that the moisture proxies do not provide an observational evidence base for it.
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16. |
- Thomas, M. D., et al.
(author)
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Upper ocean manifestations of a reducing meridional overturning circulation
- 2012
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In: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 39, s. L16609-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during the 21st century. Using a 100 year climate change integration of a high resolution coupled climate model, we show that a 5.3 Sv reduction in the deep southward transport in the subtropical North Atlantic is balanced solely by a weakening of the northward surface western boundary current, and not by an increase in the southward transport integrated across the interior ocean away from the western boundary. This is consistent with Sverdrup balance holding to a good approximation outside of the western boundary region on decadal time scales, and may help to spatially constrain past and future change in the overturning circulation. The subtropical gyre weakens by 3.4 Sv over the same period due to a weakened wind stress curl. These changes combine to give a net 8.7 Sv reduction in upper western boundary transport. Citation: Thomas, M. D., A. M. de Boer, D. P. Stevens, and H. L. Johnson (2012), Upper ocean manifestations of a reducing meridional overturning circulation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L16609, doi:10.1029/2012GL052702.
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17. |
- Vermassen, Flor, 1992-, et al.
(author)
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A seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean during the Last Interglacial
- 2023
-
In: Nature Geoscience. - 1752-0894 .- 1752-0908. ; 16:8, s. 723-729
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The extent and seasonality of Arctic sea ice during the Last Interglacial (129,000 to 115,000 years before present) is poorly known. Sediment-based reconstructions have suggested extensive ice cover in summer, while climate model outputs indicate year-round conditions in the Arctic Ocean ranging from ice free to fully ice covered. Here we use microfossil records from across the central Arctic Ocean to show that sea-ice extent was substantially reduced and summers were probably ice free. The evidence comes from high abundances of the subpolar planktic foraminifera Turborotalita quinqueloba in five newly analysed cores. The northern occurrence of this species is incompatible with perennial sea ice, which would be associated with a thick, low-salinity surface water. Instead, T. quinqueloba's ecological preference implies largely ice-free surface waters with seasonally elevated levels of primary productivity. In the modern ocean, this species thrives in the Fram Strait-Barents Sea 'Arctic-Atlantic gateway' region, implying that the necessary Atlantic Ocean-sourced water masses shoaled towards the surface during the Last Interglacial. This process reflects the ongoing Atlantification of the Arctic Ocean, currently restricted to the Eurasian Basin. Our results establish the Last Interglacial as a prime analogue for studying a seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean, expected to occur this century. The warm Last Interglacial led to a seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean and a transformation to Atlantic conditions, according to planktic foraminifera records from central Arctic Ocean sediment cores.
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18. |
- Zhang, Yurui, et al.
(author)
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Early Eocene Ocean Meridional Overturning Circulation : The Roles of Atmospheric Forcing and Strait Geometry
- 2022
-
In: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. - 2572-4517 .- 2572-4525. ; 37:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Here, we compare the ocean overturning circulation of the early Eocene (47–56 Ma) in eight coupled climate model simulations from the Deep-Time Model Intercomparison Project (DeepMIP) and investigate the causes of the observed inter-model spread. The most common global meridional overturning circulation (MOC) feature of these simulations is the anticlockwise bottom cell, fed by sinking in the Southern Ocean. In the North Pacific, one model (GFDL) displays strong deepwater formation and one model (CESM) shows weak deepwater formation, while in the Atlantic two models show signs of weak intermediate water formation (MIROC and NorESM). The location of the Southern Ocean deepwater formation sites varies among models and relates to small differences in model geometry of the Southern Ocean gateways. Globally, convection occurs in the basins with smallest local freshwater gain from the atmosphere. The global MOC is insensitive to atmospheric CO2 concentrations from 1× (i.e., 280 ppm) to 3× (840 ppm) pre-industrial levels. Only two models have simulations with higher CO2 (i.e., CESM and GFDL) and these show divergent responses, with a collapsed and active MOC, respectively, possibly due to differences in spin-up conditions. Combining the multiple model results with available proxy data on abyssal ocean circulation highlights that strong Southern Hemisphere-driven overturning is the most likely feature of the early Eocene. In the North Atlantic, unlike the present day, neither model results nor proxy data suggest deepwater formation in the open ocean during the early Eocene, while the evidence for deepwater formation in the North Pacific remains inconclusive.
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19. |
- Cramwinckel, Margot J., et al.
(author)
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Global and Zonal-Mean Hydrological Response to Early Eocene Warmth
- 2023
-
In: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. - 2572-4517 .- 2572-4525. ; 38:6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Earth's hydrological cycle is expected to intensify in response to global warming, with a wet-gets-wetter, dry-gets-drier response anticipated over the ocean. Subtropical regions (similar to 15 degrees-30 degrees N/S) are predicted to become drier, yet proxy evidence from past warm climates suggests these regions may be characterized by wetter conditions. Here we use an integrated data-modeling approach to reconstruct global and zonal-mean rainfall patterns during the early Eocene (similar to 56-48 million years ago). The Deep-Time Model Intercomparison Project (DeepMIP) model ensemble indicates that the mid-(30 degrees-60 degrees N/S) and high-latitudes (>60 degrees N/S) are characterized by a thermodynamically dominated hydrological response to warming and overall wetter conditions. The tropical band (0 degrees-15 degrees N/S) is also characterized by wetter conditions, with several DeepMIP models simulating narrowing of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone. However, the latter is not evident from the proxy data. The subtropics are characterized by negative precipitation-evaporation anomalies (i.e., drier conditions) in the DeepMIP models, but there is surprisingly large inter-model variability in mean annual precipitation (MAP). Intriguingly, we find that models with weaker meridional temperature gradients (e.g., CESM, GFDL) are characterized by a reduction in subtropical moisture divergence, leading to an increase in MAP. These model simulations agree more closely with our new proxy-derived precipitation reconstructions and other key climate metrics and imply that the early Eocene was characterized by reduced subtropical moisture divergence. If the meridional temperature gradient was even weaker than suggested by those DeepMIP models, circulation-induced changes may have outcompeted thermodynamic changes, leading to wetter subtropics. This highlights the importance of accurately reconstructing zonal temperature gradients when reconstructing past rainfall patterns. As the world warms, the atmosphere is able to hold more moisture however, this moisture will not fall evenly across the globe. Some regions are expected to become wetter, whereas other regions will become drier. This is the basis of the familiar paradigm wet-gets-wetter, dry-gets-drier and is largely supported by future model projections. However, evidence from the geological record contradicts this hypothesis and suggests that a warmer world could be characterized by wetter (rather than drier) subtropics. Here, we use an integrated data-modeling approach to investigate the hydrological response to warming during an ancient warm interval (the early Eocene, 56-48 million years ago). We show that models with weaker latitudinal temperature gradients are characterized by a reduction in subtropical moisture divergence. However, this was not sufficient to induce subtropical wetting. If the meridional temperature gradient was weaker than suggested by the models, circulation-induced changes may have lead to wetter subtropics. This work shows that the latitudinal temperature gradient is a key factor that influences hydroclimate in the subtropics, especially in past warm climates.
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20. |
- De Boer, Agatha M., et al.
(author)
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Control of the glacial carbon budget by topographically induced mixing
- 2014
-
In: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 41:12, s. 4277-4284
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Evidence for the oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO2 during glaciations suggests that there was less production of southern origin deep water but, paradoxically, a larger volume of southern origin water than today. Here we demonstrate, using a theoretical box model, that the inverse relationship between volume and production rate of this water mass can be explained by invoking mixing rates in the deep ocean that are proportional to topographic outcropping area scaled with ocean floor slope. Furthermore, we show that the resulting profile, of a near-linear decrease in mixing intensity away from the bottom, generates a positive feedback on CO2 uptake that can initiate a glacial cycle. The results point to the importance of using topography-dependent mixing when studying the large-scale ocean circulation, especially in the paleo-intercomparison models that have failed to produce the weaker and more voluminous bottom water of the Last Glacial Maximum.
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21. |
- de Boer, Agatha M., et al.
(author)
-
Interconnectivity Between Volume Transports Through Arctic Straits
- 2018
-
In: Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans. - 2169-9275 .- 2169-9291. ; 123:12, s. 8714-8729
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Arctic heat and freshwater budgets are highly sensitive to volume transports through the Arctic-Subarctic straits. Here we study the interconnectivity of volume transports through Arctic straits in three models; two coupled global climate models, one with a third-degree horizontal ocean resolution (High Resolution Global Environmental Model version 1.1 [HiGEM1.1]) and one with a twelfth-degree horizontal ocean resolution (Hadley Centre Global Environment Model 3 [HadGEM3]), and one ocean-only model with an idealized polar basin (tenth-degree horizontal resolution). The two global climate models indicate that there is a strong anticorrelation between the Bering Strait throughflow and the transport through the Nordic Seas, a second strong anticorrelation between the transport through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and the Nordic Seas transport, and a third strong anticorrelation is found between the Fram Strait and the Barents Sea throughflows. We find that part of the strait correlations is due to the strait transports being coincidentally driven by large-scale atmospheric forcing patterns. However, there is also a role for fast wave adjustments of some straits flows to perturbations in other straits since atmospheric forcing of individual strait flows alone cannot lead to near mass balance fortuitously every year. Idealized experiments with an ocean model (Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean version 3.6) that investigate such causal strait relations suggest that perturbations in the Bering Strait are compensated preferentially in the Fram Strait due to the narrowness of the western Arctic shelf and the deeper depth of the Fram Strait. Plain Language Summary The Arctic is one of the most fragile places on the Earth, facing double the rate of warming as the rest of the globe. This warming is partly due to melting of sea ice because open water reflects less sunlight than ice. One of the major controls on Arctic sea ice concentration is the heat flowing into the Arctic through its straits. However, due to the harsh conditions in the Arctic, there are limited long-term observations of the currents flowing through these straits. Here we turn to climate models to investigate these Arctic straits flows and in particular focus on how flows into and out of the Arctic balance each other. We find that in some instances specific pairs of strait flows are simultaneously affected by large-scale atmospheric. In other instances, the inflow through one strait flows out through another distant strait because of the way the ocean floor guides the currents. Traditionally, the flows through Arctic straits are studied in relation to local forces such as wind and sea level. Our work suggests value in a more holistic approach; one that also accounts for flow changes in a strait as a response to flow changes in other straits.
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22. |
- de Boer, Agatha M., et al.
(author)
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Processes driving thunderstorms over the Agulhas Current
- 2013
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In: JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 2169-897X. ; 118:5, s. 2220-2228
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lightning occurs predominantly over land and is not common over the open ocean. We study here one oceanic region in which thunderstorms are frequently found, namely the warm Agulhas Current off the southeast coast of South Africa. The seasonal and interannual lightning variability is derived from satellite and terrestrial data sets. Favorable climatic conditions for lightning are investigated using both ERA-Interim and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data. We find peak lightning in austral autumn over the Agulhas Current but with low seasonality (i.e., there is considerable lightning throughout the year). While the climatological wind direction varies strongly with latitude and season, the wind direction is predominantly northerly throughout the region during thunderstorms. A composite of sea level pressure during thunderstorm days indicates that thunderstorms are related to eastward-propagating synoptic-scale wave trains passing through the Agulhas Current region. The strong convective activity during thunderstorms occur in the warm sector of a cyclone and is associated with horizontal convergence and lifting of warm, moist surface air originating over the warm Agulhas Current.
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23. |
- de Boer, Agatha M., et al.
(author)
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The Impact of Southern Ocean Topographic Barriers on the Ocean Circulation and the Overlying Atmosphere
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Climate. - 0894-8755 .- 1520-0442. ; 35:18, s. 5805-5821
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Southern Ocean bathymetry constrains the path of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), but the bathymetric influence on the coupled ocean–atmosphere system is poorly understood. Here, we investigate this impact by respectively flattening large topographic barriers around the Kerguelen Plateau, Campbell Plateau, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and Drake Passage in four simulations in a coupled climate model. The barriers impact both the wind and buoyancy forcing of the ACC transport, which increases by between 4% and 14% when barriers are removed individually and by 56% when all barriers are removed simultaneously. The removal of Kerguelen Plateau bathymetry increases convection south of the plateau and the removal of Drake Passage bathymetry reduces convection upstream in the Ross Sea. When the barriers are removed, zonal flattening of the currents leads to sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies that strongly correlate to precipitation anomalies, with correlation coefficients ranging between r = 0.92 and r = 0.97 in the four experiments. The SST anomalies correlate to the surface winds too in some locations. However, they also generate circumpolar waves of sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies, which induce remote wind speed changes that are unconnected to the underlying SST field. The meridional variability in the wind stress curl contours over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Kerguelen Plateau, and the Campbell Plateau disappears when these barriers are removed, confirming the impact of bathymetry on surface winds. However, bathymetry-induced wind changes are too small to affect the overall wave-3 asymmetry in the Southern Hemisphere westerlies. Removal of Southern Hemisphere orography is also inconsequential to the wave-3 pattern.
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24. |
- Graham, Robert M., 1988-
(author)
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The role of Southern Ocean fronts in the global climate system
- 2014
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The location of fronts has a direct influence on both the physical and biological processes in the Southern Ocean. However, until recently fronts have been poorly resolved by available data and climate models. In this thesis we utilise a combination of high resolution satellite data, model output and ARGO data to improve our basic understanding of fronts.A method is derived whereby fronts are identified as local maxima in sea surface height gradients. In this way fronts are defined locally as jets, rather than continuous-circumpolar water mass boundaries. A new climatology of Southern Ocean fronts is presented. This climatology reveals a new interpretation of the Subtropical Front. The currents associated with the Subtropical Front correspond to the western boundary current extensions from each basin, and we name these the Dynamical Subtropical Front. Previous studies have instead suggested that the Subtropical Front is a continuous feature across the Southern Ocean associated with the super gyre boundary.A comprehensive assessment of the relationship between front locations and wind stress is conducted. Firstly, the response of fronts to a southward shift in the westerly winds is tested using output from a 100 year climate change simulation on a high resolution coupled model. It is shown that there was no change in the location of fronts within the Antarctic Circumpolar Current as a result of a 1.3° southward shift in the westerly winds. Secondly, it is shown that the climatological position of the Subtropical Front is 5-10° north of the zero wind stress curl line, despite many studies assuming that the location of the Subtropical Front is determined by the zero wind stress curl.Finally, we show that the nutrient supply at ocean fronts is primarily due to horizontal advection and not upwelling. Nutrients from coastal regions are entrained into western boundary currents and advected into the Southern Ocean along the Dynamical Subtropical Front.
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25. |
- Hutchinson, David K., et al.
(author)
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Arctic closure as a trigger for Atlantic overturning at the Eocene-Oligocene Transition
- 2019
-
In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT), approximately 34 Ma ago, marks a period of major global cooling and inception of the Antarctic ice sheet. Proxies of deep circulation suggest a contemporaneous onset or strengthening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). Proxy evidence of gradual salinification of the North Atlantic and tectonically driven isolation of the Arctic suggest that closing the Arctic-Atlantic gateway could have triggered the AMOC at the EOT. We demonstrate this trigger of the AMOC using a new paleoclimate model with late Eocene boundary conditions. The control simulation reproduces Eocene observations of low Arctic salinities. Subsequent closure of the Arctic-Atlantic gateway triggers the AMOC by blocking freshwater inflow from the Arctic. Salt advection feedbacks then lead to cessation of overturning in the North Pacific. These circulation changes imply major warming of the North Atlantic Ocean, and simultaneous cooling of the North Pacific, but no interhemispheric change in temperatures.
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26. |
- Hutchinson, David K., et al.
(author)
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Climate sensitivity and meridional overturning circulation in the late Eocene using GFDL CM2.1
- 2018
-
In: Climate of the Past. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1814-9324 .- 1814-9332. ; 14:6, s. 789-810
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT), which took place approximately 34 Ma ago, is an interval of great interest in Earth's climate history, due to the inception of the Antarctic ice sheet and major global cooling. Climate simulations of the transition are needed to help interpret proxy data, test mechanistic hypotheses for the transition and determine the climate sensitivity at the time. However, model studies of the EOT thus far typically employ control states designed for a different time period, or ocean resolution on the order of 3 degrees. Here we developed a new higher resolution palaeoclimate model configuration based on the GFDL CM2.1 climate model adapted to a late Eocene (38 Ma) palaeogeography reconstruction. The ocean and atmosphere horizontal resolutions are 1 degrees similar to 1.5 degrees and 3 degrees 3.75 ffi respectively. This represents a significant step forward in resolving the ocean geography, gateways and circulation in a coupled climate model of this period. We run the model under three different levels of atmospheric CO2: 400, 800 and 1600 ppm. The model exhibits relatively high sensitivity to CO2 compared with other recent model studies, and thus can capture the expected Eocene high latitude warmth within observed estimates of atmospheric CO2. However, the model does not capture the low meridional temperature gradient seen in proxies. Equatorial sea surface temperatures are too high in the model (3037 degrees C) compared with observations (max 32 degrees C), although observations are lacking in the warmest regions of the western Pacific. The model exhibits bipolar sinking in the North Pacific and Southern Ocean, which persists under all levels of CO2. North Atlantic surface salinities are too fresh to permit sinking (25-30 psu), due to surface transport from the very fresh Arctic (similar to 20 psu), where surface salinities approximately agree with Eocene proxy estimates. North Atlantic salinity increases by 1-2 psu when CO2 is halved, and similarly freshens when CO2 is doubled, due to changes in the hydrological cycle.
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27. |
- Hutchinson, David K., et al.
(author)
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The Eocene-Oligocene transition : a review of marine and terrestrial proxy data, models and model data comparisons
- 2021
-
In: Climate of the Past. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1814-9324 .- 1814-9332. ; 17:1, s. 269-315
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT) was a climate shift from a largely ice-free greenhouse world to an icehouse climate, involving the first major glaciation of Antarctica and global cooling occurring similar to 34 million years ago (Ma) and lasting similar to 790 kyr. The change is marked by a global shift in deep-sea delta O-18 representing a combination of deep-ocean cooling and growth in land ice volume. At the same time, multiple independent proxies for ocean temperature indicate sea surface cooling, and major changes in global fauna and flora record a shift toward more cold-climateadapted species. The two principal suggested explanations of this transition are a decline in atmospheric CO2 and changes to ocean gateways, while orbital forcing likely influenced the precise timing of the glaciation. Here we review and synthesise proxy evidence of palaeogeography, temperature, ice sheets, ocean circulation and CO2 change from the marine and terrestrial realms. Furthermore, we quantitatively compare proxy records of change to an ensemble of climate model simulations of temperature change across the EOT. The simulations compare three forcing mechanisms across the EOT: CO2 decrease, palaeogeographic changes and ice sheet growth. Our model ensemble results demonstrate the need for a global cooling mechanism beyond the imposition of an ice sheet or palaeogeographic changes. We find that CO2 forcing involving a large decrease in CO2 of ca. 40 % (similar to 325 ppm drop) provides the best fit to the available proxy evidence, with ice sheet and palaeogeographic changes playing a secondary role. While this large decrease is consistent with some CO2 proxy records (the extreme endmember of decrease), the positive feedback mechanisms on ice growth are so strong that a modest CO2 decrease beyond a critical threshold for ice sheet initiation is well capable of triggering rapid ice sheet growth. Thus, the amplitude of CO2 decrease signalled by our data-model comparison should be considered an upper estimate and perhaps artificially large, not least because the current generation of climate models do not include dynamic ice sheets and in some cases may be undersensitive to CO2 forcing. The model ensemble also cannot exclude the possibility that palaeogeographic changes could have triggered a reduction in CO2.
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28. |
- Hutchinson, David K., et al.
(author)
-
The Eocene-Oligocene transition: a review of marine and terrestrial proxy data, models and model-data comparisons
- 2021
-
In: Climate of the Past. - : European Geosciences Union (EGU). - 1814-9324 .- 1814-9332. ; 17:1, s. 269-315
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Eocene–Oligocene transition (EOT) was a climate shift from a largely ice-free greenhouse world to an icehouse climate, involving the first major glaciation of Antarctica and global cooling occurring ∼ 34 million years ago (Ma) and lasting ∼ 790 kyr. The change is marked by a global shift in deep-sea δ18O representing a combination of deep-ocean cooling and growth in land ice volume. At the same time, multiple independent proxies for ocean tempera- ture indicate sea surface cooling, and major changes in global fauna and flora record a shift toward more cold-climate- adapted species. The two principal suggested explanations of this transition are a decline in atmospheric CO2 and changes to ocean gateways, while orbital forcing likely influenced the precise timing of the glaciation. Here we review and synthesise proxy evidence of palaeogeography, temperature, ice sheets, ocean circulation and CO2 change from the marine and terrestrial realms. Furthermore, we quantitatively com- pare proxy records of change to an ensemble of climate model simulations of temperature change across the EOT. The simulations compare three forcing mechanisms across the EOT: CO2 decrease, palaeogeographic changes and ice sheet growth. Our model ensemble results demonstrate the need for a global cooling mechanism beyond the imposition of an ice sheet or palaeogeographic changes. We find that CO2 forcing involving a large decrease in CO2 of ca. 40 % (∼ 325 ppm drop) provides the best fit to the available proxy evidence, with ice sheet and palaeogeographic changes play- ing a secondary role. While this large decrease is consistent with some CO2 proxy records (the extreme endmember of decrease), the positive feedback mechanisms on ice growth are so strong that a modest CO2 decrease beyond a critical threshold for ice sheet initiation is well capable of triggering rapid ice sheet growth. Thus, the amplitude of CO2 decrease signalled by our data–model comparison should be consid- ered an upper estimate and perhaps artificially large, not least because the current generation of climate models do not in- clude dynamic ice sheets and in some cases may be under- sensitive to CO2 forcing. The model ensemble also cannot exclude the possibility that palaeogeographic changes could have triggered a reduction in CO2.
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29. |
- Jakobsson, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Post-glacial flooding of the Bering Land Bridge dated to 11 cal ka BP based on new geophysical and sediment records
- 2017
-
In: Climate of the Past. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1814-9324 .- 1814-9332. ; 13:8, s. 991-1005
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Bering Strait connects the Arctic and Pacific oceans and separates the North American and Asian landmasses. The presently shallow (similar to 53 m) strait was exposed during the sea level lowstand of the last glacial period, which permitted human migration across a land bridge today referred to as the Bering Land Bridge. Proxy studies (stable isotope composition of foraminifera, whale migration into the Arctic Ocean, mollusc and insect fossils and paleobotanical data) have suggested a range of ages for the Bering Strait reopening, mainly falling within the Younger Dryas stadial (12.9-11.7 cal ka BP). Here we provide new information on the deglacial and post-glacial evolution of the Arctic-Pacific connection through the Bering Strait based on analyses of geological and geophysical data from Herald Canyon, located north of the Bering Strait on the Chukchi Sea shelf region in the western Arctic Ocean. Our results suggest an initial opening at about 11 cal ka BP in the earliest Holocene, which is later than in several previous studies. Our key evidence is based on a well-dated core from Herald Canyon, in which a shift from a near-shore environment to a Pacific-influenced open marine setting at around 11 cal ka BP is observed. The shift corresponds to meltwater pulse 1b (MWP1b) and is interpreted to signify relatively rapid breaching of the Bering Strait and the submergence of the large Bering Land Bridge. Although the precise rates of sea level rise cannot be quantified, our new results suggest that the late deglacial sea level rise was rapid and occurred after the end of the Younger Dryas stadial.
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30. |
- Kelemen, Fanni Dora, et al.
(author)
-
Meridional Heat Transport in the DeepMIP Eocene Ensemble : Non-CO2 and CO2 Effects
- 2023
-
In: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. - 2572-4517 .- 2572-4525. ; 38:8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The total meridional heat transport (MHT) is relatively stable across different climates. Nevertheless, the strength of individual processes contributing to the total transport are not stable. Here we investigate the MHT and its main components especially in the atmosphere, in five coupled climate model simulations from the Deep-Time Model Intercomparison Project (DeepMIP). These simulations target the early Eocene climatic optimum, a geological time period with high CO2 concentrations, analog to the upper range of end-of-century CO2 projections. Preindustrial and early Eocene simulations, at a range of CO2 levels are used to quantify the MHT changes in response to both CO2 and non-CO2 related forcings. We found that atmospheric poleward heat transport increases with CO2, while oceanic poleward heat transport decreases. The non-CO2 boundary conditions cause more MHT toward the South Pole, mainly through an increase in the southward oceanic heat transport. The changes in paleogeography increase the heat transport via transient eddies at the northern mid-latitudes in the Eocene. The Eocene Hadley cells do not transport more heat poleward, but due to the warmer atmosphere, especially the northern cell, circulate more heat in the tropics, than today. The monsoon systems' poleward latent heat transport increases with rising CO2 concentrations, but this change is counterweighted by the globally smaller Eocene monsoon area. Our results show that the changes in the monsoon systems' latent heat transport is a robust feature of CO2 warming, which is in line with the currently observed precipitation increase of present day monsoon systems.
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31. |
- Niezgodzki, Igor, et al.
(author)
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Simulation of Arctic sea ice within the DeepMIP Eocene ensemble : Thresholds, seasonality and factors controlling sea ice development
- 2022
-
In: Global and Planetary Change. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-8181 .- 1872-6364. ; 214
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The early Eocene greenhouse climate maintained by high atmospheric CO2 concentrations serves as a testbed for future climate changes dominated by increasing CO2 forcing. In particular, the early Eocene Arctic region is important in the context of future CO2 driven climate warming in the northern polar region and associated shrinking Arctic sea ice. Here, we present early Eocene Arctic sea ice simulations carried out by six coupled climate models within the framework of the Deep-Time Model Intercomparison Project (DeepMIP). We find differences in sea ice responses to CO2 changes across the ensemble and compare the results with available proxy-based sea ice reconstructions from the Arctic Ocean. Most of the models simulate seasonal sea ice presence at high CO2 levels (≥ 840 ppmv = 3× pre-industrial (PI) level of 280 ppmv). However, the threshold when sea ice permanently disappears from the ocean varies considerably between the models (from <840 ppmv to >1680 ppmv). Based on a one-dimensional energy balance model analysis we find that the greenhouse effect likely caused by increased atmospheric water vapor concentration plays an important role in the inter-model spread in Arctic winter surface temperature changes in response to a CO2 rise from 1× to 3× the PI level. Furthermore, differences in simulated surface salinity in the Arctic Ocean play an important role in the control of local sea ice formation. These differences result from different implementations of river run-off between the models, but also from differences in the exchange of waters between a brackish Arctic and a more saline North Atlantic Ocean that are controlled by the width of the gateway between both basins. As there is no geological evidence for Arctic sea ice in the early Eocene, its presence in most of the simulations with 3× PI CO2 level indicates either a higher CO2 level and/or an overly weak polar sensitivity in these models.
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32. |
- Sicard, Marie, et al.
(author)
-
Similarities and Differences in Arctic Sea-Ice Loss During the Solar-Forced Last Interglacial Warming (127 Kyr BP) and CO2-Forced Future Warming
- 2023
-
In: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 50:24
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Based on a 7-member global circulation model ensemble from CMIP6/PMIP4, we compare the regional distribution of Arctic sea ice between a simulation representing the Last Interglacial (LIG) climate, with solar-forced warming, and an idealized future CO2-forced simulation with a similar annual sea-ice volume. The two simulations feature small but robust differences in the Central Arctic and Baffin Bay during summer, and larger differences at the sea-ice margins in the sub-Arctic Atlantic and North Pacific sectors during winter. Our results indicate that, under both forcings, sea ice persists north of Greenland until late summer, suggesting that the assumption that this region is the Last Ice Area is robust and holds for other climate states. However, we show that processes influencing sea-ice distribution in winter, such as Atlantification and sea-ice drift, differ and need to be further investigated.
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33. |
- Sime, Louise C., et al.
(author)
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Sea ice led to poleward-shifted winds at the Last Glacial Maximum : the influence of state dependency on CMIP5 and PMIP3 models
- 2016
-
In: climate of the past. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1814-9324 .- 1814-9332. ; 12:12, s. 2241-2253
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Latitudinal shifts in the Southern Ocean westerly wind jet could drive changes in the glacial to interglacial ocean CO2 inventory. However, whilst CMIP5 model results feature consistent future-warming jet shifts, there is considerable disagreement in deglacial-warming jet shifts. We find here that the dependence of pre-industrial (PI) to Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) jet shifts on PI jet position, or state dependency, explains less of the shifts in jet simulated by the models for the LGM compared with future-warming scenarios. State dependence is also weaker for intensity changes, compared to latitudinal shifts in the jet. Winter sea ice was considerably more extensive during the LGM. Changes in surface heat fluxes, due to this sea ice change, probably had a large impact on the jet. Models that both simulate realistically large expansions in sea ice and feature PI jets which are south of 50 degrees S show an increase in wind speed around 55 degrees S and can show a poleward shift in the jet between the PI and the LGM. However, models with the PI jet positioned equatorwards of around 47 degrees S do not show this response: the sea ice edge is too far from the jet for it to respond. In models with accurately positioned PI jets, a +1 degrees difference in the latitude of the sea ice edge tends to be associated with a -0.85 degrees shift in the 850 hPa jet. However, it seems that around 5 degrees of expansion of LGM sea ice is necessary to hold the jet in its PI position. Since the Gersonde et al. (2005) data support an expansion of more than 5 degrees, this result suggests that a slight poleward shift and intensification was the most likely jet change between the PI and the LGM. Without the effect of sea ice, models simulate poleward-shifted westerlies in warming climates and equatorward-shifted westerlies in colder climates. However, the feedback of sea ice counters and reverses the equatorward trend in cooler climates so that the LGM winds were more likely to have also been shifted slightly poleward.
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34. |
- Sime, Louise C., et al.
(author)
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Summer surface air temperature proxies point to near-sea-ice-free conditions in the Arctic at 127 ka
- 2023
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In: Climate of the Past. - 1814-9324 .- 1814-9332. ; 19:4, s. 883-900
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Last Interglacial (LIG) period, which had higher summer solar insolation than today, has been suggested as the last time that Arctic summers were ice free. However, the latest suite of Coupled Modelling Intercomparison Project 6 Paleoclimate (CMIP6-PMIP4) simulations of the LIG produce a wide range of Arctic summer minimum sea ice area (SIA) results, with a 30% to 96% reduction from the pre-industrial (PI) period. Sea ice proxies are also currently neither abundant nor consistent enough to determine the most realistic state. Here we estimate LIG minimum SIA indirectly through the use of 21 proxy records for LIG summer surface air temperature (SSAT) and 11 CMIP6-PMIP4 models for the LIG. We use two approaches. First, we use two tests to determine how skilful models are at simulating reconstructed Delta SSAT from proxy records (where Delta refers to LIG-PI). This identifies a positive correlation between model skill and the magnitude of Delta SIA: the most reliable models simulate a larger sea ice reduction. Averaging the two most skilful models yields an average SIA of 1 :3 x 10(6) km(2) for the LIG. This equates to a 4 :5 x 10(6) km(2) or 79% SIA reduction from the PI to the LIG. Second, across the 11 models, the averaged Delta SSAT at the 21 proxy locations and the pan-Arctic average Delta SSAT are inversely correlated with Delta SIA ( r = - 0.86 and 0.79, respectively). In other words, the models show that a larger Arctic warming is associated with a greater sea ice reduction. Using the proxy-record-averaged Delta SSAT of 4 :5 +/- 1 :7K and the relationship between Delta SSAT and Delta SIA suggests an estimated sea ice reduction of 4:2 +/- 1:4 x 10(6) km(2) or about 74% less sea ice than the PI period. The mean proxy-location Delta SSAT is well correlated with the Arctic-wide Delta SSAT north of 60 degrees N (r = D 0:97), and this relationship is used to show that the mean proxy record Delta SSAT is equivalent to an Arctic-wide warming of 3 :7 +/- 1 :5K at the LIG compared to the PI period. Applying this Arctic-wide Delta SSAT and its modelled relationship to Delta SIA, results in a similar estimate of LIG sea ice reduction of 4 :1 +/- 1 :2 x 10(6) km(2). These LIG climatological minimum SIA of 1.3 to 1.5 x 10(6) km(2) are close to the definition of a summer ice-free Arctic, which is a maximum sea ice extent of less than 1 x 10(6) km(2). The results of this study thus suggest that the Arctic likely experienced a mixture of ice-free and near-ice-free summers during the LIG.
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35. |
- Śliwińska, Kasia K., et al.
(author)
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Sea surface temperature evolution of the North Atlantic Ocean across the Eocene-Oligocene transition
- 2023
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In: Climate of the Past. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1814-9324 .- 1814-9332. ; 19:1, s. 123-140
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A major step in the long-term Cenozoic evolution toward a glacially driven climate occurred at the Eocene–Oligocene transition (EOT), ∼34.44 to 33.65 million years ago (Ma). Evidence for high-latitude cooling and increased latitudinal temperature gradients across the EOT has been found in a range of marine and terrestrial environments. However, the timing and magnitude of temperature change in the North Atlantic remains highly unconstrained. Here, we use two independent organic geochemical palaeothermometers to reconstruct sea surface temperatures (SSTs) from the southern Labrador Sea (Ocean Drilling Program – ODP Site 647) across the EOT. The new SST records, now the most detailed for the North Atlantic through the 1 Myr leading up to the EOT onset, reveal a distinctive cooling step of ∼3 ∘C (from 27 to 24 ∘C), between 34.9 and 34.3 Ma, which is ∼500 kyr prior to Antarctic glaciation. This cooling step, when compared visually to other SST records, is asynchronous across Atlantic sites, signifying considerable spatiotemporal variability in regional SST evolution. However, overall, it fits within a phase of general SST cooling recorded across sites in the North Atlantic in the 5 Myr bracketing the EOT.Such cooling might be unexpected in light of proxy and modelling studies suggesting the start-up of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) before the EOT, which should warm the North Atlantic. Results of an EOT modelling study (GFDL CM2.1) help reconcile this, finding that a reduction in atmospheric CO2 from 800 to 400 ppm may be enough to counter the warming from an AMOC start-up, here simulated through Arctic–Atlantic gateway closure. While the model simulations applied here are not yet in full equilibrium, and the experiments are idealised, the results, together with the proxy data, highlight the heterogeneity of basin-scale surface ocean responses to the EOT thermohaline changes, with sharp temperature contrasts expected across the northern North Atlantic as positions of the subtropical and subpolar gyre systems shift. Suggested future work includes increasing spatial coverage and resolution of regional SST proxy records across the North Atlantic to identify likely thermohaline fingerprints of the EOT AMOC start-up, as well as critical analysis of the causes of inter-model responses to help better understand the driving mechanisms.
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36. |
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37. |
- Steinthorsdottir, Margret, et al.
(author)
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Synchronous records of pCO(2) and Delta C-14 suggest rapid, ocean-derived pCO(2) fluctuations at the onset of Younger Dryas
- 2014
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 99, s. 84-96
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Just before the onset of the Younger Dryas (YD) cold event, several stomatal proxy-based pCO(2) records have shown a sharp increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration (pCO(2)) of between ca 50 and 100 ppm, followed by a rapid decrease of similar or even larger magnitude. Here we compare one of these records, a high-resolution pCO(2) record from southern Sweden, with the IntCal13 record of radiocarbon (Delta C-14). The two records show broadly synchronous fluctuations at the YD onset. Specifically, the IntCal13 record documents decreasing Delta C-14 just before the YD onset when pCO(2) peaks, consistent with a source of old CO2 from the deep ocean. We propose that this fluctuation occurred due to a major ocean flushing event. The cause of the flushing event remains speculative but could be related to the hypothesis of the glacial ocean as a thermobaric capacitor. We confirm that the earth system can produce such large multi-decadal timescale fluctuations in pCO(2) through simulating an artificial ocean flushing event with the GENIE Earth System Model. We suggest that sharp transitions of pCO(2) may have remained undetected so far in ice cores due to inter-firn gas exchange and time-averaging. The stomatal proxy record is a powerful complement to the ice core records for the study of rapid climate change.
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38. |
- Thomas, Matthew D., et al.
(author)
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Spatial and Temporal Scales of Sverdrup Balance
- 2014
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In: Journal of Physical Oceanography. - 0022-3670 .- 1520-0485. ; 44:10, s. 2644-2660
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sverdrup balance underlies much of the theory of ocean circulation and provides a potential tool for describing the interior ocean transport from only the wind stress. Using both a model state estimate and an eddy-permitting coupled climate model, this study assesses to what extent and over what spatial and temporal scales Sverdrup balance describes the meridional transport. The authors find that Sverdrup balance holds to first order in the interior subtropical ocean when considered at spatial scales greater than approximately 5 degrees. Outside the subtropics, in western boundary currents and at short spatial scales, significant departures occur due to failures in both the assumptions that there is a level of no motion at some depth and that thevorticity equation is linear. Despite the ocean transport adjustment occurring on time scales consistent with the basin-crossing times for Rossby waves, as predicted by theory, Sverdrup balance gives a useful measure of the subtropical circulation after only a few years. This is because the interannual transport variability is small compared to the mean transports. The vorticity input to the deep ocean by the interaction between deep currents and topography is found to be very large in both models. These deep transports, however, are separated from upper-layer transports that are in Sverdrup balance when considered over large scales.
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39. |
- Williams, Charles J. R., et al.
(author)
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African Hydroclimate During the Early Eocene From the DeepMIP Simulations
- 2022
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In: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. - 2572-4517 .- 2572-4525. ; 37:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The early Eocene (∼56–48 Myr ago) is characterized by high CO2 estimates (1,200–2,500 ppmv) and elevated global temperatures (∼10°C–16°C higher than modern). However, the response of the hydrological cycle during the early Eocene is poorly constrained, especially in regions with sparse data coverage (e.g., Africa). Here, we present a study of African hydroclimate during the early Eocene, as simulated by an ensemble of state-of-the-art climate models in the Deep-time Model Intercomparison Project (DeepMIP). A comparison between the DeepMIP pre-industrial simulations and modern observations suggests that model biases are model- and geographically dependent, however, these biases are reduced in the model ensemble mean. A comparison between the Eocene simulations and the pre-industrial suggests that there is no obvious wetting or drying trend as the CO2 increases. The results suggest that changes to the land sea mask (relative to modern) in the models may be responsible for the simulated increases in precipitation to the north of Eocene Africa. There is an increase in precipitation over equatorial and West Africa and associated drying over northern Africa as CO2 rises. There are also important dynamical changes, with evidence that anticyclonic low-level circulation is replaced by increased south-westerly flow at high CO2 levels. Lastly, a model-data comparison using newly compiled quantitative climate estimates from paleobotanical proxy data suggests a marginally better fit with the reconstructions at lower levels of CO2.
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40. |
- Zhang, Zijian, et al.
(author)
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Impact of Mountains in Southern China on the Eocene Climates of East Asia
- 2022
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In: Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres. - 2169-897X .- 2169-8996. ; 127:17
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Inconsistencies in the Eocene climates of East Asia have been revealed in both geological studies and simulations. Several earlier reconstructions showed an arid zonal band in mid-latitude China, but others showed a humid climate in the same region. Moreover, previous Eocene modeling studies have demonstrated that climate models can simulate both scenarios in China. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the cause of this model spread. We conducted a series of experiments using Norwegian Earth System Model 1-F and examined the impact of mountains in Southern China on the simulated Eocene climate. These mountains, including the Gangdese and Southeast Mountains, are located along the main path of water vapor transport to East Asia. Our results reveal that the Southeast Mountains play the dominant role in controlling the simulated precipitation in Eastern China during the Eocene. When the heights of the Southeast Mountains exceed similar to 2,000 m, an arid zonal band appears in mid-latitude China, whereas humid climates appear in Eastern China when the elevation of the Southeast Mountains is relatively low.
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