The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is a key component of the global climate system. Recent studies suggested a twentieth-century weakening of the AMOC of unprecedented amplitude (similar to 15%) over the last millennium. Here we present a record of O-18 in benthic foraminifera from sediment cores retrieved from the...
Glacial periods exhibit abrupt Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) climatic oscillations that are thought to be linked to instabilities in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). Great uncertainty remains regarding the dynamics of the DO cycle, as well as controls on the timing and duration of individual events. Using ice core data we...
Previous Paleoclimate Model Intercomparison Project (PMIP) simulations of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) showed dissimilar results on transports and structure. Here we analyze the most recent PMIP3 models, which show a consistent increase (on average by 41 ± 26%) and deepening (663 ± 550 m)...
Nitrogen isotopes are an important tool for evaluating past biogeochemical cycling from the paleoceanographic record. However, bulk sedimentary nitrogen isotope ratios, which can be determined routinely and at minimal cost, may be altered during burial and early sedimentary diagenesis, particularly outside of continental margin settings. The causes and detailed mechanisms...
During the last glacial period atmospheric carbon dioxide and temperature in Antarctica varied in a similar fashion on millennial time scales, but previous work indicates that these changes were gradual. In a detailed analysis of one event we now find that approximately half of the CO₂ increase that occurred during...
The early Pliocene warm phase was characterized by high sea surface temperatures and a deep thermocline in the eastern equatorial Pacific. A new hypothesis suggests that the progressive closure of the Panamanian seaway contributed substantially to the termination of this zonally symmetric state in the equatorial Pacific. According to this...
The range in the projections of future climate warming can be attributed to the inherent uncertainty in the representation of climate model parameters and processes. In this study, we assess the effect of uncertainty in climate sensitivity and ocean heat uptake on the rate of future climate change. We apply...
Assessing impacts of future anthropogenic carbon emissions is currently impeded by uncertainties in our knowledge of equilibrium climate sensitivity to atmospheric carbon dioxide doubling. Previous studies suggest 3 K as best estimate, 2–4.5 K as the 66% probability range, and non-zero probabilities for much higher values, the latter implying a...
Coupled climate–carbon models have shown the potential for large feedbacks between climate change, atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, and global carbon sinks. Standard metrics of this feedback assume that the response of land and ocean carbon uptake to CO₂ (concentration–carbon cycle feedback) and climate change (climate–carbon cycle feedback) combine linearly. This study...
The impact of mountains and ice sheets on the large-scale circulation of the world’s oceans is investigated in a series of simulations with a new coupled ocean–atmosphere model [Oregon State University–University of Victoria model (OSUVic)], in which the height of orography is scaled from 1.5 times the actual height (at...