Quantitative estimates of temperature and precipitation changes over the last millennium from pollen and lake-level data at Lake Joux, Swiss Jura Mountains

2011 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Magny ◽  
Odile Peyron ◽  
Emilie Gauthier ◽  
Boris Vannière ◽  
Laurent Millet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Level ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Temperature Minimum ◽  
Jura Mountains ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Modern Analogue ◽  
Swiss Jura

AbstractThis paper presents quantitative climate estimates for the last millennium, using a multi-proxy approach with pollen and lake-level data from Lake Joux (Swiss Jura Mountains). The climate reconstruction, based on the Modern Analogue Technique, indicates warmer and drier conditions during the Medieval Warm Period (MWP). MWP was preceded by a short-lived cold humid event around AD 1060, and followed by a rapid return around AD 1400 to cooler and wetter conditions which generally characterize the Little Ice Age (LIA). Around AD 1450 (solar Spörer minimum), the LIA attained a temperature minimum and a summer precipitation maximum. The solar Maunder minimum around AD 1690 corresponded at Joux to rather mild temperatures but maximal annual precipitation. These results generally agree with other records from neighbouring Alpine regions. However, there are differences in the timing of the LIA temperature minimum depending on the proxy and/or the method used for the reconstruction. As a working hypothesis, the hydrological signal associated with the MWP and LIA oscillations at Lake Joux may have been mainly driven by a shift around AD 1400 from positive to negative NAO modes in response to variations in solar irradiance possibly coupled with changes in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.

scholarly journals Holocene Hydroclimate in the Southeastern United States During Abrupt Climate Events: Evidence From New Speleothem Isotopic Records From Alabama

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Medina-Elizalde ◽  
Stefan Perritano ◽  
Matthew DeCesare ◽  
Josué Polanco-Martinez ◽  
Gabriela Serrato-Marks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Spring Precipitation

Abstract We present new high-resolution absolute-dated stalagmite δ18O and δ13C records from the southeastern United States (SE US) spanning the last 12 thousand years (ka). A local relationship between annual rainfall amount and its amount-weighed δ18O composition exists on interannual timescales, driven mostly by an amount effect during summer and spring seasons, and by an isotopically depleted composition of fall and winter precipitation. Based on a novel interpretation of modern rainfall isotopic data, stalagmite δ18O variability is interpreted to reflect the relative contribution of summer and spring precipitation combined relative to combined fall and winter precipitation. Precipitation amount in the SE US increases during the Younger Dryas, the 8.2 ka and Little Ice Age abrupt cooling events. High precipitation during these events reflects enhancement of spring and summer precipitation while the contribution of fall and winter rainfall remained unchanged or decreased slightly. Results from this study support model simulation results that suggest increased precipitation in the SE US during Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) slowdown/shutdown (LeGrande et al., 2006; Renssen et al., 2002; Vellinga and Wood, 2002). In association with Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude cooling from the Early to mid-Holocene, annual precipitation in the SE US decreases, a pattern distinctive from that observed during abrupt cooling events related to AMOC shifts. Long-term hydroclimate change in the SE US is likely sensitive to summer insolation reduction as inferred for other tropical and subtropical regions. This study has implications for our understanding of the sensitivity of subtropical hydroclimate to factors both internal and external to the climate system in a warmer climate.

scholarly journals Timescale-dependence of the relationship between the East Asian summer monsoon strength and precipitation over eastern China in the last millennium

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Shi ◽  
Qing Yan ◽  
Huijun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
East Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Decadal Timescale ◽  
Asian Summer

Abstract. Precipitation/humidity proxies are widely used to reconstruct the historical East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) variation based on the assumption that summer precipitation over eastern China is closely and stably linked to the strength of EASM. However, whether the observed EASM-precipitation relationship (e.g., increased precipitation with a stronger EASM) was stable throughout the past time remains unclear. In this study, we used model outputs from the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project Phase Ⅲ and Community Earth System Model to investigate the stability of the EASM-precipitation relationship over the last millennium on different timescales. The model results indicate that the EASM strength (defined as the regionally averaged meridional wind) enhanced in the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; ~ 950–1250 A.D.), during which there was increased precipitation over eastern China, and weakened during the Little Ice Age (LIA; ~ 1500‒1800 A.D.), during which there was decreased precipitation, consistent with precipitation/humidity proxies. However, the simulated EASM-precipitation relationship is only stable on a centennial and longer timescale and is unstable on a multi-decadal timescale. The nonstationary multi-decadal EASM-precipitation relationship broadly exhibits a quasi-60-year period, which may be attributed to the internal variability of the climate system and have no significant correlation to external forcings. Our results have implications for understanding the discrepancy among various EASM proxies on a multi-decadal timescale and highlight the need to rethink reconstructed decadal EASM variations based on precipitation/humidity proxies.

scholarly journals A volcanically triggered regime shift in the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean as a possible origin of the Little Ice Age

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1321-1330 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. F. Schleussner ◽  
G. Feulner
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Regime Shift ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Subpolar Gyre

Abstract. Among the climatological events of the last millennium, the Northern Hemisphere Medieval Climate Anomaly succeeded by the Little Ice Age are of exceptional importance. The origin of these regional climate anomalies remains a subject of debate and besides external influences like solar and volcanic activity, internal dynamics of the climate system might have also played a dominant role. Here, we present transient last millennium simulations of the fully coupled model of intermediate complexity Climber 3α forced with stochastically reconstructed wind-stress fields. Our results indicate that short-lived volcanic eruptions might have triggered a cascade of sea ice–ocean feedbacks in the North Atlantic, ultimately leading to a persistent regime shift in the ocean circulation. We find that an increase in the Nordic Sea sea-ice extent on decadal timescales as a consequence of major volcanic eruptions in our model leads to a spin-up of the subpolar gyre and a weakened Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, eventually causing a persistent, basin-wide cooling. These results highlight the importance of regional climate feedbacks such as a regime shift in the subpolar gyre circulation for understanding the dynamics of past and future climate.

scholarly journals Solar and proxy-sensitivity imprints on paleohydrological records for the last millennium in west-central Europe

2010 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Magny ◽  
F. Arnaud ◽  
H. Holzhauser ◽  
E. Chapron ◽  
M. Debret ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Solar Irradiance ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Lake Levels ◽  
West Central

This paper presents a lake-level record established for the last millennium at Lake Saint-Point in the French Jura Mountains. A comparison of this lake-level record with a solar irradiance record supports the hypothesis of a solar forcing of variations in the hydrological cycle linked to climatic oscillations over the last millennium in west-central Europe, with higher lake levels during the solar minimums of Oort (around AD 1060), Wolf (around AD 1320), Spörer (around AD 1450), Maunder (around AD 1690), and Dalton (around AD 1820). Further comparisons of the Saint-Point record with the fluctuations of the Great Aletsch Glacier (Swiss Alps) and a record of Rhône River floods from Lake Bourget (French Alps) give evidence of possible imprints of proxy sensitivity on reconstructed paleohydrological records. In particular, the Great Aletsch record shows an increasing glacier mass from AD 1350 to 1850, suggesting a cumulative effect of the Little Ice Age cooling and/or a possible reflection of a millennial-scale general cooling until the mid-19th century in the Northern Hemisphere. In contrast, the Saint-Point and Bourget records show a general trend toward a decrease in lake levels and in flood magnitude anti-correlated with generally increasing solar irradiance.

Quantitative Reconstruction of Younger Dryas to Mid-Holocene Paleoclimates at Le Locle, Swiss Jura, Using Pollen and Lake-Level Data

2001 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Magny ◽  
Joël Guiot ◽  
Patrick Schoellammer
Keyword(s):  
Lake Level ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
Younger Dryas ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Summer Temperature ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Climatic Parameters ◽  
Cold Event ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Swiss Jura

AbstractPollen and lake-level data from Le Locle in the Swiss Jura were used to quantitatively reconstruct climatic parameters for the Younger Dryas event and the first half of the Holocene period. The Younger Dryas cold event at Le Locle was characterized by (i) a general trend toward a slight increase in summer temperature and a decrease in annual precipitation and (ii) a marked drying phase at ca. 11,900 cal yr B.P. that occurred between two wetter ones. Further phases of major deficit in moisture occured at ca. 11,500 cal yr B.P. (Younger Dryas-Holocene transition), 10,800 cal yr B.P., 8700 cal yr B.P., and 6500 cal yr B.P. Climatic parameters reconstructed here suggest that phases of higher lake level developing at ca. 12,500–12,000, 11,750–11,600, 11,200–10,900 (synchronous with the Preboreal oscillation), 10,400–8900, 8400–8300 (possibly related to the 8200 yr event), and 7800–7000 cal yr B.P. coincided with an increase in annual precipitation, a decrease in summer temperature, and a shorter growing season. Conversely, periods of low lake level corresponded to a decrease in annual precipitation, an increase in summer temperature, and a longer growing season. This general pattern could have resulted from alternate southward-northward displacements of the Atlantic Westerly Jet.

Variability of the Azores High and regional hydroclimate over the past millennium

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Ummenhofer ◽  
Nathaniel Cresswell-Clay ◽  
Diana Thatcher ◽  
Alan Wanamaker ◽  
Rhawn Denniston
Keyword(s):  
Climate Model ◽  
Hadley Circulation ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Atlantic Sector ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
The Past ◽  
Climate Model Simulations ◽  
Azores High

<p>The subtropical dry zones, including the broader Mediterranean region, are likely to experience considerable changes in hydroclimate in a warming climate. An expansion of the atmosphere’s meridional overturning circulation, the Hadley circulation, over recent decades has been reported, with implications for regional hydroclimate. Yet, there exists considerable disagreement in magnitude and even sign of these trends among different metrics that measure various aspects of the Hadley circulation, as well as discrepancies in trends between different analysis periods and reanalysis products during the 20<sup>th</sup> century. In light of these uncertainties, it is therefore of interest to explore variability and trends in subtropical hydroclimate and its dominant driver, the Hadley Circulation. We focus on the North Atlantic sector and explore variability in the Azores High, the manifestation of the Hadley Circulation’s downward branch, and hydroclimate across the Iberian Peninsula using a combination of observational/reanalysis products, state-of-the-art climate model simulations, and hydroclimatically-sensitive stalagmite records over the past 1200 yr. The Last Millennium Ensemble (LME) with the Community Earth System Model provides thirteen transient simulations covering the period 850 to 2005 A.D. with prescribed external forcing (e.g. greenhouse gas, solar, volcanic, land use, orbital, and aerosol) and smaller subsets with individual forcing only. The LME is shown to accurately simulate the variability and trends in the Azores High when compared to observational records from the 20<sup>th</sup> century. We evaluate variability in the Azores High (e.g., size, intensity, position) in relation to other key metrics that measure different aspects of the Hadley circulation throughout the course of the last millennium, as well as during key periods, such as the Little Ice Age or Medieval Climate Anomaly. The smaller subsets of LME simulations with individual forcing factors (e.g., solar, volcanic) allow for an attribution of past changes in regional hydroclimate to external drivers. Results from the climate model simulations are compared with hydroclimate reconstructed from stalagmites from Portuguese caves.</p>

scholarly journals Timescale dependence of the relationship between the East Asian summer monsoon strength and precipitation over eastern China in the last millennium

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Shi ◽  
Qing Yan ◽  
Huijun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
East Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Eastern China ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Asian Summer

Abstract. Precipitation/humidity proxies are widely used to reconstruct the historical East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) variations based on the assumption that summer precipitation over eastern China is closely and stably linked to the strength of EASM. However, whether the observed EASM–precipitation relationship (e.g., increased precipitation with a stronger EASM) was stable throughout the past remains unclear. In this study, we used model outputs from the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project Phase III and Community Earth System Model to investigate the stability of the EASM–precipitation relationship over the last millennium on different timescales. The model results indicate that the EASM strength (defined as the regionally averaged meridional wind) was enhanced in the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; ∼ 950–1250 AD), during which there was increased precipitation over eastern China, and weakened during the Little Ice Age (LIA; ∼ 1500–1800 AD), during which there was decreased precipitation, consistent with precipitation/humidity proxies. However, the simulated EASM–precipitation relationship is only stable on a centennial and longer timescale and is unstable on a shorter timescale. The nonstationary short-timescale EASM–precipitation relationship broadly exhibits a multi-decadal periodicity, which may be attributed to the internal variability of the climate system and has no significant correlation to external forcings. Our results have implications for understanding the discrepancy among various EASM proxies on a multi-decadal timescale and highlight the need to rethink reconstructed decadal EASM variations based on precipitation/humidity proxies.

scholarly journals A volcanically triggered regime shift in the subpolar North Atlantic ocean as a possible origin of the Little Ice Age

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 6199-6219 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. F. Schleussner ◽  
G. Feulner
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Regime Shift ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Subpolar Gyre

Abstract. Among the climatological events of the last millennium, the Northern Hemisphere Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), succeeded by the Little Ice Age (LIA) are of exceptional importance. The origin of these regional climate anomalies remains however a subject of debate and besides external influences like solar and volcanic activity, internal dynamics of the climate system might have also played a dominant role. Here, we present transient last millennium simulations of the fully-coupled model Climber 3α forced with stochastically reconstructed wind fields. Our results indicate that short-lived volcanic eruptions might have triggered a cascade of sea-ice – ocean feedbacks in the North Atlantic, ultimately leading to a persistent regime shift in the ocean circulation. We find that an increase in the Nordic Sea sea-ice extent on decadal timescales as a consequence of major volcanic eruptions leads to a spin-up of the subpolar gyre (SPG) and a weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, eventually causing a persistent, basin-wide cooling. These results highlight the importance of regional climate feedbacks such as a regime shift in the subpolar gyre circulation for past and future climate.

scholarly journals Holocene Hydroclimate in the Southeastern United States During Abrupt Climate Events: Evidence From New Speleothem Isotopic Records From Alabama

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Medina-Elizalde ◽  
Stefan Perritano ◽  
Matthew DeCesare ◽  
Josué Polanco-Martinez ◽  
Gabriela Serrato-Marks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Spring Precipitation

Abstract We present new high-resolution absolute-dated stalagmite δ18O and δ13C records from the southeastern United States (SE US) spanning the last 12 thousand years (ka). A local relationship between annual rainfall amount and its amount-weighed δ18O composition exists on interannual timescales, driven mostly by an amount effect during summer and spring seasons, and by an isotopically depleted composition of fall and winter precipitation. Based on a novel interpretation of modern rainfall isotopic data, stalagmite δ18O variability is interpreted to reflect the relative contribution of summer and spring precipitation combined relative to combined fall and winter precipitation. Precipitation amount in the SE US increases during the Younger Dryas, the 8.2 ka and Little Ice Age abrupt cooling events. High precipitation during these events reflects enhancement of spring and summer precipitation while the contribution of fall and winter rainfall remained unchanged or decreased slightly. Results from this study support model simulation results that suggest increased precipitation in the SE US during Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) slowdown/shutdown (LeGrande et al., 2006; Renssen et al., 2002; Vellinga and Wood, 2002). In association with Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude cooling from the Early to mid-Holocene, annual precipitation in the SE US decreases, a pattern distinctive from that observed during abrupt cooling events related to AMOC shifts. Long-term hydroclimate change in the SE US is likely sensitive to summer insolation reduction as inferred for other tropical and subtropical regions. This study has implications for our understanding of the sensitivity of subtropical hydroclimate to factors both internal and external to the climate system in a warmer climate.

Exploitation of food resources by badgers (Meles meles) in the Swiss Jura Mountains

2005 ◽  
Vol 266 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Fischer ◽  
N. Ferrari ◽  
J.-M. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Meles Meles ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Jura Mountains ◽  
Swiss Jura
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