Climate Sensitivity of Moderate- and Low-Resolution Versions of CCSM3 to Preindustrial Forcings

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 2567-2583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bette L. Otto-Bliesner ◽  
Robert Tomas ◽  
Esther C. Brady ◽  
Caspar Ammann ◽  
Zav Kothavala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Low Resolution ◽  
Climate System Model ◽  
Enso Variability ◽  
Proxy Records ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
Circumpolar Current

Abstract Preindustrial (PI) simulations of the Community Climate System Model version 3 (CCSM3) at two resolutions, a moderate and a low resolution, are described and compared to the standard controls for present-day (PD) simulations. Because of computational efficiency, the moderate- and low-resolution versions of CCSM3 may be appropriate for climate change studies requiring simulations of the order of hundreds to thousands of years. The PI simulations provide the basis for comparison for proxy records that represent average late Holocene conditions. When forced with PI trace gases, aerosols, and solar irradiance estimates, both resolutions have a global cooling of 1.2°–1.3°C, increased sea ice in both hemispheres, and less precipitation near the equator and at midlatitudes as compared to simulations using PD forcing. The response to PI forcings differs in the two resolutions for North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC), the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), and ENSO. The moderate-resolution CCSM3 has enhanced ACC, North Atlantic MOC, and tropical Pacific ENSO variability for PI forcings as compared to PD. The low-resolution CCSM3 with more extensive sea ice and colder climate at high northern latitudes in the PD simulation shows less sensitivity of the North Atlantic MOC to PI forcing. ENSO variability and the strength of the ACC do not increase with PI forcing in the low-resolution CCSM3.

scholarly journals Decadal-scale progression of the onset of Dansgaard–Oeschger warming events

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 811-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Erhardt ◽  
Emilie Capron ◽  
Sune Olander Rasmussen ◽  
Simon Schüpbach ◽  
Matthias Bigler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Sea Salt ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Proxy Records ◽  
The North ◽  
Decadal Scale ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
North Greenland

Abstract. During the last glacial period, proxy records throughout the Northern Hemisphere document a succession of rapid millennial-scale warming events, called Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) events. A range of different mechanisms has been proposed that can produce similar warming in model experiments; however, the progression and ultimate trigger of the events are still unknown. Because of their fast nature, the progression is challenging to reconstruct from paleoclimate data due to the limited temporal resolution achievable in many archives and cross-dating uncertainties between records. Here, we use new high-resolution multi-proxy records of sea-salt (derived from sea spray and sea ice over the North Atlantic) and terrestrial (derived from the central Asian deserts) aerosol concentrations over the period 10–60 ka from the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP) and North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) ice cores in conjunction with local precipitation and temperature proxies from the NGRIP ice core to investigate the progression of environmental changes at the onset of the warming events at annual to multi-annual resolution. Our results show on average a small lead of the changes in both local precipitation and terrestrial dust aerosol concentrations over the change in sea-salt aerosol concentrations and local temperature of approximately one decade. This suggests that, connected to the reinvigoration of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and the warming in the North Atlantic, both synoptic and hemispheric atmospheric circulation changes at the onset of the DO warming, affecting both the moisture transport to Greenland and the Asian monsoon systems. Taken at face value, this suggests that a collapse of the sea-ice cover may not have been the initial trigger for the DO warming.

scholarly journals Abrupt cold events in the North Atlantic in a transient Holocene simulation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Klus ◽  
Matthias Prange ◽  
Vidya Varma ◽  
Louis Bruno Tremblay ◽  
Michael Schulz
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Surface Cooling ◽  
Climate System Model ◽  
The North ◽  
Cold Events ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Polar Ocean

Abstract. Abrupt cold events have been detected in numerous North Atlantic climate records from the Holocene. Several mechanisms have been discussed as possible triggers for these climate shifts persisting decades to centuries. Here, we describe two cold events that occurred during an orbitally forced transient Holocene simulation using the Community Climate System Model version 3. Both events occurred during the late Holocene (event 1 referring to 4305–4267 BP and event 2 referring to 3046–3018 BP) and were characterized by substantial surface cooling (−2.7 and −2.2 °C, respectively) and freshening (−0.7 and −0.6 PSU, respectively) as well as severe sea ice advance east of Newfoundland and south of Greenland. Sea ice even reached the Iceland Basin in the northeastern Atlantic at the climaxes of the cold events. Convection and deep-water formation in the northwestern Atlantic collapsed during the events, while the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation was not significantly affected. The events were triggered by prolonged phases of a positive North Atlantic Oscillation which, through changes in surface winds, caused substantial changes in the sub-polar ocean circulation and associated freshwater transports, resulting in a weakening of the sub-polar gyre. Our results suggest a possible mechanism by which abrupt cold events in the North Atlantic region may be triggered by internal climate variability without the need of an external (e.g. solar or volcanic) forcing.

scholarly journals Decadal-scale progression of Dansgaard-Oeschger warming events

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Erhardt ◽  
Emilie Capron ◽  
Sune Olander Rasmussen ◽  
Simon Schüpbach ◽  
Matthias Bigler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Sea Salt ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Proxy Records ◽  
The North ◽  
Decadal Scale ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. During the last glacial period, proxy records throughout the Northern Hemisphere document a succession of rapid millennial-scale warming events, called Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events. A range of different mechanisms have been proposed that can produce similar warming in model experiments, however the progression and ultimate trigger of the events is still unknown. Because of their fast nature, the progression is challenging to reconstruct from paleoclimate data due to the limited temporal resolution achievable in many archives and cross-dating uncertainties between records. Here we use new high-resolution multi-proxy records of sea-salt (derived from sea spray and sea ice over the North Atlantic) and terrestrial (derived from the Central Asian deserts) aerosol concentrations over the period 10–60 ka from the Greenland NGRIP and NEEM ice cores in conjunction with local precipitation and temperature proxies from one of the cores to investigate the progression of environmental changes at the onset of the warming events at annual to multi-annual resolution. Our results show on average a small lead of the changes in both local precipitation and terrestrial dust aerosol concentrations over the change in sea-salt aerosol concentrations and local temperature of approximately one decade. This suggests that, connected to the reinvigoration of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and the warming in the North Atlantic, both synoptic and hemispheric atmospheric circulation change at the onset of the DO warming, affecting both the moisture transport to Greenland and the Asian monsoon systems. Taken at face value, this suggests that a collapse of the sea-ice cover was not the initial trigger for the DO events.

scholarly journals Fingerprints of changes in the terrestrial carbon cycle in response to large reorganizations in ocean circulation

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1811-1852 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bozbiyik ◽  
M. Steinacher ◽  
F. Joos ◽  
T. F. Stocker
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Latitudes

Abstract. CO2 and carbon cycle changes in the land, ocean and atmosphere are investigated using the comprehensive carbon cycle-climate model NCAR CSM1.4-carbon. Ensemble simulations are forced with freshwater perturbations applied at the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean deep water formation sites under pre-industrial climate conditions. As a result, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation reduces in each experiment to varying degrees. The physical climate fields show changes that are well documented in the literature but there is a clear distinction between northern and southern perturbations. Changes in the physical variables affect, in return, the land and ocean biogeochemical cycles and cause a reduction, or an increase, in the atmospheric CO2 by up to 20 ppmv, depending on the location of the perturbation. In the case of a North Atlantic perturbation, the land biosphere reacts with a strong reduction in carbon stocks in some tropical locations and in high northern latitudes. In contrast, land carbon stocks tend to increase in response to a southern perturbation. The ocean is generally a sink of carbon although large re-organizations occur throughout various basins. The response of the land biosphere is strongest in the tropical regions due to a shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The carbon fingerprints of this shift, either to the south or to the north depending on where the freshwater is applied, can be found most clearly in South America. For this reason, a compilation of various paleoclimate proxy records of Younger Dryas precipitation changes are compared with our model results.

scholarly journals Impact of Agulhas Leakage on the Atlantic Overturning Circulation in the CCSM4

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilbert Weijer ◽  
Erik van Sebille
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Climate System Model ◽  
The North ◽  
Salinity Variability ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The impact of Agulhas leakage variability on the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) in the Community Climate System Model, version 4 (CCSM4) is investigated. In this model an advective connection exists that transports salinity anomalies from the Agulhas region into the North Atlantic on decadal (30–40 yr) time scales. However, there is no identifiable impact of Agulhas leakage on the strength of the AMOC, suggesting that the salinity variations are too weak to significantly modify the stratification in the North Atlantic. It is argued that this study is inconclusive with respect to an impact of Agulhas leakage on the AMOC. Salinity biases leave the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans too homogeneous, in particular erasing the observed salinity front in the Agulhas retroflection region. Consequently, salinity variability in the southeastern South Atlantic is found to be much weaker than observed.

The Effect of a Large Freshwater Perturbation on the Glacial North Atlantic Ocean Using a Coupled General Circulation Model

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (17) ◽  
pp. 4436-4447 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Hewitt ◽  
A. J. Broccoli ◽  
M. Crucifix ◽  
J. M. Gregory ◽  
J. F. B. Mitchell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Quasi Equilibrium ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Proxy Records ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Last Glacial

Abstract The commonly held view of the conditions in the North Atlantic at the last glacial maximum, based on the interpretation of proxy records, is of large-scale cooling compared to today, limited deep convection, and extensive sea ice, all associated with a southward displaced and weakened overturning thermohaline circulation (THC) in the North Atlantic. Not all studies support that view; in particular, the “strength of the overturning circulation” is contentious and is a quantity that is difficult to determine even for the present day. Quasi-equilibrium simulations with coupled climate models forced by glacial boundary conditions have produced differing results, as have inferences made from proxy records. Most studies suggest the weaker circulation, some suggest little or no change, and a few suggest a stronger circulation. Here results are presented from a three-dimensional climate model, the Hadley Centre Coupled Model version 3 (HadCM3), of the coupled atmosphere–ocean–sea ice system suggesting, in a qualitative sense, that these diverging views could all have occurred at different times during the last glacial period, with different modes existing at different times. One mode might have been characterized by an active THC associated with moderate temperatures in the North Atlantic and a modest expanse of sea ice. The other mode, perhaps forced by large inputs of meltwater from the continental ice sheets into the northern North Atlantic, might have been characterized by a sluggish THC associated with very cold conditions around the North Atlantic and a large areal cover of sea ice. The authors’ model simulation of such a mode, forced by a large input of freshwater, bears several of the characteristics of the Climate: Long-range Investigation, Mapping, and Prediction (CLIMAP) Project’s reconstruction of glacial sea surface temperature and sea ice extent.

scholarly journals Fingerprints of changes in the terrestrial carbon cycle in response to large reorganizations in ocean circulation

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 319-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bozbiyik ◽  
M. Steinacher ◽  
F. Joos ◽  
T. F. Stocker ◽  
L. Menviel
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Proxy Records ◽  
The North

Abstract. CO2 and carbon cycle changes in the land, ocean and atmosphere are investigated using the comprehensive carbon cycle-climate model NCAR CSM1.4-carbon. Ensemble simulations are forced with freshwater perturbations applied at the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean deep water formation sites under pre-industrial climate conditions. As a result, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation reduces in each experiment to varying degrees. The physical climate fields show changes qualitatively in agreement with results documented in the literature, but there is a clear distinction between northern and southern perturbations. Changes in the physical variables, in turn, affect the land and ocean biogeochemical cycles and cause a reduction, or an increase, in the atmospheric CO2 concentration by up to 20 ppmv, depending on the location of the perturbation. In the case of a North Atlantic perturbation, the land biosphere reacts with a strong reduction in carbon stocks in some tropical locations and in high northern latitudes. In contrast, land carbon stocks tend to increase in response to a southern perturbation. The ocean is generally a sink of carbon although large reorganizations occur throughout various basins. The response of the land biosphere is strongest in the tropical regions due to a shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The carbon fingerprints of this shift, either to the south or to the north depending on where the freshwater is applied, can be found most clearly in South America. For this reason, a compilation of various paleoclimate proxy records of Younger Dryas precipitation changes are compared with our model results. The proxy records, in general, show good agreement with the model's response to a North Atlantic freshwater perturbation.

scholarly journals Variations of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation in control and transient simulations of the last millennium

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Hofer ◽  
C. C. Raible ◽  
T. F. Stocker
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Climate System Model ◽  
The North ◽  
Transient Simulations ◽  
Gin Seas

Abstract. The variability of the Atlantic meridional overturing circulation (AMOC) strength is investigated in control experiments and in transient simulations of up to the last millennium using the low-resolution Community Climate System Model version 3. In the transient simulations the AMOC exhibits enhanced low-frequency variability that is mainly caused by infrequent transitions between two semi-stable circulation states which amount to a 10 percent change of the maximum overturning. One transition is also found in a control experiment, but the time-varying external forcing significantly increases the probability of the occurrence of such events though not having a direct, linear impact on the AMOC. The transition from a high to a low AMOC state starts with a reduction of the convection in the Labrador and Irminger Seas and goes along with a changed barotropic circulation of both gyres in the North Atlantic and a gradual strengthening of the convection in the Greenland-Iceland-Norwegian (GIN) Seas. In contrast, the transition from a weak to a strong overturning is induced by decreased mixing in the GIN Seas. As a consequence of the transition, regional sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies are found in the midlatitude North Atlantic and in the convection regions with an amplitude of up to 3 K. The atmospheric response to the SST forcing associated with the transition indicates a significant impact on the Scandinavian surface air temperature (SAT) in the order of 1 K. Thus, the changes of the ocean circulation make a major contribution to the Scandinavian SAT variability in the last millennium.

scholarly journals Impacts of three types of solar geoengineering on the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengdie Xie ◽  
John C. Moore ◽  
Liyun Zhao ◽  
Michael Wolovick ◽  
Helene Muri
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
The North ◽  
Solar Geoengineering ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. Climate models simulate lower rates of North Atlantic heat transport under greenhouse gas climates than at present due to a reduction in the strength of the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). Solar geoengineering whereby surface temperatures are cooled by reduction of incoming shortwave radiation may be expected to ameliorate this effect. We investigate this using six Earth System Models running scenarios from GeoMIP (Geoengineering model intercomparison project) in the cases of: i) reduction in the solar constant, mimicking dimming of the sun; ii) sulfate aerosol injection into the lower equatorial stratosphere; and iii) brightening of the ocean regions mimicking enhancing tropospheric cloud amounts. We find that despite across model differences, AMOC decreases are attributable to reduced air-ocean temperature differences, and reduced September Arctic sea ice extent, with no significant impact from changing surface winds or precipitation-evaporation. Reversing the surface freshening of the North Atlantic overturning regions caused by decreased summer sea ice sea helps to promote AMOC. Comparing the geoengineering types after normalizing them for the differences in top of atmosphere radiative forcing, we find that solar dimming is more effective than either marine cloud brightening or stratospheric aerosol injection.

scholarly journals Can Southern Ocean Eddy Effects Be Parameterized in Climate Models?

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 411-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank O. Bryan ◽  
Peter R. Gent ◽  
Robert Tomas
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Climate System Model ◽  
Poleward Heat Transport ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
Current Region ◽  
Circumpolar Current

Abstract Present-day control and 1% yr−1 increasing carbon dioxide runs have been made using two versions of the Community Climate System Model, version 3.5. One uses the standard versions of the ocean and sea ice components where the horizontal resolution is 1° and the effects of mesoscale eddies are parameterized, and the second uses a resolution of 1/10° where the eddies are resolved. This is the first time the parameterization has been tested in a climate change run compared to an eddy-resolving run. The comparison is made not straightforward by the fact that the two control run climates are not the same, especially in their sea ice distributions. The focus is on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current region, where the effects of eddies are of leading order. The conclusions are that many of the differences in the two carbon dioxide transient forcing runs can be explained by the different control run sea ice distributions around Antarctica, but there are some quantitative differences in the meridional overturning circulation, poleward heat transport, and zonally averaged heat uptake when the eddies are parameterized rather than resolved.

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