Modeling a modern-like pCO2 Warm period with two versions of IPSL AOGCM

Author(s):  
Ning Tan ◽  
Camille Contoux ◽  
Gilles Ramstein ◽  
Yong Sun ◽  
Christophe Dumas ◽  
...  

<p>The mid-Piacenzian warm period (3.264 to 3.025 Ma) is the most recent geological period with present-like atmospheric pCO<sub>2</sub>. A specific interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage KM5c, MIS KM5c; 3.205 Ma) has been selected for the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project phase 2 (PlioMIP 2). We carried out a series of experiments according to the design of PlioMIP2 with two versions of IPSL atmosphere–ocean coupled general circulation model (AOGCM): IPSL-CM5A and IPSL-CM5A2. Our results show that the simulated MIS KM5c climate presents enhanced warming at mid- to high latitudes when compared to the PlioMIP 1, resulting from the enhanced Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation caused by the high-latitude seaway changes. The sensitivity experiments, conducted with IPSL- CM5A2, show that, apart from the pCO2,  both modified orography and reduced ice sheets contribute substantially to mid- to high latitude warming in MIS KM5c. When considering the pCO2 uncertainties (+/−50 ppmv) during the Pliocene, the response of the modeled mean annual surface air temperature to changes to pCO<sub>2</sub> (+/−50 ppmv) is not symmetric, which is likely due to the nonlinear response of the cryosphere (snow cover and sea ice extent).</p>

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Tan ◽  
Camille Contoux ◽  
Gilles Ramstein ◽  
Yong Sun ◽  
Christophe Dumas ◽  
...  

Abstract. The mid-Piacenzian warm period (3.264 to 3.025 Ma) is the most recent geological period with a present-like atmospheric pCO2 exhibiting significant warming relative to present conditions. With the advanced understanding of the climate variability of this interval, a specific interglacial (marine isotope stage KM5c, MIS KM5c, 3.205 Ma) is selected for Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project phase 2 (PlioMIP 2) and updated boundary conditions are provided. In this study, we carried out series of experiments according to the design of PlioMIP2 with two versions of the IPSL Atmosphere-Ocean Coupled General Circulation Model (AOGCM) (IPSL-CM5A and IPSL-CM5A2). By comparing with PlioMIP 1 experiment, run with IPSL-CM5A, our results show that the simulated MIS KM5c climate presents enhanced warming in mid-to-high latitudes, especially in ocean regions. This warming can be attributed to the largely enhanced Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation caused by the high latitude seaway changes. The tier experiments, conducted with IPSL-CM5A2 (with faster computation scheme), show that besides the increased pCO2, both modified orography and reduced ice sheets contribute substantially in mid-to-high latitudes warming of MIS KM5c. When considering the pCO2 uncertainties, the warming pattern changes, our model response to the variation of pCO2 by ±50 ppmv is not symmetric in the surface air temperature, due to the non-linear response of the cryosphere (snow cover and sea ice extent). By analysing the Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass balance, we also demonstrate its vulnerability under both MIS KM5c and modern warm climate.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Tan ◽  
Camille Contoux ◽  
Gilles Ramstein ◽  
Yong Sun ◽  
Christophe Dumas ◽  
...  

Abstract. The mid-Piacenzian warm period (3.264 to 3.025 Ma) is the most recent geological period with present-like atmospheric pCO2 and is thus expected to have exhibited a warm climate similar to or warmer than the present day. On the basis of understanding that has been gathered on the climate variability of this interval, a specific interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage KM5c, MIS KM5c; 3.205 Ma) has been selected for the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project phase 2 (PlioMIP 2). We carried out a series of experiments according to the design of PlioMIP2 with two versions of the Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL) atmosphere–ocean coupled general circulation model (AOGCM): IPSL-CM5A and IPSL-CM5A2. Compared to the PlioMIP 1 experiment, run with IPSL-CM5A, our results show that the simulated MIS KM5c climate presents enhanced warming in mid- to high latitudes, especially over oceanic regions. This warming can be largely attributed to the enhanced Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation caused by the high-latitude seaway changes. The sensitivity experiments, conducted with IPSL-CM5A2, show that besides the increased pCO2, both modified orography and reduced ice sheets contribute substantially to mid- to high latitude warming in MIS KM5c. When considering the pCO2 uncertainties (+/-50 ppmv) during the Pliocene, the response of the modeled mean annual surface air temperature to changes to pCO2 (+/-50 ppmv) is not symmetric, which is likely due to the nonlinear response of the cryosphere (snow cover and sea ice extent). By analyzing the Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass balance, we also demonstrate its vulnerability under both MIS KM5c and modern warm climate.


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 516-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter H. Stone ◽  
Yuriy P. Krasovskiy

Abstract The authors introduce a four-box interhemispheric model of the meridional overturning circulation. A single box represents high latitudes in each hemisphere, and in contrast to earlier interhemispheric box models, low latitudes are represented by two boxes—a surface box and a deep box—separated by a thermocline in which a balance is assumed between vertical advection and vertical diffusion. The behavior of the system is analyzed with two different closure assumptions for how the low-latitude upwelling depends on the density contrast between the surface and deep low-latitude boxes. The first is based on the conventional assumption that the diffusivity is a constant, and the second on the assumption that the energy input to the mixing is constant. There are three different stable equilibrium states that are closely analogous to the three found by Bryan in a single-basin interhemispheric ocean general circulation model. One is quasi-symmetric with downwelling in high latitudes of both hemispheres, and two are asymmetric solutions, with downwelling confined to high latitudes in one or the other of the two hemispheres. The quasi-symmetric solution becomes linearly unstable for strong global hydrological forcing, while the two asymmetric solutions do not. The qualitative nature of the solutions is generally similar for both the closure assumptions, in contrast to the solutions in hemispheric models. In particular, all the stable states can be destabilized by finite amplitude perturbations in the salinity or the hydrological forcing, and transitions are possible between any two states. For example, if the system is in an asymmetric state, and the moisture flux into the high-latitude region of downwelling is slowly increased, for both closure assumptions the high-latitude downwelling decreases until a critical forcing is reached where the system switches to the asymmetric state with downwelling in the opposite hemisphere. By contrast, in hemispheric models with the energy constraint, the downwelling increases and there is no loss of stability.


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 485-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxim Nikurashin ◽  
Geoffrey Vallis

Abstract A simple theoretical model of the deep stratification and meridional overturning circulation in an idealized single-basin ocean with a circumpolar channel is presented. The theory includes the effects of wind, eddies, and diapycnal mixing; predicts the deep stratification in terms of the surface forcing and other problem parameters; makes no assumption of zero residual circulation; and consistently accounts for the interaction between the circumpolar channel and the rest of the ocean. The theory shows that dynamics of the overturning circulation can be characterized by two limiting regimes, corresponding to weak and strong diapycnal mixing. The transition between the two regimes is described by a nondimensional number characterizing the strength of the diffusion-driven compared to the wind-driven overturning circulation. In the limit of weak diapycnal mixing, deep stratification throughout the ocean is produced by the effects of wind and eddies in a circumpolar channel and maintained even in the limit of vanishing diapycnal diffusivity and in a flat-bottomed ocean. The overturning circulation across the deep stratification is driven by the diapycnal mixing in the basin away from the channel but is sensitive, through changes in stratification, to the wind and eddies in the channel. In the limit of strong diapycnal mixing, deep stratification is primarily set by eddies in the channel and diapycnal mixing in the basin away from the channel, with the wind over the circumpolar channel playing a secondary role. Analytical solutions for the deep stratification and overturning circulation in the limit of weak diapycnal mixing and numerical solutions that span the regimes of weak to strong diapycnal mixing are presented. The theory is tested with a coarse-resolution ocean general circulation model configured in an idealized geometry. A series of experiments performed to examine the sensitivity of the deep stratification and the overturning circulation to variations in wind stress and diapycnal mixing compare well with predictions from the theory.


2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 2661-2672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Sévellec ◽  
Joël J.-M. Hirschi ◽  
Adam T. Blaker

Abstract The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is a crucial component of the global climate system. It is responsible for around a quarter of the global northward heat transport and contributes to the mild European climate. Observations and numerical models suggest a wide range of AMOC variability. Recent results from an ocean general circulation model (OGCM) in a high-resolution configuration (¼°) suggest the existence of superinertial variability of the AMOC. In this study, the validity of this result in a theoretical framework is tested. At a low Rossby number and in the presence of Rayleigh friction, it is demonstrated that, unlike a typical forced damped oscillator (which shows subinertial resonance), the AMOC undergoes both super- and subinertial resonances (except at low latitudes and for high friction). A dimensionless number Sr, measuring the ratio of ageo- to geostrophic forcing (i.e., the zonal versus meridional pressure gradients), indicates which of these resonances dominates. If Sr ≪ 1, the AMOC variability is mainly driven by geostrophic forcing and shows subinertial resonance. Alternatively and consistent with the recently published ¼° OGCM experiments, if Sr ≫ 1, the AMOC variability is mainly driven by the ageostrophic forcing and shows superinertial resonance. In both regimes, a forcing of ±1 K induces an AMOC variability of ±10 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) through these near-inertial resonance phenomena. It is also shown that, as expected from numerical simulations, the spatial structure of the near-inertial AMOC variability corresponds to equatorward-propagating waves equivalent to baroclinic Poincaré waves. The long-time average of this resonance phenomenon, raising and depressing the pycnocline, could contribute to the mixing of the ocean stratification.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 549-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Rosenbloom ◽  
B. L. Otto-Bliesner ◽  
E. C. Brady ◽  
P. J. Lawrence

Abstract. This paper describes the experimental design and model results from a 500 yr fully coupled Community Climate System, version 4, simulation of the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP) (ca. 3.3–3.0 Ma). We simulate the mPWP using the "alternate" protocol prescribed by the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP) for the AOGCM simulation (Experiment 2). Results from the CCSM4 mPWP simulation show a 1.9 °C increase in global mean annual temperature compared to the 1850 preindustrial control, with a polar amplification of ~3 times the global warming. Global precipitation increases slightly by 0.09 mm day−1 and the monsoon rainfall is enhanced, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). Areal sea ice extent decreases in both hemispheres but persists through the summers. The model simulates a relaxation of the zonal sea surface temperature (SST) gradient in the tropical Pacific, with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (Niño3.4) ~20% weaker than the preindustrial and exhibiting extended periods of quiescence of up to 150 yr. The maximum Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and northward Atlantic oceanic heat transport are indistinguishable from the control. As compared to PRISM3, CCSM4 overestimates Southern Hemisphere (SH) sea surface temperatures, but underestimates NH warming, particularly in the North Atlantic, suggesting that an increase in northward ocean heat transport would bring CCSM4 SSTs into better alignment with proxy data.


2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. 1652-1667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxim Nikurashin ◽  
Geoffrey Vallis

Abstract A quantitative theoretical model of the meridional overturning circulation and associated deep stratification in an interhemispheric, single-basin ocean with a circumpolar channel is presented. The theory includes the effects of wind, eddies, and diapycnal mixing and predicts the deep stratification and overturning streamfunction in terms of the surface forcing and other parameters of the problem. It relies on a matching among three regions: the circumpolar channel at high southern latitudes, a region of isopycnal outcrop at high northern latitudes, and the ocean basin between. The theory describes both the middepth and abyssal cells of a circulation representing North Atlantic Deep Water and Antarctic Bottom Water. It suggests that, although the strength of the middepth overturning cell is primarily set by the wind stress in the circumpolar channel, middepth stratification results from a balance between the wind-driven upwelling in the channel and deep-water formation at high northern latitudes. Diapycnal mixing in the ocean interior can lead to warming and upwelling of deep waters. However, for parameters most representative of the present ocean mixing seems to play a minor role for the middepth cell. In contrast, the abyssal cell is intrinsically diabatic and controlled by a balance between the deep mixing-driven upwelling and the residual of the wind-driven and eddy-induced circulations in the Southern Ocean. The theory makes explicit predictions about how the stratification and overturning circulation vary with the wind strength, diapycnal diffusivity, and mesoscale eddy effects. The predictions compare well with numerical results from a coarse-resolution general circulation model.


2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1541-1562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Zhao ◽  
William Johns

Abstract The dynamical processes governing the seasonal cycle of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) are studied using a variety of models, ranging from a simple forced Rossby wave model to an eddy-resolving ocean general circulation model. The AMOC variability is decomposed into Ekman and geostrophic transport components, which reveal that the seasonality of the AMOC is determined by both components in the extratropics and dominated by the Ekman transport in the tropics. The physics governing the seasonal fluctuations of the AMOC are explored in detail at three latitudes (26.5°N, 6°N, and 34.5°S). While the Ekman transport is directly related to zonal wind stress seasonality, the comparison between different numerical models shows that the geostrophic transport involves a complex oceanic adjustment to the wind forcing. The oceanic adjustment is further evaluated by separating the zonally integrated geostrophic transport into eastern and western boundary currents and interior flows. The results indicate that the seasonal AMOC cycle in the extratropics is controlled mainly by local boundary effects, where either the western or eastern boundary can be dominant at different latitudes, while in the northern tropics it is the interior flow and its lagged compensation by the western boundary current that determine the seasonal AMOC variability.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan Ackerley ◽  
Manoj M. Joshi ◽  
Eleanor J. Highwood ◽  
Claire L. Ryder ◽  
Mark A. J. Harrison ◽  
...  

Aeolian dust modelling has improved significantly over the last ten years and many institutions now consistently model dust uplift, transport and deposition in general circulation models (GCMs). However, the representation of dust in GCMs is highly variable between modelling communities due to differences in the uplift schemes employed and the representation of the global circulation that subsequently leads to dust deflation. In this study two different uplift schemes are incorporated in the same GCM. This approach enables a clearer comparison of the dust uplift schemes themselves, without the added complexity of several different transport and deposition models. The global annual mean dust aerosol optical depths (at 550 nm) using two different dust uplift schemes were found to be 0.014 and 0.023—both lying within the estimates from the AeroCom project. However, the models also have appreciably different representations of the dust size distribution adjacent to the West African coast and very different deposition at various sites throughout the globe. The different dust uplift schemes were also capable of influencing the modelled circulation, surface air temperature, and precipitation despite the use of prescribed sea surface temperatures. This has important implications for the use of dust models in AMIP-style (Atmospheric Modelling Intercomparison Project) simulations and Earth-system modelling.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 2403-2428
Author(s):  
W. Zheng ◽  
Z. Zhang ◽  
L. Chen ◽  
Y. Yu

Abstract. Within the framework of Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP), the mid-Pliocene (3.264–3.025 Ma) climate simulated by the Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System model grid-point version 2 (FGOALS-g2) are analyzed in this study. Results show that the model reproduces the large-scale features of the global warming over the land and ocean. The simulated mid-Pliocene global annual mean surface air temperature (TAS) and sea surface temperature (SST) are 4.17 and 2.62°C warmer than the pre-Industrial simulation, respectively. In particular, the feature of larger warming over mid-high latitudes is well captured. In the simulated warm mid-Pliocene climate, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) become weaker.


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