Heather L. Ford, Nikolas Wrye, Alia Wofford, Natalie Burls, Tripti Bhattacharya, Alexey Fedorov, Karim Lakhani, Mitch Lyle, Jean Lynch-Stieglitz, A. Christina Ravelo
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The tropical Pacific climate has an outsized impact on global climate, yet future projections are poorly constrained. Data-model comparisons from the mid-Pliocene warm period (3.3 million years ago) can help investigate warm climate dynamics and evaluate model behavior. Here we compare proxy records to PlioMIP2 models and a model with modified cloud albedo. Relative to modern, the mid-Pliocene warm period records show subsurface warming across the tropical Pacific, strong eastern Pacific surface warming and weak western Pacific surface warming. Using clustering analyses to group model behavior relative to the proxy data, we find the model cluster with the best fit with the proxy data has enhanced warming in mid-latitude thermocline source water regions which connect to the equator through the ventilated thermocline. Our study shows tropical ocean heat content during the mid-Pliocene warm period was higher than today and has broad implications for the ocean's ability to absorb anthropogenic heat.
期刊介绍:
Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) publishes high-impact, innovative, and timely research on major scientific advances in all the major geoscience disciplines. Papers are communications-length articles and should have broad and immediate implications in their discipline or across the geosciences. GRLmaintains the fastest turn-around of all high-impact publications in the geosciences and works closely with authors to ensure broad visibility of top papers.