Temperatures at the last interglacial simulated by a coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model

The last interglacial (Eemian, 125,000 years ago) has generally been considered the warmest time period in the last 200,000 years and thus sometimes been used as a reference for greenhouse projections. Herein we report results from a coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model of the surface temperature...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Montoya Redondo, María Luisa, Crowley, Thomas J., von Storch, Hans
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:1998
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/59994
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/59994
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:52
Sea-level
Insolation
Pollen
Sensitivity
Variability
Vegetation
Monsoon
Record
Period
Astrofísica
Astronomía (Física)
Descripción
Sumario:The last interglacial (Eemian, 125,000 years ago) has generally been considered the warmest time period in the last 200,000 years and thus sometimes been used as a reference for greenhouse projections. Herein we report results from a coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model of the surface temperature response to changes in the radiative forcing at the last interglacial. Although the model generates the expected summer warming in the northern hemisphere, winter cooling of a comparable magnitude occurs over North Africa and tropical Asia. The global annual mean temperature for the Eemian run is 0.3 degrees C cooler than the control run. Validation of simulated sea surface temperatures (SSTs) against reconstructed SSTs supports this conclusion and also the assumption that the flux correction, fitted for the present state, operates satisfactorily for modest perturbations. Our results imply that contrary to conventional expectations, Eemian global temperatures may already have been reached by the mid 20th century.