Articles | Volume 10, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-167-2014
© Author(s) 2014. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-167-2014
© Author(s) 2014. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Late Pliocene lakes and soils: a global data set for the analysis of climate feedbacks in a warmer world
M. J. Pound
Department of Geography, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Ellison Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
J. Tindall
School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, UK
S. J. Pickering
School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, UK
A. M. Haywood
School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, UK
H. J. Dowsett
Eastern Geology and Paleoclimate Science Center, US Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 20192, USA
U. Salzmann
Department of Geography, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Ellison Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Related authors
Mallory Pilie, Martha E. Gibson, Ingrid C. Romero, Noelia B. Nuñez Otaño, Matthew J. Pound, Jennifer M. K. O'Keefe, and Sophie Warny
J. Micropalaeontol., 42, 291–307, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-291-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-291-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The ANDRILL SMS site provides the first Middle Miocene Antarctic fungal record. The CREST plant-based paleoclimate reconstructions confirm an intensification of the hydrological cycle during the MCO, with the Ross Sea region reconstructed 279 % wetter than modern conditions and a maximum mean annual temperature of 10.3 °C for the warmest intervals of the MCO. The plant-based reconstructions indicate a temperate, no dry season with a warm summer (Cfb) Köppen–Geiger climate classification.
Michael Amoo, Ulrich Salzmann, Matthew J. Pound, Nick Thompson, and Peter K. Bijl
Clim. Past, 18, 525–546, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-525-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-525-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Late Eocene to earliest Oligocene (37.97–33.06 Ma) climate and vegetation dynamics around the Tasmanian Gateway region reveal that changes in ocean circulation due to accelerated deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway may not have been solely responsible for the changes in terrestrial climate and vegetation; a series of regional and global events, including a change in stratification of water masses and changes in pCO2, may have played significant roles.
David K. Hutchinson, Helen K. Coxall, Daniel J. Lunt, Margret Steinthorsdottir, Agatha M. de Boer, Michiel Baatsen, Anna von der Heydt, Matthew Huber, Alan T. Kennedy-Asser, Lutz Kunzmann, Jean-Baptiste Ladant, Caroline H. Lear, Karolin Moraweck, Paul N. Pearson, Emanuela Piga, Matthew J. Pound, Ulrich Salzmann, Howie D. Scher, Willem P. Sijp, Kasia K. Śliwińska, Paul A. Wilson, and Zhongshi Zhang
Clim. Past, 17, 269–315, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-269-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-269-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Eocene–Oligocene transition was a major climate cooling event from a largely ice-free world to the first major glaciation of Antarctica, approximately 34 million years ago. This paper reviews observed changes in temperature, CO2 and ice sheets from marine and land-based records at this time. We present a new model–data comparison of this transition and find that CO2-forced cooling provides the best explanation of the observed global temperature changes.
Stephanie L. Strother, Ulrich Salzmann, Francesca Sangiorgi, Peter K. Bijl, Jörg Pross, Carlota Escutia, Ariadna Salabarnada, Matthew J. Pound, Jochen Voss, and John Woodward
Biogeosciences, 14, 2089–2100, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2089-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2089-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
One of the main challenges in Antarctic vegetation reconstructions is the uncertainty in unambiguously identifying reworked pollen and spore assemblages in marine sedimentary records influenced by waxing and waning ice sheets. This study uses red fluorescence and digital imaging as a new tool to identify reworking in a marine sediment core from circum-Antarctic waters to reconstruct Cenozoic climate change and vegetation with high confidence.
Harry Dowsett, Aisling Dolan, David Rowley, Robert Moucha, Alessandro M. Forte, Jerry X. Mitrovica, Matthew Pound, Ulrich Salzmann, Marci Robinson, Mark Chandler, Kevin Foley, and Alan Haywood
Clim. Past, 12, 1519–1538, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1519-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1519-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Past intervals in Earth history provide unique windows into conditions much different than those observed today. We investigated the paleoenvironments of a past warm interval (~ 3 million years ago). Our reconstruction includes data sets for surface temperature, vegetation, soils, lakes, ice sheets, topography, and bathymetry. These data are being used along with global climate models to expand our understanding of the climate system and to help us prepare for future changes.
Sina Panitz, Ulrich Salzmann, Bjørg Risebrobakken, Stijn De Schepper, and Matthew J. Pound
Clim. Past, 12, 1043–1060, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1043-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1043-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents the first late Pliocene high-resolution pollen record for the Norwegian Arctic, covering the time period 3.60 to 3.14 million years ago (Ma). The climate of the late Pliocene has been widely regarded as relatively stable. Our results suggest a high climate variability with alternating cool temperate forests during warmer-than-presen periods and boreal forests similar to today during cooler intervals. A spread of peatlands at the expense of forest indicates long-term cooling.
Alan M. Haywood, Harry J. Dowsett, Aisling M. Dolan, David Rowley, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Bette Otto-Bliesner, Mark A. Chandler, Stephen J. Hunter, Daniel J. Lunt, Matthew Pound, and Ulrich Salzmann
Clim. Past, 12, 663–675, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-663-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-663-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Our paper presents the experimental design for the second phase of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP). We outline the way in which climate models should be set up in order to study the Pliocene – a period of global warmth in Earth's history which is relevant for our understanding of future climate change. By conducting a model intercomparison we hope to understand the uncertainty associated with model predictions of a warmer climate.
Lauren E. Burton, Alan M. Haywood, Julia C. Tindall, Aisling M. Dolan, Daniel J. Hill, Erin L. McClymont, Sze Ling Ho, and Heather L. Ford
Clim. Past, 20, 1177–1194, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1177-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1177-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Pliocene (~ 3 million years ago) is of interest because its warm climate is similar to projections of the future. We explore the role of atmospheric carbon dioxide in forcing sea surface temperature during the Pliocene by combining climate model outputs with palaeoclimate proxy data. We investigate whether this role changes seasonally and also use our data to suggest a new estimate of Pliocene climate sensitivity. More data are needed to further explore the results presented.
Julia E. Weiffenbach, Henk A. Dijkstra, Anna S. von der Heydt, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Wing-Le Chan, Deepak Chandan, Ran Feng, Alan M. Haywood, Stephen J. Hunter, Xiangyu Li, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, W. Richard Peltier, Christian Stepanek, Ning Tan, Julia C. Tindall, and Zhongshi Zhang
Clim. Past, 20, 1067–1086, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1067-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1067-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations and a smaller Antarctic Ice Sheet during the mid-Pliocene (~ 3 million years ago) cause the Southern Ocean surface to become fresher and warmer, which affects the global ocean circulation. The CO2 concentration and the smaller Antarctic Ice Sheet both have a similar and approximately equal impact on the Southern Ocean. The conditions of the Southern Ocean in the mid-Pliocene could therefore be analogous to those in a future climate with smaller ice sheets.
Mallory Pilie, Martha E. Gibson, Ingrid C. Romero, Noelia B. Nuñez Otaño, Matthew J. Pound, Jennifer M. K. O'Keefe, and Sophie Warny
J. Micropalaeontol., 42, 291–307, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-291-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-42-291-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The ANDRILL SMS site provides the first Middle Miocene Antarctic fungal record. The CREST plant-based paleoclimate reconstructions confirm an intensification of the hydrological cycle during the MCO, with the Ross Sea region reconstructed 279 % wetter than modern conditions and a maximum mean annual temperature of 10.3 °C for the warmest intervals of the MCO. The plant-based reconstructions indicate a temperate, no dry season with a warm summer (Cfb) Köppen–Geiger climate classification.
Xin Ren, Daniel J. Lunt, Erica Hendy, Anna von der Heydt, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Bette Otto-Bliesner, Charles J. R. Williams, Christian Stepanek, Chuncheng Guo, Deepak Chandan, Gerrit Lohmann, Julia C. Tindall, Linda E. Sohl, Mark A. Chandler, Masa Kageyama, Michiel L. J. Baatsen, Ning Tan, Qiong Zhang, Ran Feng, Stephen Hunter, Wing-Le Chan, W. Richard Peltier, Xiangyu Li, Youichi Kamae, Zhongshi Zhang, and Alan M. Haywood
Clim. Past, 19, 2053–2077, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2053-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2053-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the Maritime Continent climate in the mid-Piacenzian warm period and find it is warmer and wetter and the sea surface salinity is lower compared with preindustrial period. Besides, the fresh and warm water transfer through the Maritime Continent was stronger. In order to avoid undue influence from closely related models in the multimodel results, we introduce a new metric, the multi-cluster mean, which could reveal spatial signals that are not captured by the multimodel mean.
Georgia R. Grant, Jonny H. T. Williams, Sebastian Naeher, Osamu Seki, Erin L. McClymont, Molly O. Patterson, Alan M. Haywood, Erik Behrens, Masanobu Yamamoto, and Katelyn Johnson
Clim. Past, 19, 1359–1381, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1359-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1359-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Regional warming will differ from global warming, and climate models perform poorly in the Southern Ocean. We reconstruct sea surface temperatures in the south-west Pacific during the mid-Pliocene, a time 3 million years ago that represents the long-term outcomes of 3 °C warming, which is expected for the future. Comparing these results to climate model simulations, we show that the south-west Pacific region will warm by 1 °C above the global average if atmospheric CO2 remains above 350 ppm.
Bjørg Risebrobakken, Mari F. Jensen, Helene R. Langehaug, Tor Eldevik, Anne Britt Sandø, Camille Li, Andreas Born, Erin Louise McClymont, Ulrich Salzmann, and Stijn De Schepper
Clim. Past, 19, 1101–1123, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1101-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1101-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In the observational period, spatially coherent sea surface temperatures characterize the northern North Atlantic at multidecadal timescales. We show that spatially non-coherent temperature patterns are seen both in further projections and a past warm climate period with a CO2 level comparable to the future low-emission scenario. Buoyancy forcing is shown to be important for northern North Atlantic temperature patterns.
Xiaofang Huang, Shiling Yang, Alan Haywood, Julia Tindall, Dabang Jiang, Yongda Wang, Minmin Sun, and Shihao Zhang
Clim. Past, 19, 731–745, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-731-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-731-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The sensitivity of climate to the height changes of the East Antarctic ice sheet (EAIS) during the mid-Pliocene has been assessed using the HadCM3 model. The results show that the height reduction of the EAIS leads to a warmer and wetter East Antarctica. However, unintuitively, both the surface air temperature and the sea surface temperature decrease over the rest of the globe. These findings could provide insights into future changes caused by warming-induced decay of the Antarctic ice sheet.
Lauren E. Burton, Alan M. Haywood, Julia C. Tindall, Aisling M. Dolan, Daniel J. Hill, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Wing-Le Chan, Deepak Chandan, Ran Feng, Stephen J. Hunter, Xiangyu Li, W. Richard Peltier, Ning Tan, Christian Stepanek, and Zhongshi Zhang
Clim. Past, 19, 747–764, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-747-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-747-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Warm climates of the Pliocene (~ 3 million years ago) are similar to projections of the near future. We find elevated concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide to be the most important forcing for driving changes in Pliocene surface air temperature, sea surface temperature, and precipitation. However, changes caused by the nature of Pliocene ice sheets and orography are also important, affecting the extent to which we can use the Pliocene as an analogue for our warmer future.
Suzanne Robinson, Ruza F. Ivanovic, Lauren J. Gregoire, Julia Tindall, Tina van de Flierdt, Yves Plancherel, Frerk Pöppelmeier, Kazuyo Tachikawa, and Paul J. Valdes
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 1231–1264, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-1231-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-1231-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present the implementation of neodymium (Nd) isotopes into the ocean model of FAMOUS (Nd v1.0). Nd fluxes from seafloor sediment and incorporation of Nd onto sinking particles represent the major global sources and sinks, respectively. However, model–data mismatch in the North Pacific and northern North Atlantic suggest that certain reactive components of the sediment interact the most with seawater. Our results are important for interpreting Nd isotopes in terms of ocean circulation.
Julia E. Weiffenbach, Michiel L. J. Baatsen, Henk A. Dijkstra, Anna S. von der Heydt, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Esther C. Brady, Wing-Le Chan, Deepak Chandan, Mark A. Chandler, Camille Contoux, Ran Feng, Chuncheng Guo, Zixuan Han, Alan M. Haywood, Qiang Li, Xiangyu Li, Gerrit Lohmann, Daniel J. Lunt, Kerim H. Nisancioglu, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, W. Richard Peltier, Gilles Ramstein, Linda E. Sohl, Christian Stepanek, Ning Tan, Julia C. Tindall, Charles J. R. Williams, Qiong Zhang, and Zhongshi Zhang
Clim. Past, 19, 61–85, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-61-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-61-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We study the behavior of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in the mid-Pliocene. The mid-Pliocene was about 3 million years ago and had a similar CO2 concentration to today. We show that the stronger AMOC during this period relates to changes in geography and that this has a significant influence on ocean temperatures and heat transported northwards by the Atlantic Ocean. Understanding the behavior of the mid-Pliocene AMOC can help us to learn more about our future climate.
Julia C. Tindall, Alan M. Haywood, Ulrich Salzmann, Aisling M. Dolan, and Tamara Fletcher
Clim. Past, 18, 1385–1405, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1385-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1385-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The mid-Pliocene (MP; ∼3.0 Ma) had CO2 levels similar to today and average temperatures ∼3°C warmer. At terrestrial high latitudes, MP temperatures from climate models are much lower than those reconstructed from data. This mismatch occurs in the winter but not the summer. The winter model–data mismatch likely has multiple causes. One novel cause is that the MP climate may be outside the modern sample, and errors could occur when using information from the modern era to reconstruct climate.
Michael Amoo, Ulrich Salzmann, Matthew J. Pound, Nick Thompson, and Peter K. Bijl
Clim. Past, 18, 525–546, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-525-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-525-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Late Eocene to earliest Oligocene (37.97–33.06 Ma) climate and vegetation dynamics around the Tasmanian Gateway region reveal that changes in ocean circulation due to accelerated deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway may not have been solely responsible for the changes in terrestrial climate and vegetation; a series of regional and global events, including a change in stratification of water masses and changes in pCO2, may have played significant roles.
Nick Thompson, Ulrich Salzmann, Adrián López-Quirós, Peter K. Bijl, Frida S. Hoem, Johan Etourneau, Marie-Alexandrine Sicre, Sabine Roignant, Emma Hocking, Michael Amoo, and Carlota Escutia
Clim. Past, 18, 209–232, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-209-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-209-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
New pollen and spore data from the Antarctic Peninsula region reveal temperate rainforests that changed and adapted in response to Eocene climatic cooling, roughly 35.5 Myr ago, and glacially related disturbance in the early Oligocene, approximately 33.5 Myr ago. The timing of these events indicates that the opening of ocean gateways alone did not trigger Antarctic glaciation, although ocean gateways may have played a role in climate cooling.
Zixuan Han, Qiong Zhang, Qiang Li, Ran Feng, Alan M. Haywood, Julia C. Tindall, Stephen J. Hunter, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Esther C. Brady, Nan Rosenbloom, Zhongshi Zhang, Xiangyu Li, Chuncheng Guo, Kerim H. Nisancioglu, Christian Stepanek, Gerrit Lohmann, Linda E. Sohl, Mark A. Chandler, Ning Tan, Gilles Ramstein, Michiel L. J. Baatsen, Anna S. von der Heydt, Deepak Chandan, W. Richard Peltier, Charles J. R. Williams, Daniel J. Lunt, Jianbo Cheng, Qin Wen, and Natalie J. Burls
Clim. Past, 17, 2537–2558, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2537-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2537-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the potential processes responsible for large-scale hydrological cycle changes in a warmer climate is of great importance. Our study implies that an imbalance in interhemispheric atmospheric energy during the mid-Pliocene could have led to changes in the dynamic effect, offsetting the thermodynamic effect and, hence, altering mid-Pliocene hydroclimate cycling. Moreover, a robust westward shift in the Pacific Walker circulation can moisten the northern Indian Ocean.
Arthur M. Oldeman, Michiel L. J. Baatsen, Anna S. von der Heydt, Henk A. Dijkstra, Julia C. Tindall, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Alice R. Booth, Esther C. Brady, Wing-Le Chan, Deepak Chandan, Mark A. Chandler, Camille Contoux, Ran Feng, Chuncheng Guo, Alan M. Haywood, Stephen J. Hunter, Youichi Kamae, Qiang Li, Xiangyu Li, Gerrit Lohmann, Daniel J. Lunt, Kerim H. Nisancioglu, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, W. Richard Peltier, Gabriel M. Pontes, Gilles Ramstein, Linda E. Sohl, Christian Stepanek, Ning Tan, Qiong Zhang, Zhongshi Zhang, Ilana Wainer, and Charles J. R. Williams
Clim. Past, 17, 2427–2450, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2427-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2427-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this work, we have studied the behaviour of El Niño events in the mid-Pliocene, a period of around 3 million years ago, using a collection of 17 climate models. It is an interesting period to study, as it saw similar atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to the present day. We find that the El Niño events were less strong in the mid-Pliocene simulations, when compared to pre-industrial climate. Our results could help to interpret El Niño behaviour in future climate projections.
Charles J. R. Williams, Alistair A. Sellar, Xin Ren, Alan M. Haywood, Peter Hopcroft, Stephen J. Hunter, William H. G. Roberts, Robin S. Smith, Emma J. Stone, Julia C. Tindall, and Daniel J. Lunt
Clim. Past, 17, 2139–2163, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2139-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2139-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Computer simulations of the geological past are an important tool to improve our understanding of climate change. We present results from a simulation of the mid-Pliocene (approximately 3 million years ago) using the latest version of the UK’s climate model. The simulation reproduces temperatures as expected and shows some improvement relative to previous versions of the same model. The simulation is, however, arguably too warm when compared to other models and available observations.
Ellen Berntell, Qiong Zhang, Qiang Li, Alan M. Haywood, Julia C. Tindall, Stephen J. Hunter, Zhongshi Zhang, Xiangyu Li, Chuncheng Guo, Kerim H. Nisancioglu, Christian Stepanek, Gerrit Lohmann, Linda E. Sohl, Mark A. Chandler, Ning Tan, Camille Contoux, Gilles Ramstein, Michiel L. J. Baatsen, Anna S. von der Heydt, Deepak Chandan, William Richard Peltier, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Wing-Le Chan, Youichi Kamae, Charles J. R. Williams, Daniel J. Lunt, Ran Feng, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, and Esther C. Brady
Clim. Past, 17, 1777–1794, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1777-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1777-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The mid-Pliocene Warm Period (~ 3.2 Ma) is often considered an analogue for near-future climate projections, and model results from the PlioMIP2 ensemble show an increase of rainfall over West Africa and the Sahara region compared to pre-industrial conditions. Though previous studies of future projections show a west–east drying–wetting contrast over the Sahel, these results indicate a uniform rainfall increase over the Sahel in warm climates characterized by increased greenhouse gas forcing.
Daniel J. Lunt, Deepak Chandan, Alan M. Haywood, George M. Lunt, Jonathan C. Rougier, Ulrich Salzmann, Gavin A. Schmidt, and Paul J. Valdes
Geosci. Model Dev., 14, 4307–4317, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-4307-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-4307-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Often in science we carry out experiments with computers in which several factors are explored, for example, in the field of climate science, how the factors of greenhouse gases, ice, and vegetation affect temperature. We can explore the relative importance of these factors by
swapping in and outdifferent values of these factors, and can also carry out experiments with many different combinations of these factors. This paper discusses how best to analyse the results from such experiments.
Zhongshi Zhang, Xiangyu Li, Chuncheng Guo, Odd Helge Otterå, Kerim H. Nisancioglu, Ning Tan, Camille Contoux, Gilles Ramstein, Ran Feng, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Esther Brady, Deepak Chandan, W. Richard Peltier, Michiel L. J. Baatsen, Anna S. von der Heydt, Julia E. Weiffenbach, Christian Stepanek, Gerrit Lohmann, Qiong Zhang, Qiang Li, Mark A. Chandler, Linda E. Sohl, Alan M. Haywood, Stephen J. Hunter, Julia C. Tindall, Charles Williams, Daniel J. Lunt, Wing-Le Chan, and Ayako Abe-Ouchi
Clim. Past, 17, 529–543, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-529-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-529-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is an important topic in the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project. Previous studies have suggested a much stronger AMOC during the Pliocene than today. However, our current multi-model intercomparison shows large model spreads and model–data discrepancies, which can not support the previous hypothesis. Our study shows good consistency with future projections of the AMOC.
David K. Hutchinson, Helen K. Coxall, Daniel J. Lunt, Margret Steinthorsdottir, Agatha M. de Boer, Michiel Baatsen, Anna von der Heydt, Matthew Huber, Alan T. Kennedy-Asser, Lutz Kunzmann, Jean-Baptiste Ladant, Caroline H. Lear, Karolin Moraweck, Paul N. Pearson, Emanuela Piga, Matthew J. Pound, Ulrich Salzmann, Howie D. Scher, Willem P. Sijp, Kasia K. Śliwińska, Paul A. Wilson, and Zhongshi Zhang
Clim. Past, 17, 269–315, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-269-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-269-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Eocene–Oligocene transition was a major climate cooling event from a largely ice-free world to the first major glaciation of Antarctica, approximately 34 million years ago. This paper reviews observed changes in temperature, CO2 and ice sheets from marine and land-based records at this time. We present a new model–data comparison of this transition and find that CO2-forced cooling provides the best explanation of the observed global temperature changes.
Irene Malmierca-Vallet, Louise C. Sime, Paul J. Valdes, and Julia C. Tindall
Clim. Past, 16, 2485–2508, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2485-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2485-2020, 2020
Wesley de Nooijer, Qiong Zhang, Qiang Li, Qiang Zhang, Xiangyu Li, Zhongshi Zhang, Chuncheng Guo, Kerim H. Nisancioglu, Alan M. Haywood, Julia C. Tindall, Stephen J. Hunter, Harry J. Dowsett, Christian Stepanek, Gerrit Lohmann, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Ran Feng, Linda E. Sohl, Mark A. Chandler, Ning Tan, Camille Contoux, Gilles Ramstein, Michiel L. J. Baatsen, Anna S. von der Heydt, Deepak Chandan, W. Richard Peltier, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Wing-Le Chan, Youichi Kamae, and Chris M. Brierley
Clim. Past, 16, 2325–2341, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2325-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2325-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The simulations for the past climate can inform us about the performance of climate models in different climate scenarios. Here, we analyse Arctic warming in an ensemble of 16 simulations of the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP), when the CO2 level was comparable to today. The results highlight the importance of slow feedbacks in the model simulations and imply that we must be careful when using simulations of the mPWP as an analogue for future climate change.
Alan M. Haywood, Julia C. Tindall, Harry J. Dowsett, Aisling M. Dolan, Kevin M. Foley, Stephen J. Hunter, Daniel J. Hill, Wing-Le Chan, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Christian Stepanek, Gerrit Lohmann, Deepak Chandan, W. Richard Peltier, Ning Tan, Camille Contoux, Gilles Ramstein, Xiangyu Li, Zhongshi Zhang, Chuncheng Guo, Kerim H. Nisancioglu, Qiong Zhang, Qiang Li, Youichi Kamae, Mark A. Chandler, Linda E. Sohl, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Ran Feng, Esther C. Brady, Anna S. von der Heydt, Michiel L. J. Baatsen, and Daniel J. Lunt
Clim. Past, 16, 2095–2123, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2095-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2095-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The large-scale features of middle Pliocene climate from the 16 models of PlioMIP Phase 2 are presented. The PlioMIP2 ensemble average was ~ 3.2 °C warmer and experienced ~ 7 % more precipitation than the pre-industrial era, although there are large regional variations. PlioMIP2 broadly agrees with a new proxy dataset of Pliocene sea surface temperatures. Combining PlioMIP2 and proxy data suggests that a doubling of atmospheric CO2 would increase globally averaged temperature by 2.6–4.8 °C.
Erin L. McClymont, Heather L. Ford, Sze Ling Ho, Julia C. Tindall, Alan M. Haywood, Montserrat Alonso-Garcia, Ian Bailey, Melissa A. Berke, Kate Littler, Molly O. Patterson, Benjamin Petrick, Francien Peterse, A. Christina Ravelo, Bjørg Risebrobakken, Stijn De Schepper, George E. A. Swann, Kaustubh Thirumalai, Jessica E. Tierney, Carolien van der Weijst, Sarah White, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Michiel L. J. Baatsen, Esther C. Brady, Wing-Le Chan, Deepak Chandan, Ran Feng, Chuncheng Guo, Anna S. von der Heydt, Stephen Hunter, Xiangyi Li, Gerrit Lohmann, Kerim H. Nisancioglu, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, W. Richard Peltier, Christian Stepanek, and Zhongshi Zhang
Clim. Past, 16, 1599–1615, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-1599-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-1599-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We examine the sea-surface temperature response to an interval of climate ~ 3.2 million years ago, when CO2 concentrations were similar to today and the near future. Our geological data and climate models show that global mean sea-surface temperatures were 2.3 to 3.2 ºC warmer than pre-industrial climate, that the mid-latitudes and high latitudes warmed more than the tropics, and that the warming was particularly enhanced in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Jennifer E. Dentith, Ruza F. Ivanovic, Lauren J. Gregoire, Julia C. Tindall, and Laura F. Robinson
Geosci. Model Dev., 13, 3529–3552, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-3529-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-3529-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We have added a new tracer (13C) into the ocean of the FAMOUS climate model to study large-scale circulation and the marine carbon cycle. The model captures the large-scale spatial pattern of observations but the simulated values are consistently higher than observed. In the first instance, our new tracer is therefore useful for recalibrating the physical and biogeochemical components of the model.
Jennifer E. Dentith, Ruza F. Ivanovic, Lauren J. Gregoire, Julia C. Tindall, Laura F. Robinson, and Paul J. Valdes
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-365, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-365, 2019
Publication in BG not foreseen
Short summary
Short summary
We have added three new tracers (a dye tracer and two representations of radiocarbon, 14C) into the ocean of the FAMOUS climate model to study large-scale circulation and the marine carbon cycle. The model performs well compared to modern 14C observations, both spatially and temporally. Proxy 14C records are interpreted in terms of water age, but comparing our dye tracer to our 14C tracer, we find that this is only valid in certain areas; elsewhere, the carbon cycle complicates the signal.
Stephen J. Hunter, Alan M. Haywood, Aisling M. Dolan, and Julia C. Tindall
Clim. Past, 15, 1691–1713, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1691-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1691-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we model climate of the mid-Piacenzian warm period (mPWP; ~3 million years ago), a geological analogue for contemporary climate. Using the HadCM3 climate model, we show how changes in CO2 and geography contributed to mPWP climate. We find mPWP warmth focussed in the high latitudes, geography-driven precipitation changes, complex changes in sea surface temperature and intensified overturning in the North Atlantic (AMOC).
Christopher J. Hollis, Tom Dunkley Jones, Eleni Anagnostou, Peter K. Bijl, Marlow Julius Cramwinckel, Ying Cui, Gerald R. Dickens, Kirsty M. Edgar, Yvette Eley, David Evans, Gavin L. Foster, Joost Frieling, Gordon N. Inglis, Elizabeth M. Kennedy, Reinhard Kozdon, Vittoria Lauretano, Caroline H. Lear, Kate Littler, Lucas Lourens, A. Nele Meckler, B. David A. Naafs, Heiko Pälike, Richard D. Pancost, Paul N. Pearson, Ursula Röhl, Dana L. Royer, Ulrich Salzmann, Brian A. Schubert, Hannu Seebeck, Appy Sluijs, Robert P. Speijer, Peter Stassen, Jessica Tierney, Aradhna Tripati, Bridget Wade, Thomas Westerhold, Caitlyn Witkowski, James C. Zachos, Yi Ge Zhang, Matthew Huber, and Daniel J. Lunt
Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 3149–3206, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-3149-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-3149-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The Deep-Time Model Intercomparison Project (DeepMIP) is a model–data intercomparison of the early Eocene (around 55 million years ago), the last time that Earth's atmospheric CO2 concentrations exceeded 1000 ppm. Previously, we outlined the experimental design for climate model simulations. Here, we outline the methods used for compilation and analysis of climate proxy data. The resulting climate
atlaswill provide insights into the mechanisms that control past warm climate states.
Florence Sylvestre, Mathieu Schuster, Hendrik Vogel, Moussa Abdheramane, Daniel Ariztegui, Ulrich Salzmann, Antje Schwalb, Nicolas Waldmann, and the ICDP CHADRILL Consortium
Sci. Dril., 24, 71–78, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-24-71-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-24-71-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
CHADRILL aims to recover a sedimentary core spanning the Miocene–Pleistocene sediment succession of Lake Chad through deep drilling. This record will provide significant insights into the modulation of orbitally forced changes in northern African hydroclimate under different climate boundary conditions and the most continuous climatic and environmental record to be compared with hominid migrations across northern Africa and the implications for understanding human evolution.
Ariadna Salabarnada, Carlota Escutia, Ursula Röhl, C. Hans Nelson, Robert McKay, Francisco J. Jiménez-Espejo, Peter K. Bijl, Julian D. Hartman, Stephanie L. Strother, Ulrich Salzmann, Dimitris Evangelinos, Adrián López-Quirós, José Abel Flores, Francesca Sangiorgi, Minoru Ikehara, and Henk Brinkhuis
Clim. Past, 14, 991–1014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-991-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-991-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Here we reconstruct ice sheet and paleoceanographic configurations in the East Antarctic Wilkes Land margin based on a multi-proxy study conducted in late Oligocene (26–25 Ma) sediments from IODP Site U1356. The new obliquity-forced glacial–interglacial sedimentary model shows that, under the high CO2 values of the late Oligocene, ice sheets had mostly retreated to their terrestrial margins and the ocean was very dynamic with shifting positions of the polar fronts and associated water masses.
Natalie S. Lord, Michel Crucifix, Dan J. Lunt, Mike C. Thorne, Nabila Bounceur, Harry Dowsett, Charlotte L. O'Brien, and Andy Ridgwell
Clim. Past, 13, 1539–1571, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1539-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1539-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present projections of long-term changes in climate, produced using a statistical emulator based on climate data from a state-of-the-art climate model. We use the emulator to model changes in temperature and precipitation over the late Pliocene (3.3–2.8 million years before present) and the next 200 thousand years. The impact of the Earth's orbit and the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration on climate is assessed, and the data for the late Pliocene are compared to proxy temperature data.
Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Pascale Braconnot, Sandy P. Harrison, Daniel J. Lunt, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Samuel Albani, Patrick J. Bartlein, Emilie Capron, Anders E. Carlson, Andrea Dutton, Hubertus Fischer, Heiko Goelzer, Aline Govin, Alan Haywood, Fortunat Joos, Allegra N. LeGrande, William H. Lipscomb, Gerrit Lohmann, Natalie Mahowald, Christoph Nehrbass-Ahles, Francesco S. R. Pausata, Jean-Yves Peterschmitt, Steven J. Phipps, Hans Renssen, and Qiong Zhang
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3979–4003, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3979-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3979-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The PMIP4 and CMIP6 mid-Holocene and Last Interglacial simulations provide an opportunity to examine the impact of two different changes in insolation forcing on climate at times when other forcings were relatively similar to present. This will allow exploration of the role of feedbacks relevant to future projections. Evaluating these simulations using paleoenvironmental data will provide direct out-of-sample tests of the reliability of state-of-the-art models to simulate climate changes.
Masa Kageyama, Samuel Albani, Pascale Braconnot, Sandy P. Harrison, Peter O. Hopcroft, Ruza F. Ivanovic, Fabrice Lambert, Olivier Marti, W. Richard Peltier, Jean-Yves Peterschmitt, Didier M. Roche, Lev Tarasov, Xu Zhang, Esther C. Brady, Alan M. Haywood, Allegra N. LeGrande, Daniel J. Lunt, Natalie M. Mahowald, Uwe Mikolajewicz, Kerim H. Nisancioglu, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Hans Renssen, Robert A. Tomas, Qiong Zhang, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Patrick J. Bartlein, Jian Cao, Qiang Li, Gerrit Lohmann, Rumi Ohgaito, Xiaoxu Shi, Evgeny Volodin, Kohei Yoshida, Xiao Zhang, and Weipeng Zheng
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 4035–4055, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-4035-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-4035-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 21000 years ago) is an interval when global ice volume was at a maximum, eustatic sea level close to a minimum, greenhouse gas concentrations were lower, atmospheric aerosol loadings were higher than today, and vegetation and land-surface characteristics were different from today. This paper describes the implementation of the LGM numerical experiment for the PMIP4-CMIP6 modelling intercomparison projects and the associated sensitivity experiments.
Jack Longman, Daniel Veres, Vasile Ersek, Ulrich Salzmann, Katalin Hubay, Marc Bormann, Volker Wennrich, and Frank Schäbitz
Clim. Past, 13, 897–917, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-897-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-897-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present the first record of dust input into an eastern European bog over the past 10 800 years. We find significant changes in past dust deposition, with large inputs related to both natural and human influences. We show evidence that Saharan desertification has had a significant impact on dust deposition in eastern Europe for the past 6100 years.
Stephanie L. Strother, Ulrich Salzmann, Francesca Sangiorgi, Peter K. Bijl, Jörg Pross, Carlota Escutia, Ariadna Salabarnada, Matthew J. Pound, Jochen Voss, and John Woodward
Biogeosciences, 14, 2089–2100, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2089-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2089-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
One of the main challenges in Antarctic vegetation reconstructions is the uncertainty in unambiguously identifying reworked pollen and spore assemblages in marine sedimentary records influenced by waxing and waning ice sheets. This study uses red fluorescence and digital imaging as a new tool to identify reworking in a marine sediment core from circum-Antarctic waters to reconstruct Cenozoic climate change and vegetation with high confidence.
Daniel J. Lunt, Matthew Huber, Eleni Anagnostou, Michiel L. J. Baatsen, Rodrigo Caballero, Rob DeConto, Henk A. Dijkstra, Yannick Donnadieu, David Evans, Ran Feng, Gavin L. Foster, Ed Gasson, Anna S. von der Heydt, Chris J. Hollis, Gordon N. Inglis, Stephen M. Jones, Jeff Kiehl, Sandy Kirtland Turner, Robert L. Korty, Reinhardt Kozdon, Srinath Krishnan, Jean-Baptiste Ladant, Petra Langebroek, Caroline H. Lear, Allegra N. LeGrande, Kate Littler, Paul Markwick, Bette Otto-Bliesner, Paul Pearson, Christopher J. Poulsen, Ulrich Salzmann, Christine Shields, Kathryn Snell, Michael Stärz, James Super, Clay Tabor, Jessica E. Tierney, Gregory J. L. Tourte, Aradhna Tripati, Garland R. Upchurch, Bridget S. Wade, Scott L. Wing, Arne M. E. Winguth, Nicky M. Wright, James C. Zachos, and Richard E. Zeebe
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 889–901, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-889-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-889-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper we describe the experimental design for a set of simulations which will be carried out by a range of climate models, all investigating the climate of the Eocene, about 50 million years ago. The intercomparison of model results is called 'DeepMIP', and we anticipate that we will contribute to the next IPCC report through an analysis of these simulations and the geological data to which we will compare them.
Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Pascale Braconnot, Sandy P. Harrison, Daniel J. Lunt, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Samuel Albani, Patrick J. Bartlein, Emilie Capron, Anders E. Carlson, Andrea Dutton, Hubertus Fischer, Heiko Goelzer, Aline Govin, Alan Haywood, Fortunat Joos, Allegra N. Legrande, William H. Lipscomb, Gerrit Lohmann, Natalie Mahowald, Christoph Nehrbass-Ahles, Jean-Yves Peterschmidt, Francesco S.-R. Pausata, Steven Phipps, and Hans Renssen
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2016-106, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2016-106, 2016
Preprint retracted
Harry Dowsett, Aisling Dolan, David Rowley, Robert Moucha, Alessandro M. Forte, Jerry X. Mitrovica, Matthew Pound, Ulrich Salzmann, Marci Robinson, Mark Chandler, Kevin Foley, and Alan Haywood
Clim. Past, 12, 1519–1538, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1519-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1519-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Past intervals in Earth history provide unique windows into conditions much different than those observed today. We investigated the paleoenvironments of a past warm interval (~ 3 million years ago). Our reconstruction includes data sets for surface temperature, vegetation, soils, lakes, ice sheets, topography, and bathymetry. These data are being used along with global climate models to expand our understanding of the climate system and to help us prepare for future changes.
Sina Panitz, Ulrich Salzmann, Bjørg Risebrobakken, Stijn De Schepper, and Matthew J. Pound
Clim. Past, 12, 1043–1060, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1043-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1043-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents the first late Pliocene high-resolution pollen record for the Norwegian Arctic, covering the time period 3.60 to 3.14 million years ago (Ma). The climate of the late Pliocene has been widely regarded as relatively stable. Our results suggest a high climate variability with alternating cool temperate forests during warmer-than-presen periods and boreal forests similar to today during cooler intervals. A spread of peatlands at the expense of forest indicates long-term cooling.
Alan M. Haywood, Harry J. Dowsett, Aisling M. Dolan, David Rowley, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Bette Otto-Bliesner, Mark A. Chandler, Stephen J. Hunter, Daniel J. Lunt, Matthew Pound, and Ulrich Salzmann
Clim. Past, 12, 663–675, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-663-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-663-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Our paper presents the experimental design for the second phase of the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP). We outline the way in which climate models should be set up in order to study the Pliocene – a period of global warmth in Earth's history which is relevant for our understanding of future climate change. By conducting a model intercomparison we hope to understand the uncertainty associated with model predictions of a warmer climate.
D. J. Hill, A. M. Haywood, D. J. Lunt, S. J. Hunter, F. J. Bragg, C. Contoux, C. Stepanek, L. Sohl, N. A. Rosenbloom, W.-L. Chan, Y. Kamae, Z. Zhang, A. Abe-Ouchi, M. A. Chandler, A. Jost, G. Lohmann, B. L. Otto-Bliesner, G. Ramstein, and H. Ueda
Clim. Past, 10, 79–90, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-79-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-79-2014, 2014
R. Zhang, Q. Yan, Z. S. Zhang, D. Jiang, B. L. Otto-Bliesner, A. M. Haywood, D. J. Hill, A. M. Dolan, C. Stepanek, G. Lohmann, C. Contoux, F. Bragg, W.-L. Chan, M. A. Chandler, A. Jost, Y. Kamae, A. Abe-Ouchi, G. Ramstein, N. A. Rosenbloom, L. Sohl, and H. Ueda
Clim. Past, 9, 2085–2099, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2085-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-2085-2013, 2013
T. Russon, A. W. Tudhope, G. C. Hegerl, M. Collins, and J. Tindall
Clim. Past, 9, 1543–1557, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-1543-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-1543-2013, 2013
Z.-S. Zhang, K. H. Nisancioglu, M. A. Chandler, A. M. Haywood, B. L. Otto-Bliesner, G. Ramstein, C. Stepanek, A. Abe-Ouchi, W.-L. Chan, F. J. Bragg, C. Contoux, A. M. Dolan, D. J. Hill, A. Jost, Y. Kamae, G. Lohmann, D. J. Lunt, N. A. Rosenbloom, L. E. Sohl, and H. Ueda
Clim. Past, 9, 1495–1504, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-1495-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-1495-2013, 2013
M. A. Chandler, L. E. Sohl, J. A. Jonas, H. J. Dowsett, and M. Kelley
Geosci. Model Dev., 6, 517–531, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-6-517-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-6-517-2013, 2013
A. M. Haywood, D. J. Hill, A. M. Dolan, B. L. Otto-Bliesner, F. Bragg, W.-L. Chan, M. A. Chandler, C. Contoux, H. J. Dowsett, A. Jost, Y. Kamae, G. Lohmann, D. J. Lunt, A. Abe-Ouchi, S. J. Pickering, G. Ramstein, N. A. Rosenbloom, U. Salzmann, L. Sohl, C. Stepanek, H. Ueda, Q. Yan, and Z. Zhang
Clim. Past, 9, 191–209, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-191-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-191-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Subject: Feedback and Forcing | Archive: Terrestrial Archives | Timescale: Cenozoic
Age and driving mechanisms of the Eocene–Oligocene transition from astronomical tuning of a lacustrine record (Rennes Basin, France)
Evidence for fire in the Pliocene Arctic in response to amplified temperature
Slah Boulila, Guillaume Dupont-Nivet, Bruno Galbrun, Hugues Bauer, and Jean-Jacques Châteauneuf
Clim. Past, 17, 2343–2360, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2343-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2343-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Eocene–Oligocene climate transition (EOT) is one of the most drastic climate changes of the Cenozoic era and the final stage of the shift from ice-free to icehouse Earth. Here we present high-resolution records (geophysical, geochemical and sedimentological proxy data) of the EOT from lake deposits to detect the atmospheric expression of the EOT via the hydrological cycle. Such records provide strong constraints on climate modeling and on our comprehension of the forcing mechanisms of EOT.
Tamara L. Fletcher, Lisa Warden, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, Kendrick J. Brown, Natalia Rybczynski, John C. Gosse, and Ashley P. Ballantyne
Clim. Past, 15, 1063–1081, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1063-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1063-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The last time atmospheric CO2 was similar to the present was 3–4 million years ago. The Arctic was warmer compared to the global average, and the causes are not fully known. To investigate this, we reconstructed summer temperature, forest fire and vegetation at a 3.9 Ma fen peat in Arctic Canada. The summer temperatures averaged 15.4 °C, and charcoal was abundant. Interactions between vegetation and climate were mediated by fire and may contribute to high Arctic temperatures during the Pliocene.
Cited articles
Abbott, P. L.: Cenozoic paleosols San Diego area, California, CATENA, 8, 223–237, 1981.
Adam, D. P., Bradbury, J. P., Rieck, H. J., and Sarna-Wojcicki, A. M.: Environmental changes in the Tule Lake Basin, Siskiyou and Modoc Counties, California, from 3 to 2 Million years before present, USGS Bulletin, 1933, 1–13, 1990.
Alley, N. F.: Cainozoic stratigraphy, palaeoenvironments and geological evolution of the Lake Eyre Basin, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 144, 239–263, 1998.
Basilici, G.: Sedimentary facies in an extensional and deep-lacustrine depositional system: the Pliocene Tiberino Basin, Central Italy, Sediment. Geol., 109, 73–94, 1997.
Beadle, L. C.: The inland waters of tropical Africa: an introduction to tropical limnology, Longman, London, 365 pp., 1974.
Bechtel, A., Sachsenhofer, R. F., Markic, M., Gratzer, R., Lücke, A., and Püttmann, W.: Paleoenvironmental implications from biomarker and stable isotope investigations on the Pliocene Velenje lignite seam (Slovenia), Org. Geochem., 34, 1277–1298, 2003.
Burrough, S. L., Thomas, D. S. G., and Singarayer, J. S.: Late Quaternary hydrological dynamics in the Middle Kalahari: Forcing and feedbacks, Earth-Sci. Rev., 96, 313–326, 2009.
Cahen, L.: Geologie du Congo Belge. Liège: Vaillant-Carmanne, 577 pp., 1954.
Callen, R. A.: Late Cainozoic environments of part of northeastern South Australia, J. Geol. Soc. Aust., 24, 151–169, 1977.
Campisano, C. J. and Feibel, C. S.: Depositional environments and stratigraphic summary of the Pliocene Hadar Formation at Hadar, Afar Depression, Ethiopia, The Geol. Soc. Am. Special Paper, 446, 179–201, 2008.
Chandler, M., Rind., D., and Thompson, R.: Joint investigations of the middle Pliocene climate II: GISS GCM Northern Hemisphere results, Global Planet. Change, 9, 197–219, 1994.
Chang, H., Ao, H., An, Z., Fang, X., Song, Y., and Qiang, X.: Magnetostratigraphy of the Suerkuli Basin indicates Pliocene (3.2 Ma) activity of the middle Altyn Tagh Fault, northern Tibetan Plateau, J. Asian Earth Sci., 44, 169–175, 2012.
Chen, X. Y., Bowler, J. M., and Magee, J. W.: Late Cenozoic stratigraphy and hydrologic history of Lake Amadeus, a central Australian playa, Aust. J. Earth Sci., 40, 1–14, 1993.
Cohen, A. S., Lezzar, K. E., Tiercelin, J. J., and Soreghan, M.: New palaeogeographic and lake-level reconstructions of Lake Tanganyika: implications for tectonic, climatic and biological evolution in a rift lake, Basin Res., 9, 107–132, 1997.
Contoux, C., Ramstein, G., and Jost, A.: Modelling the mid-Pliocene Warm Period climate with the IPSL coupled model and its atmospheric component LMDZ5A, Geosci. Model Dev., 5, 903–917, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-5-903-2012, 2012.
Contoux, C., Jost, A., Ramstein, G., Sepulchre, P., Krinner, G., and Schuster, M.: Megalake Chad impact on climate and vegetation during the late Pliocene and the mid-Holocene, Clim. Past, 9, 1417–1430, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-1417-2013, 2013.
Coulthard, T. J., Ramirez, J. A., Barton, N., Rogerson, M., and Brücher, T.: Were Rivers Flowing across the Sahara During the Last Interglacial? Implications for Human Migration through Africa, PLoS ONE 8, e74834, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0074834, 2013.
Cox, P.: Description of the "TRIFFID" Dynamic Global Vegetation Model. Hadley Centre technical note 24, 1–16, 2001.
Cox, P. M., Betts, R., Bunton, C. B., Essery, R. L. H., Rowntree, P. R., and Smith, J.: The impact of new land surface physics on the GCM simulation of climate and climate sensitivity, Clim. Dynam., 15, 183–203, 1999.
Deino, A. L., Kingston, J. D., Glen, J. M., Edgar, R. K., and Hill, A.: Precessional forcing of lacustrine sedimentation in the late Cenozoic Chemeron Basin, Central Kenya Rift, and calibration of the Gauss/Matuyama boundary, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 247, 41–60, 2006.
Delire, C., Levis, S., Bonan, G., Foley, J. A., Coe, M., and Vavrus, S.: Comparison of the climate simulated by the CCM3 coupled to two different land-surface models, Clim. Dynam., 19, 657–669, 2002.
Dixey, F.: The Tertiary and Post-Tertiary Lacustrine Sediments of the Nyasan Rift-Valley, Q. J. Geol. Soc., 83, 432–442, 1927.
Dowsett, H. J., Cronin, T. M., Poore, R. Z., Thompson, R. S., Whatley, R. C., and Wood, A. M.: Micropaleontological evidence for Increased meridional heat transport in the North Atlantic Ocean during the Pliocene, Science, 258, 1133–1135, 1992.
Dowsett, H. J., Thompson, R., Barron, J., Cronin, T., Fleming, F., Ishman, S., Poore, R., Willard, D., and Holtz Jr., T.: Joint investigations of the Middle Pliocene climate I: PRISM paleoenvironmental reconstructions, Global Planet. Change, 9, 169–195, 1994.
Dowsett, H. J., Barron, J., and Poore, R.: Middle Pliocene sea surface temperatures: a global reconstruction, Mar. Micropaleontol., 27, 13–26, 1996.
Dowsett, H. J., Robinson, M., Haywood, A., Salzmann, U., Hill, D., Sohl, L., Chandler, M., Williams, M., Foley, K., and Stoll, D.: The PRISM3D paleoenvironmental reconstruction, Stratigraphy, 7, 123–139, 2010.
Dowsett, H. J., Robinson, M. M., Haywood, A. M., Hill, D. J., Dolan, A. M., Stoll, D. K., Chan, W.-L., Abe-Ouchi, A., Chandler, M. A., Rosenbloom, N. A., Otto-Bliesner, B. L., Bragg, F. J., Lunt, D. J., Foley, K. M., and Riesselman, C. R.: Assessing confidence in Pliocene sea surface temperatures to evaluate predictive models, Nat. Clim. Change, 2, 365–371, 2012.
Dowsett, H., Foley, K., Stoll, D., Chandler, M., Sohl, L., Bentsen, M., Otto-Bliesner, B., Bragg, F., Chan, W.-L., Contoux, C., Dolan, A., Haywood, A., Jonas, J., Jost, A., Kamae, Y., Lohmann, G., Lunt, D., Nisancioglu, K., Abe-Ouchi, A., Ramstein, G., Riesselman, C., Robinson, M., Rosenbloom, N., Salzmann, U., Stepanek, C., Strother, S., Ueda, H., Yan, Q., and Zhang, Z.: Sea surface temperature of the mid-Piacenzian ocean: A data-model comparison, Sci. Reports, 3, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep02013, 2013.
Drake, N. A., El-Hawat, A. S., Turner, P., Armitage, S. J., Salem, M. J., White, K. H., and McLaren, S.: Palaeohydrology of the Fazzan Basin and surrounding regions: The last 7 million years, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 263, 131–145, 2008.
Essery, R. L. H., Best, M., and Cox, P.: MOSES 2.2 technical documentation, Hadley Centre technical note, 30, 1–30, 2001.
Firman, J. B.: Paleosols in laterite and silcrete profiles Evidence from the South East Margin of the Australian Precambrian Shield, Earth-Sci. Rev., 36, 149–179, 1994.
Fleming, R. F.: Palynological records from Pliocene sediments in the California region: Centerville Beach, DSDP Site 32, and the Anza-Borrego desert. Pliocene Terrestrial Environments and Data/Model Comparisons, edited by: Thompson, R. S., 11–15, USGS Open-File Report, 1994.
Gerasimenko, N.: Vegetation development cycles of the Ukrainian forest-steppe zone in the Middle – Late Pliocene, in: Paleofloristic and paleoclimatic changes during Cretaceous and Tertiary, edited by: Planderova, E., Konzalova, M., Kvacek, Z., Sitar, V., Snopkova, P., and Suballyova, D., Geologicky Ustav Dionyza Stura, Bratislava, 199–204, 1993.
Good, P., Jones, C., Lowe, J., Betts, R., and Gedney, N.: Comparing tropical forest projections from two generations of Hadley Centre Earth System Models, HadGEM2-ES and HadCM3LC, J. Climate, 26, 495–511, 2013.
Gordon, C., Cooper, C., Senior, C. A., Banks, H., Gregory, J. M., Johns, T. C., Mitchell, J. F. B., and Wood, R. A.: The simulation of SST, sea ice extents and ocean heat transports in a version of the Hadley Centre coupled model without flux adjustments, Clim. Dynam., 16, 147–168, 2000.
Goudie, A. S.: The drainage of Africa since the Cretaceous, Geomorphology, 67, 437–456, 2005.
Graef, F., Singer, A., Stahr, K., and Jahn, R.: Genesis and diagenesis of paleosols from Pliocene volcanics on the Golan Heights, CATENA, 30, 149–167, 1997.
Günster, N. and Skowronek, A.: Sediment–soil sequences in the Granada Basin as evidence for long- and short-term climatic changes during the Pliocene and Quaternary in the Western Mediterranean, Quaternary Int., 78, 17–32, 2001.
Gürel, A. and Kadir, S.: Geology, mineralogy and origin of clay minerals of the Pliocene fluvial-lacustrine deposits in the Cappadocian Volcanic Province, central Anatolia, Turkey, Clays Clay Miner., 54, 555–570, 2006.
Haywood, A. M. and Valdes, P. J.: Vegetation cover in a warmer world simulated using a dynamic global vegetation model for the Mid-Pliocene, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 237, 412–427, 2006.
Haywood, A. M., Chandler, M. A., Valdes, P. J., Salzmann, U., Lunt, D. J., and Dowsett, H. J.: Comparison of mid-Pliocene climate predictions produced by the HadAM3 and GCMAM3 General Circulation Models, Global Planet. Change, 66, 208–224, 2009.
Haywood, A. M., Dowsett, H. J., Otto-Bliesner, B., Chandler, M. A., Dolan, A. M., Hill, D. J., Lunt, D. J., Robinson, M. M., Rosenbloom, N., Salzmann, U., and Sohl, L. E.: Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP): experimental design and boundary conditions (Experiment 1), Geosci. Model Dev., 3, 227–242, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-3-227-2010, 2010.
Haywood, A. M., Dowsett, H. J., Robinson, M. M., Stoll, D. K., Dolan, A. M., Lunt, D. J., Otto-Bliesner, B., and Chandler, M. A.: Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP): experimental design and boundary conditions (Experiment 2), Geosci. Model Dev., 4, 571–577, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-4-571-2011, 2011a.
Haywood, A. M., Ridgwell, A., Lunt, D. J., Hill, D. J., Pound, M. J., Dowsett, H. J., Dolan, A. M., Francis, J. E., and Williams, M.: Are there pre-Quaternary geological analogues for a future greenhouse warming? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Phys. Eng. Sci., 369, 933–956, 2011b.
Helgren, D. M. and Butzer, K. W.: Paleosols of the southern Cape Coast, South Africa: Implications for laterite definition, genesis, and age, Geogr. Rev., 67, 430–445, 1977.
Hoelzmann, P., Jolly, D., Harrison, S. P., Laarif, F., Bonnefille, R., and Pachur, H. J.: Mid-Holocene land-surface conditions in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula: A data set for the analysis of biogeophysical feedbacks in the climate system, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 12, 35–51, 1998.
Hou, B., Frakes, L. A., Sandiford, M., Worrall, L., Keeling, J., and Alley, N. F.: Cenozoic Eucla Basin and associated palaeovalleys, southern Australia – Climatic and tectonic influences on landscape evolution, sedimentation and heavy mineral accumulation, Sedim. Geol., 203, 112–130, 2008.
Hughes, M. J., Carey, S. P., and Kotsonis, A.: Lateritic weathering and secondary gold in the Victorian Gold Province, Regolith, 98, 155–172, 1999.
Hughes, J. K., Valdes, P. J., and Betts, R.: Dynamics of a global-scale vegetation model, Ecol. Modell., 198, 452–462, 2006.
Icole, M.: Une nouvelle methode pour la paleopedologie du Pliocene et du Villafranchien des Pyrenees centrales, Bulletin de l'Association française pour l'etude du Quaternaire, 1970, 135–143, 1970.
Jones, C. P.: Ancillary file data sources, Unified Model Documentation, 70, 1–38, 2008.
Kaplan, J.: Geophysical applications of vegetation modeling, Lund University, Lund, p. 128, 2001.
Kelepertsis, A.: Mineralogy and geochemistry of the pliocene iron-rich laterite in the Vatera area, Lesvos Island, Greece and its genesis, Chinese J. Geochem., 21, 193–205, 2002.
Knorr, W. and Schnitzler, K.-G.: Enhanced albedo feedback in North Africa from possible combined vegetation and soil-formation processes, Clim. Dynam., 26, 55–63, 2006.
Krinner, G., Lézine, A.-M., Braconnot, P. Sepulchre, P. Ramstein, G. Grenier, C., and Gouttevin, I.: A reassessment of lake and wetland feedbacks on the North African Holocene climate, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L07701, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL050992, 2012.
Lehner, B. and Döll, P.: Development and validation of a global database of lakes, reservoirs and wetlands, J. Hydrol., 296, 1–22, 2004.
Lenoble, A.: Les depots lacustres Pliocenes-Pleistocenes de L'Ankaratra (Madagascar): Etude geologique, Ann. Geolog. Serv. Mines, 18, 9–82, 1949.
Leroy, S. and Dupont, L.: Development of vegetation and continental aridity in northwestern Africa during the Late Pliocene: the pollen record of ODP site 658, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 109, 295–316, 1994.
Levis, S., Bonan, G. B., and Bonfils, C.: Soil feedback drives the mid-Holocene North African monsoon northward in fully coupled CCSM2 simulations with a dynamic vegetation model, Clim. Dynam., 23, 791–802, 2004.
Lunt, D. J., Haywood, A. M., Schmidt, G. A., Salzmann, U., Valdes, P. J., and Dowsett, H.J.: Earth system sensitivity inferred from Pliocene modelling and data, Nat. Geosci., 3, 60–64, 2010.
Lunt, D. J., Haywood, A. M., Schmidt, G. A., Salzmann, U., Valdes, P. J., Dowsett, H. J., and Loptson, C. A.: On the causes of mid-Pliocene warmth and polar amplification, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 321–322, 128–138, 2012.
Mabesoone, J. M. and Lobo, H. R. C.: Paleosols as stratigraphic indicators for the cenozoic history of northeastern Brazil, CATENA, 7, 67–78, 1980.
Mack, G. H., Seager, W. R., Leeder, M. R., Perez-Arlucea, M., and Salyards, S. L.: Pliocene and Quaternary history of the Rio Grande, the axial river of the southern Rio Grande rift, New Mexico, USA, Earth-Sci. Rev., 79, 141–162, 2006.
Martin, H. A.: Cenozoic climatic change and the development of the arid vegetation in Australia, J. Arid Environ., 66, 533–563, 2006.
Mats, V. D., Lomonosova, T. K., Vorobyova, G. A., and Granina, L. Z.: Upper Cretaceous–Cenozoic clay minerals of the Baikal region (eastern Siberia), Appl. Clay Sci., 24, 327–336, 2004.
Müller, J., Oberhänsli, H., Melles, M., Schwab, M., Rachold, V., and Hubberten, H. W.: Late Pliocene sedimentation in Lake Baikal: implications for climatic and tectonic change in SE Siberia, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 174, 305–326, 2001.
Otero, O., Pinton, A., Mackaye, H. T., Likius, A., Vignaud, P., and Brunet, M.: Fishes and palaeogeography of the African drainage basins: Relationships between Chad and neighbouring basins throughout the Mio-Pliocene, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 274, 134–139, 2009.
Otero, O., Pinton, A., Mackaye, H. T., Likius, A., Vignaud, P., and Brunet, M.: The early/late Pliocene ichthyofauna from Koro-Toro, Eastern Djurab, Chad. Geobios, 43, 241–251, 2010.
Paepe, R., Mariolakos, I., Van Overloop, E., Nassopoulou, S., Hus, J., Hatziotou, M., Markopoulos, T., Manutsoglu, E., Livaditis, G., and Sabot, V.: Quaternary soil-geological stratigraphy in Greece, B. Geol. Soc. Greece, 36, 856–863, 2004.
Peters, C. R. and O'Brien, E. M.: Palaeo-lake Congo: Implications for Africa's Late Cenozoic climate – some unanswered questions, Palaeoecol. Africa, 27, 11–18, 2001.
Pope, V. D., Gallani, M. L., Rowntree, P. R., and Stratton, R. A.: The impact of new physical parametrizations in the Hadley Centre climate model: HadAM3, Clim. Dynam., 16, 123–146, 2000.
Pope, J. O., Collins, M., Haywood, A. M., Dowsett, H. J., Hunter, S. J., Lunt, D. J., Pickering, S. J., and Pound, M. J.: Quantifying Uncertainty in Model Predictions for the Pliocene (Plio-QUMP): Initial results, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 309, 128–140, 2011.
Quade, J., Solounias, N., and Cerling, T. E.: Stable isotopic evidence from paleosol carbonates and fossil teeth in Greece for forest or woodlands over the past 11 Ma, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 108, 41–53, 1994.
Ringrose, S., Kampunzu, A. B., Vink, W., Matheson, W., and Downe, W. S.: Origin and palaeo-environments of calcareous sediments in the Moshaweng dry valley, southeast Botswana, Earth Surf. Process. Landf., 27, 591–611, 2002.
Ringrose, S., Huntsman-Mapila, P., Basira Kampunzu, A., Downey, W., Coetzee, S., Vink, B., Matheson, W., and Vanderpost, C.: Sedimentological and geochemical evidence for palaeo-environmental change in the Makgadikgadi subbasin, in relation to the MOZ rift depression, Botswana, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 217, 265–287, 2005.
Sáez, A., Cabrera, L., Jensen, A., and Chong, G.: Late Neogene lacustrine record and palaeogeography in the Quillagua-Llamara basin, Central Andean fore-arc (northern Chile), Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 151, 5–37, 1999.
Salama, R. B.: The evolution of the River Nile. The buried saline rift lakes in Sudan – I. Bahr El Arab Rift, the Sudd buried saline lake, J. Afr. Earth Sci., 6, 899–913, 1987.
Salzmann, U., Haywood, A. M., Lunt, D. J., Valdes, P. J., and Hill, D. J.: A new global biome reconstruction and data-model comparison for the Middle Pliocene, Global Ecol. Biogeogr., 17, 432–447, 2008.
Salzmann, U., Haywood, A. M., and Lunt, D. J.: The past is a guide to the future? Comparing Middle Pliocene vegetation with predicted biome distributions for the twenty-first century, Philos. Trans. Royal Soc. A, 367, 189–204, 2009.
Salzmann, U., Williams, M., Haywood, A. M., Johnson, A. L. A., Kender, S., and Zalasiewicz, J.: Climate and environment of a Pliocene warm world, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 309, 1–8, 2011.
Salzmann, U., Dolan, A. M., Haywood, A. M., Chan, W.-L., Voss, J., Hill, D. J., Abe-Ouchi, A., Otto-Bliesner, B., Bragg, F. J., Chandler, M. A., Contoux, C., Dowsett, H. J., Jost, A., Kamae, Y., Lohmann, G., Lunt, D. J., Pickering, S. J., Pound, M. J., Ramstein, G., Rosenbloom, N. A., Sohl, L., Stepanek, C., Ueda, H., and Zhang, Z.: Challenges in quantifying Pliocene terrestrial warming revealed by data-model discord, Nat. Clim. Change, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2008, 2013.
Sangode, S. J. and Bloemendal, J.: Pedogenic transformation of magnetic minerals in Pliocene–Pleistocene palaeosols of the Siwalik Group, NW Himalaya, India, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocli. Palaeoecol., 212, 95–118, 2004.
Schuster, M., Duringer, P., Ghienne, J.-F., Roquin, C., Sepulchre, P., Moussa, A., Lebatard, A.-E., Mackaye, H. T., Likius, A., Vignaud, P., and Brunet, M.: Chad Basin: Paleoenvironments of the Sahara since the Late Miocene, Compt. Rendus Geosci., 341, 603–611, 2009.
Sepulchre, P., Ramstein, G., and Schuster, M.: Modelling the impact of tectonics, surface conditions and sea surface temperatures on Saharan and sub-Saharan climate evolution, Compt. Rendus Geosci., 341, 612–620, 2009.
Simon-CoinÇon, R., Milnes, A. R., Thiry, M., and Wright, M. J.: Evolution of landscapes in northern South Australia in relation to the distribution and formation of silcretes, J. Geolog. Soc., 153, 467–480, 1996.
Smith, G. R.: Late Cenozoic Freshwater Fishes of North America, Ann. Rev. Ecol. System., 12, 163–193, 1981.
Soil Survey Staff: Soil taxonomy: A basic system of soil classification for making and interpreting soil surveys United States Department of Agriculture Agriculture Handbook 436, 871 pp., 1999.
Sloan, L. C.: Equable climates during the early Eocene: Significance of regional paleogeography for North American climate, Geology, 22, 881–884, 1994.
Sloan, L. C., Crowley, T. J., and Pollard, D.: Modeling of Middle Pliocene climate with the NCAR Genesis general circulation model, Mar. Micropaleontol., 27, 51–61, 1996.
Summerfield, M. A.: Global Geomorphology, Longman, Harlow, 1991.
Thompson, R. S.: Pliocene environments and climates in the western United States, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 10, 115–132, 1991.
Thompson, R. S.: Palynological data from a 989-FT (301-M) core of Pliocene and Early Pleistocene sediments from Bruneau, Idaho, USGS Open File Report 92–713, 1–28, 1992.
Violante, R., Osella, A., Vega, M. d. l., Rovere, E., and Osterrieth, M.: Paleoenvironmental reconstruction in the western lacustrine plain of Llancanelo Lake, Mendoza, Argentina, J. South Am. Earth Sci., 29, 650–664, 2010.
Wijninga, V. M. and Kuhry, P.: Late Pliocene paleoecology of the Guasca Valley (Cordillera Oriental, Colombia). Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 78, 69-127, 1993.
Wynn, J. G.: Paleosols, stable carbon isotopes, and paleoenvironment interpretation of Kanapoi, Northern Kenya, J. Human Evol., 39, 411–432, 2000.