Articles | Volume 12, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-543-2016
© Author(s) 2016. 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-12-543-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
29 Feb 2016
Research article |
| 29 Feb 2016
The effect of low ancient greenhouse climate temperature gradients on the ocean's overturning circulation
Willem P. Sijp
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
Matthew H. England
ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
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Short summary
The polar warmth of the greenhouse climates in the Earth's past represents a fundamentally different climate state to that of today, with a strongly reduced temperature difference between the Equator and the poles. It is commonly thought that this would lead to a more quiescent ocean, with much reduced ventilation of the abyss. Surprisingly, using a Cretaceous cimate model, we find that ocean overturning is not weaker under a reduced temperature gradient arising from amplified polar heat.
The polar warmth of the greenhouse climates in the Earth's past represents a fundamentally...
