Articles | Volume 17, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2427-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2427-2021
Research article
 | 
01 Dec 2021
Research article |  | 01 Dec 2021

Reduced El Niño variability in the mid-Pliocene according to the PlioMIP2 ensemble

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

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Cited articles

An, S. I. and Bong, H.: Feedback process responsible for the suppression of ENSO activity during the mid-Holocene, Theor. Appl. Climatol., 132, 779–790, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-017-2117-6, 2018. a
Ashok, K. and Yamagata, T.: The El Niño with a difference, Nature, 461, 481–484, https://doi.org/10.1038/461481a, 2009. a, b
Baatsen, M. L. J., von der Heydt, A. S., Kliphuis, M. A., Oldeman, A. M., and Weiffenbach, J. E.: Warm mid-Pliocene conditions without high climate sensitivity: the CCSM4-Utrecht (CESM 1.0.5) contribution to the PlioMIP2, Clim. Past Discuss. [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2021-140, in review, 2021. a, b, c
Badger, M. P., Schmidt, D. N., Mackensen, A., and Pancost, R. D.: High-resolution alkenone palaeobarometry indicates relatively stable pCO2 during the Pliocene (3.3–2.8 Ma), Philos. T. Roy. Soc. A, 371, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0094, 2013. a
Barreiro, M., Philander, G., Pacanowski, R., and Fedorov, A.: Simulations of warm tropical conditions with application to middle Pliocene atmospheres, Clim. Dynam., 26, 349–365, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-005-0086-4, 2006. a
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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.