bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Large-scale shifts in phytoplankton groups in the Equatorial Pacific during ENSO cycles
Authors: Masotti I. , Moulin C. , Alvain S. , Bopp L. , Tagliabue A. , Antoine D.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drives important changes in the marine productivity of the Equatorial Pacific, in particular during major El Niño/La Niña transitions. Changes in environmental conditions associated with these climatic events also likely impact phytoplankton composition. In this work, the distribution of four major phytoplankton groups (nanoeucaryotes, Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, and diatoms) was examined between 1996 and 2007 by applying the PHYSAT algorithm to the ocean color data archive from the Ocean Color and Temperature Sensor (OCTS) and Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS). Coincident with the decrease in chlorophyll concentrations, a large-scale shift in the phytoplankton composition of the Equatorial Pacific, that was characterized by a decrease in Synechococcus and an increase in nanoeucaryotes dominance, was observed during the early stages of both the strong El Niño of 1997 and the moderate El Niño of 2006. A significant increase in diatoms dominance was observed in the Equatorial Pacific during the 1998 La Niña and was associated with elevated marine productivity. An analysis of the environmental variables using a coupled physical-biogeochemical model (NEMO-PISCES) suggests that the Synechococcus dominance decrease during the two El Niño events was associated with an abrupt decline in nutrient availability (−0.9 to −2.5 μM NO3 month−1). Alternatively, increased nutrient availability (3 μM NO3 month−1) during the 1998 La Niña resulted in Equatorial Pacific dominance diatom increase. Despite these phytoplankton community shifts, the mean composition is restored after a few months, which suggests resilience in community structure. Such rapid changes to the composition of phytoplankton groups should be considered in future modeling approaches to represent variability of the marine productivity in the Equatorial Pacific and to quantify its potential implications on food-web and on global carbon cycle.
Resuspension and estuarine nutrient cycling: insights from the Neuse River Estuary
Authors: Corbett D. R.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. For at least the past several decades, North Carolina's Neuse River Estuary (NRE) has been subject to water quality problems relating to increased eutrophication. Research studies initiated in the past several years have addressed the complex nutrient cycles in this system. Most of this research, however, is concerned with the nutrient processes of the water column and the passive diffusion processes of the benthic sedimentary environment. Resuspension of bottom sediments, by bioturbation, tides, or wind-generated waves, may have a significant effect on the flux of nutrients in an estuarine system These processes can result in the advective transport of sediment porewater, rich with nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon, into the water column. Thus, estimates of nutrient and carbon inputs from the sediments may be too low. This study focused on the potential change in porewater and bottom water nutrient concentrations associated with measured resuspension events. Previous research used short-lived radionuclides and meteorological data to characterize the sediment dynamics of the benthic system of the estuary. These techniques in conjunction with the presented porewater inventories allowed evaluation of the depth to which sediments have been disturbed and the advective flux of nutrients to the water column. The largest removal episode occurred in the lower NRE as the result of a wind event and was estimated that the top 2.2 cm of sediment and corresponding porewater were removed. NH4+ advective flux (resuspended) was 2 to 6 times greater than simply diffusion. Phosphate fluxes were estimated to be 15 times greater than the benthic diffusive flux. Bottom water conditions with elevated NH4+ and PO43− indicate that nutrients stored in the sediments continue to play an important role in overall water quality and this study suggests that the advective flux of nutrients to the water column is critical to understand estuarine nutrient cycling.
Effects of dust deposition on iron cycle in the surface Mediterranean Sea: results from a mesocosm seeding experiment
Authors: Wagener T. , Guieu C. , Leblond N.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Soil dust deposition is recognized as a major source of iron to the open ocean at global and regional scales. However, the processes that control the speciation and cycle of iron in the surface ocean after dust deposition are poorly documented mainly due to the logistical difficulties to investigate in-situ, natural dust events. The development of clean mesocosms in the frame of the DUNE project (a DUst experiment in a low Nutrient low chlorophyll Ecosystem) was a unique opportunity to investigate these processes at the unexplored scale of one dust deposition event. During the DUNE1 mesocosm seeding experiment, iron stocks (dissolved and particulate concentrations in the water column) and fluxes (export of particulate iron in sediment traps) were followed during 8 days after an artificial dust seeding mimicking a wet deposition of 10 g m−2. The addition of dust at the surface of the mesocosms was immediately followed by a decrease of dissolved iron [dFe] concentration in the 0–10 m water column. This decrease was likely due to dFe scavenging on settling dust particles and mineral organic aggregates. The scavenging ratio of dissolved iron on dust particles averaged 0.37 ± 0.12 nmol mg−1. Batch dissolution experiments conducted in parallel to the mesocosm experiment showed a increase (up to 600%) in dust iron dissolution capacity in dust-fertilized waters compared to control conditions. This study gives evidences of complex and unexpected effects of dust deposition on surface ocean biogeochemistry: (1) large dust deposition events may be a sink for surface ocean dissolved iron and (2) successive dust deposition events may induce different biogeochemical responses in the surface ocean.
Biogeochemical controls and isotopic signatures of nitrous oxide production by a marine ammonia-oxidizing bacterium
Authors: Frame C. H. , Casciotti K. L.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a trace gas that contributes to greenhouse warming of the atmosphere and stratospheric ozone depletion. The N2O yield from nitrification (moles N2O-N produced/mole ammonium-N consumed) has been used to estimate marine N2O production rates from measured nitrification rates and global estimates of oceanic export production. However, the N2O yield from nitrification is not constant. Previous culture-based measurements indicate that N2O yield increases as oxygen (O2) concentration decreases and as nitrite (NO2−) concentration increases. These results were obtained in substrate-rich conditions and may not reflect N2O production in the ocean. Here, we have measured yields of N2O from cultures of the marine β-proteobacterium Nitrosomonas marina C-113a as they grew on low-ammonium (50 μM) media. These yields were lower than previous reports, between 4×10−4 and 7×10−4 (moles N/mole N). The observed impact of O2 concentration on yield was also smaller than previously reported under all conditions except at high starting cell densities (1.5×10
The influence of vegetation, fire spread and fire behaviour on biomass burning and trace gas emissions: results from a process-based model
Authors: Thonicke K. , Spessa A. , Prentice I. C. , Harrison S. P. , Dong L. , Carmona-Moreno C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A process-based fire regime model (SPITFIRE) has been developed, coupled with ecosystem dynamics in the LPJ Dynamic Global Vegetation Model, and used to explore spatial and temporal patterns of fire regimes and the current impact of fire on the terrestrial carbon cycle and associated emissions of trace atmospheric constituents. The model estimates an average release of 2.24 Pg C yr−1 as CO2 from biomass burning during the 1980s and 1990s. Comparison with observed active fire counts shows that the model reproduces where fire occurs and can mimic broad geographic patterns in the peak fire season, although the predicted peak is 1–2 months late in some regions. Modelled fire season length is generally overestimated by about one month, but shows a realistic pattern of differences among biomes. Comparisons with remotely sensed burnt-area products indicate that the model reproduces broad geographic patterns of annual fractional burnt area over most regions, including the boreal forest, although interannual variability in the boreal zone is underestimated. Overall SPITFIRE produces realistic simulations of spatial and temporal patterns of fire under modern conditions and of the current impact of fire on the terrestrial carbon cycle and associated emissions of trace greenhouse gases and aerosols.
Sensitivity of Holocene atmospheric CO2 and the modern carbon budget to early human land use: analyses with a process-based model
Authors: Stocker B. , Strassmann K. , Joos F.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A Dynamic Global Vegetation model is used as part of a simplified Earth system model to simulate the impact of human land use on Holocene atmospheric CO2 and the contemporary carbon cycle. We show that suggested upward revisions of Holocene land use reconstructions imply a smaller contemporary terrestrial carbon sink and that early agricultural activities did only marginally contribute to the late Holocene CO2 rise of 20 ppm measured on ice cores. Scenarios are used to test the robustness of the results. Simulated changes in atmospheric CO2 due to land use are less than 1 ppm before 0 AD and 22 ppm by 2004 AD when prescribing the HYDE 3.1 land use reconstruction over the past 12 000 years. Cumulative emissions are with 50 GtC by 1850 and 177 GtC by 2004 AD comparable to earlier estimates. In scenario H2, agricultural area from HYDE 3.1 is scaled by a factor of two before 1700 AD, thereby taking into account evidence that land area used per person was higher before than during early industrialisation. Then, the contemporary terrestrial carbon sink, required to close the atmospheric CO2 budget, is reduced by 0.5 GtC yr−1. CO2 changes due to land use change exceed natural interannual variability only after 1000 AD and are less than 4 ppmv until 1850 AD. Simulated CO2 change remains small even in scenarios where average land use per person is unrealistically increased by a factor of 4 to 8 above published estimates. Our results falsify the hypothesis that humans are responsible for the late Holocene CO2 increase and that anthropogenic land use prevented a new ice age.
A guide for digitising manuscript climate data
Authors: Brönnimann S. , Annis J. , Dann W. , Ewen T. , Grant A. N. , Griesser T. , Krähenmann S. , Mohr C. , Scherer M. , Vogler C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Hand-written or printed manuscript data are an important source for paleo-climatological studies, but bringing them into a suitable format can be a time consuming adventure with uncertain success. Before digitising such data (e.g., in the context a specific research project), it is worthwhile spending a few thoughts on the characteristics of the data, the scientific requirements with respect to quality and coverage, the metadata, and technical aspects such as reproduction techniques, digitising techniques, and quality control strategies. Here we briefly discuss the most important considerations according to our own experience and describe different methods for digitising numeric or text data (optical character recognition, speech recognition, and key entry). We present a tentative guide that is intended to help others compiling the necessary information and making the right decisions.
Simulating low frequency changes in atmospheric CO2 during the last 740 000 years
Authors: Köhler P. , Fischer H.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Atmospheric CO2 measured in Antarctic ice cores shows a natural variability of 80 to 100 ppmv during the last four glacial cycles and variations of approximately 60 ppmv in the two cycles between 410 and 650 kyr BP. We here use various paleo-climatic records from the EPICA Dome C Antarctic ice core and from oceanic sediment cores covering the last 740 kyr to force the ocean/atmosphere/biosphere box model of the global carbon cycle BICYCLE in a forward mode over this time in order to interpret the natural variability of CO2. Our approach is based on the previous interpretation of carbon cycle variations during Termination I (Köhler et al., 2005a). In the absense of a process-based sediment module one main simplification of BICYCLE is that carbonate compensation is approximated by the temporally delayed restoration of deep ocean [CO32−]. Our results match the low frequency changes in CO2 measured in the Vostok and the EPICA Dome C ice core for the last 650 kyr BP (r2≈0.75). During these transient simulations the carbon cycle reaches never a steady state due to the ongoing variability of the overall carbon budget caused by the time delayed response of the carbonate compensation to other processes. The average contributions of different processes to the rise in CO2 during Terminations I to V and during earlier terminations are: the rise in Southern Ocean vertical mixing: 36/22 ppmv, the rise in ocean temperature: 26/11 ppmv, iron limitation of the marine biota in the Southern Ocean: 20/14 ppmv, carbonate compensation: 15/7 ppmv, the rise in North Atlantic deep water formation: 13/0 ppmv, the rise in gas exchange due to a decreasing sea ice cover: −8/−7 ppmv, sea level rise: −12/−4 ppmv, and rising terrestrial carbon storage: −13/−6 ppmv. According to our model the smaller interglacial CO2 values in the pre-Vostok period prior to Termination V are mainly caused by smaller interglacial Southern Ocean SST and an Atlantic THC which stayed before MIS 11 (before 420 kyr BP) in its weaker glacial circulation mode.
1-D-ice flow modelling at EPICA Dome C and Dome Fuji, East Antarctica
Authors: Parrenin F. , Dreyfus G. , Durand G. , Fujita S. , Gagliardini O. , Gillet F. , Jouzel J. , Kawamura K. , Lhomme N. , Masson-Delmotte V. , Ritz C. , Schwander J. , Shoji H. , Uemura R. , Watanabe O. , Yoshida N.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. One-dimensional (1-D) ice flow models are used to construct the age scales at the Dome C and Dome Fuji drilling sites (East Antarctica). The poorly constrained glaciological parameters at each site are recovered by fitting independent age markers identified within each core. We reconstruct past accumulation rates, that are larger than those modelled using the classical vapour saturation pressure relationship during glacial periods by up to a factor 1.5. During the Early Holocene, changes in reconstructed accumulation are not linearly related to changes in ice isotopic composition. A simple model of past elevation changes is developed and shows an amplitude variation of 110–120 m at both sites. We suggest that there is basal melting at Dome C (0.56±0.19 mm/yr). The reconstructed velocity profile is highly non-linear at both sites, which suggests complex ice flow effects. This induces a non-linear thinning function in both drilling sites, which is also characterized by bumps corresponding to variations in ice thickness with time.
How cold was Europe at the Last Glacial Maximum? A synthesis of the progress achieved since the first PMIP model-data comparison
Authors: Ramstein G. , Kageyama M. , Guiot J. , Wu H. , Hély C. , Krinner G. , Brewer S.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The Last Glacial Maximum has been one of the first foci of the Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). During its first phase, the results of 17 atmosphere general circulation models were compared to paleoclimate reconstructions. One of the largest discrepancies in the simulations was the systematic underestimation, by at least 10°C, of the winter cooling over Europe and the Mediterranean region observed in the pollen-based reconstructions. In this paper, we investigate the progress achieved to reduce this inconsistency through a large modelling effort and improved temperature reconstructions. We show that increased model spatial resolution does not significantly increase the simulated LGM winter cooling. Further, neither the inclusion of a vegetation cover compatible with the LGM climate, nor the interactions with the oceans simulated by the atmosphere-ocean general circulation models run in the second phase of PMIP result in a better agreement between models and data. Accounting for changes in interannual variability in the interpretation of the pollen data does not result in a reduction of the reconstructed cooling. The largest recent improvement in the model-data comparison has instead arisen from a new climate reconstruction based on inverse vegetation modelling, which explicitly accounts for the CO2 decrease at LGM and which substantially reduces the LGM winter cooling reconstructed from pollen assemblages. As a result, the simulated and observed LGM winter cooling over Western Europe and the Mediterranean area are now in much better agreement.
Anomalous flow below 2700 m in the EPICA Dome C ice core detected using δ18O of atmospheric oxygen measurements
Authors: Dreyfus G. B. , Parrenin F. , Lemieux-Dudon B. , Durand G. , Masson-Delmotte V. , Jouzel J. , Barnola J.-M. , Panno L. , Spahni R. , Tisserand A. , Siegenthaler U. , Leuenberger M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. While there are no indications of mixing back to 800 000 years in the EPICA Dome C ice core record, comparison with marine sediment records shows significant differences in the timing and duration of events prior to stage 11 (~430 ka, thousands of years before 1950). A relationship between the isotopic composition of atmospheric oxygen (δ18O of O2, noted δ18Oatm) and daily northern hemisphere summer insolation has been observed for the youngest four climate cycles. Here we use this relationship with new δ18O of O2 measurements to show that anomalous flow in the bottom 500 m of the core distorts the duration of events by up to a factor of 2. By tuning δ18Oatm to orbital precession we derive a corrected thinning function and present a revised age scale for the interval corresponding to Marine Isotope Stages 11–20 in the EPICA Dome C ice core. Uncertainty in the phasing of δ18Oatm with respect to insolation variations in the precession band limits the accuracy of this new agescale to ±6 kyr (thousand of years). The previously reported ~30 kyr duration of interglacial stage 11 is unchanged. In contrast, the duration of stage 15.1 is reduced by a factor of 2, from 31 to 16 kyr.
Historical droughts in Mediterranean regions during the last 500 years: a data/model approach
Authors: Brewer S. , Alleaume S. , Guiot J. , Nicault A.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. We present here a new method for comparing the output of General Circulation Models (GCMs) with proxy-based reconstructions, using time series of reconstructed and simulated climate parameters. The method uses k-means clustering to allow comparison between different periods that have similar spatial patterns, and a fuzzy logic-based distance measure in order to take reconstruction errors into account. The method has been used to test two coupled ocean-atmosphere GCMs over the Mediterranean region for the last 500 years, using an index of drought stress, the Palmer Drought Severity Index. The results showed that, whilst no model exactly simulated the reconstructed changes, all simulations were an improvement over using the mean climate, and a good match was found after 1650 with a model run that took into account changes in volcanic forcing, solar irradiance, and greenhouse gases. A more detailed investigation of the output of this model showed the existence of a set of atmospheric circulation patterns linked to the patterns of drought stress: 1) a blocking pattern over northern Europe linked to dry conditions in the south prior to the Little Ice Age (LIA) and during the 20th century; 2) a NAO-positive like pattern with increased westerlies during the LIA; 3) a NAO-negative like period shown in the model prior to the LIA, but that occurs most frequently in the data during the LIA. The results of the comparison show the improvement in simulated climate as various forcings are included and help to understand the atmospheric changes that are linked to the observed reconstructed climate changes.
Climatic Conditions for modelling the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets throughout the ice age cycle
Authors: Abe-Ouchi A. , Segawa T. , Saito F.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The ice sheet-climate interaction as well as the climatic response to orbital parameters and atmospheric CO2 concentration are examined in order to drive an ice sheet model throughout an ice age cycle. Feedback processes between ice sheet and atmosphere are analyzed by numerical experiments using a high resolution General Circulation Model (GCM) under different conditions at the Last Glacial Maximum. Among the proposed processes, the ice albedo feedback, the elevation-mass balance feedback and the desertification effect over the ice sheet were found to be the dominant processes for the ice-sheet mass balance. For the elevation-mass balance feedback, the temperature lapse rate over the ice sheet is proposed to be weaker than assumed in previous studies. Within the plausible range of parameters related to these processes, the ice sheet response to the orbital parameters and atmospheric CO2 concentration for the last glacial/interglacial cycle was simulated in terms of both ice volume and geographical distribution, using a three-dimensional ice-sheet model. Careful treatment of climate-ice sheet feedback is essential for a reliable simulation of the ice sheet changes during ice age cycles.
The modern and glacial overturning circulation in the Atlantic ocean in PMIP coupled model simulations
Authors: Weber S. L. , Drijfhout S. S. , Abe-Ouchi A. , Crucifix M. , Eby M. , Ganopolski A. , Murakami S. , Otto-Bliesner B. , Peltier W. R.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. This study analyses the response of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) to LGM forcings and boundary conditions in nine PMIP coupled model simulations, including both GCMs and Earth system Models of Intermediate Complexity. Model results differ widely. The AMOC slows down considerably (by 20–40%) during the LGM as compared to the modern climate in four models, there is a slight reduction in one model and four models show a substantial increase in AMOC strength (by 10–40%). It is found that a major controlling factor for the AMOC response is the density contrast between Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) and North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) at their source regions. Changes in the density contrast are determined by the opposing effects of changes in temperature and salinity, with more saline AABW as compared to NADW consistently found in all models and less cooling of AABW in all models but one. In only two models is the AMOC response during the LGM directly related to the response in net evaporation over the Atlantic basin. Most models show large changes in the ocean freshwater transports into the basin, but this does not seem to affect the AMOC response. Finally, there is some dependence on the accuracy of the control state.
Linking glacial and future climates through an ensemble of GCM simulations
Authors: Hargreaves J. C. , Abe-Ouchi A. , Annan J. D.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. In this paper we explore the relationships between the modelled climate of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and that for doubled atmospheric carbon dioxide compared to the pre-industrial climate by analysing the output from an ensemble of runs from the MIROC3.2 GCM. Our results lend support to the idea in other recent work that the Antarctic is a useful place to look for historical data which can be used to validate models used for climate forecasting of future greenhouse gas induced climate changes, at local, regional and global scales. Good results may also be obtainable using tropical temperatures, particularly those over the ocean. While the greater area in the tropics makes them an attractive area for seeking data, polar amplification of temperature changes may mean that the Antarctic provides a clearer signal relative to the uncertainties in data and model results. Our result for Greenland is not so strong, possibly due to difficulties in accurately modelling the sea ice extent. The MIROC3.2 model shows an asymmetry in climate sensitivity calculated by decreasing rather than increasing the greenhouse gases, with 80% of the ensemble having a weaker cooling than warming. This asymmetry, if confirmed by other studies would mean that direct estimates of climate sensitivity from the LGM are likely to be underestimated by the order of half a degree. Our suspicion is, however, that this result may be highly model dependent. Analysis of the parameters varied in the model suggest the asymmetrical response may be linked to the ice in the clouds, which is therefore indicated as an important area for future research.
Changes in C3/C4 vegetation in the continental interior of the Central Himalayas associated with monsoonal paleoclimatic changes during the last 600 kyr
Authors: Mampuku M. , Yamanaka T. , Uchida M. , Fujii R. , Maki T. , Sakai H.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A continuous lacustrine sediment core obtained from the Kathmandu Valley in the Central Himalayas revealed that cyclical changes in C3/C4 vegetation corresponded to global glacial-interglacial cycles from marine isotope stages (MIS) 15 to MIS 4. The C3/C4 vegetation shifts were reconstructed from significant changes in the δ13C values of bulk organic carbon. Glacial ages were characterized by significant 13C enrichment, due to the expansion of C4 plants, attributed to an intensification of aridity. Thus, the southwest (SW) summer monsoon, which brings the majority of rainfall to the Central Himalayan southern slopes, would have been weaker. Marine sediment cores from the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea have demonstrated a weaker SW monsoon during glacial periods, and our results confirm that arid conditions and a weak SW monsoon prevailed in the continental interior of the Central Himalayas during glacial ages. This study provides the first continuous record for the continental interior of paleoenvironmental changes directly influenced by the Indian monsoon.
Thirty thousand years of vegetation development and climate change in Angola (Ocean Drilling Program Site 1078)
Authors: Dupont L. M. , Behling H. , Kim J.-H.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. ODP Site 1078 situated under the coast of Angola provides the first record of the vegetation history for Angola. The upper 11 m of the core covers the past 30 thousand years, which has been analysed palynologically in decadal to centennial resolution. Alkenone sea surface temperature estimates were analysed in centennial resolution. We studied sea surface temperatures and vegetation development during full glacial, deglacial, and interglacial conditions. During the glacial the vegetation in Angola was very open consisting of grass and heath lands, deserts and semi-deserts, which suggests a cool and dry climate. A change to warmer and more humid conditions is indicated by forest expansion starting in step with the earliest temperature rise in Antarctica, 22 thousand years ago. We infer that around the period of Heinrich Event 1, a northward excursion of the Angola Benguela Front and the Congo Air Boundary resulted in cool sea surface temperatures but rain forest remained present in the northern lowlands of Angola. Rain forest and dry forest area increase 15 thousand years ago. During the Holocene, dry forests and Miombo woodlands expanded. Also in Angola globally recognised climate changes at 8 thousand and 4 thousand years ago had an impact on the vegetation. During the past 2 thousand years, savannah vegetation became dominant.
On the quality of climate proxies derived from newspaper reports – a case study
Authors: Gallego D. , García-Herrera R. , Prieto R. , Peña-Ortiz C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. One of the main problems in climate reconstruction from documentary sources is the evaluation of the quality of non instrumental meteorological records in absence of instrumental observations to perform a calibration. In these cases it is mandatory to envision different approaches to assess the climatic signal in a reconstruction. This work is aimed to test the consistency of a snow frequency reconstruction in the central Argentinean Andes by studying the synoptic patterns related to the occurrence of precipitation in this area. While the original reconstruction covers the period between 1885 and 1996, the insufficiency of overlapping instrumental data limited the calibration to a short 15-year interval. In this paper we evaluate the performance of the reconstructed series for the entire 45-year period between 1958 and 1996 by analyzing the displacement in the jet stream and the patterns of geopotential height related to anomalies in the reconstructed snow frequency series. Previous works have linked the precipitation in the central Andes to the ENSO through the Pacific South American mode. We also have found this connection between ENSO and the reconstructed precipitation. Finally, it is shown that the ENSO relationship is the cause of a significant link between the precipitation anomalies in the central Argentinean Andes and the ice extent around the Antarctic Peninsula.
Shifts in early spring wind regime in North-East Europe (1955–2007)
Authors: Keevallik S. , Soomere T.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Changes to the winter-to-spring switch-time of the upper air flow regime at the 850 and 500 hPa levels over the north-eastern Baltic Sea are analyzed based on a data set extending from 1955 to 2007. The long-term variation of the air flow in early spring (March) exhibits multiple regime shifts. The shifts are extracted by means of a vector analysis of the monthly mean air flow and using statistical shift detection technology. In the middle of the 1960s the average air flow turned from NW (WNW) to W (WSW) at the 500 (850) hPa level. The original regime was restored in the mid-1990s. The regime shifts in the average air flow in March can be interpreted as changes in the transition time from winter to summer circulation type.
A modeling sensitivity study of the influence of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation on neodymium isotopic composition at the Last Glacial Maximum
Authors: Arsouze T. , Dutay J.-C. , Kageyama M. , Lacan F. , Alkama R. , Marti O. , Jeandel C.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Using a simple parameterisation that resolves the first order global Nd isotopic composition (hereafter expressed as εNd in an Ocean Global Circulation Model, we have tested the impact of different circulation scenarios on the εNd in the Atlantic for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), relative to a modern control run. Three different LGM freshwater forcing experiments are performed to test for variability in the εNd oceanic distribution as a function of ocean circulation. Highly distinct representations of the ocean circulation are generated in the three simulations, which drive significant differences in εNd, particularly in deep waters of the western part of the basin. However, at the LGM, the Atlantic is more radiogenic than in the modern control run, particularly in the Labrador basin and in the Southern Ocean. A fourth experiment shows that changes in Nd sources and bathymetry drive a shift in the εNd signature of the basin that is sufficient to explain the changes in the εNd signature of the northern end-member (NADW or GNAIW glacial equivalent) in our LGM simulations. All three of our LGM circulation scenarios show good agreement with the existing intermediate depth εNd paleo-data. This study cannot indicate the likelihood of a given LGM oceanic circulation scenario, even if simulations with a prominent water mass of southern origin provide the most conclusive results. Instead, our modeling results highlight the need for more data from deep and bottom waters from western Atlantic, where the εNd change in the three LGM scenarios is the most important (up to 3 εNd. This would also aid more precise conclusions concerning the evolution of the northern end-member εNd signature, and thus the potential use of εNd as a tracer of past oceanic circulation.
Reconstructing glacier-based climates of LGM Europe and Russia – Part 1: Numerical modelling and validation methods
Authors: Allen R. , Siegert M. J. , Payne A. J.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The mountain environments of mid-latitude Europe and Arctic Russia contain widespread evidence of Late-Quaternary glaciers that have been attributed to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). This glacial-geological record has yet to be used to quantitatively reconstruct the LGM climate of these regions. Here we describe a simple glacier-climate model that can be used to derive regional temperature and precipitation information from a known glacier distribution. The model was tested against the present day distribution of glaciers in Europe. The model is capable of adequately predicting the spatial distribution, snowline and equilibrium line altitude climate of glaciers in the Alps, Scandinavia, Caucasus and Pyrenees Mountains. This verification demonstrated that the model can be used to investigate former climates such as the LGM. Reconstructions of LGM climates from proxy evidence are an important method of assessing retrospective general circulation model (GCM) simulations. LGM palaeoclimate reconstructions from glacial-geological evidence would be of particular benefit to investigations in Europe and Russia, where to date only fossil pollen data have been used to assess continental-scale GCM simulations.
Recent climate change affecting rainstorm occurrences: a case study in East China
Authors: Domroes M. , Schaefer D.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The paper aims to investigate the occurrences of rainstorms and their relationship with the climate change scenario. The study period under investigation refers to the period of greatest recent warming between 1976–2000 whereas the study area covers China east of 105 E longitude. This region is commonly considered to be controlled by the monsoon type of climate over East Asia. Positive (increasing) trends of rainstorm occurrences, both in annual and summer respects, have been shown for subtropical China whereas a non-uniform picture is associated with temperate China. The increase of rainstorms in subtropical China corresponds with an increasing trend of precipitation. At the same time, subtropical China experiences a mostly decreasing recent temperature change. No clear evidence could, however, be proved for a direct linkage between increasing temperatures and greater rainstorm occurrences. Within the climate change scenario a great risk of rainstorm occurrences must be regarded as part of the increasing risk of extreme weather events. Rainstorm occurrences are of a great practical importance as they increase the risk for environmental hazards such as landslides, landslips and floods. Landuse planners must therefore pay a great attention to an increasing number of rainstorms and their adverse risk impact on the environment. Such practical aspects need particular attention in subtropical China as the region of largest increase of rainstorm occurrences and where, at the same time, the mountains and hilly landscapes are particularly hazard-prone to landslides and floods.
Maintenance of polar stratospheric clouds in a moist stratosphere
Authors: Kirk-Davidoff D. B. , Lamarque J.-F.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Previous work has shown that polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) could have acted to substantially warm high latitude regions during past warm climates such as the Eocene (55 Ma). Using a simple model of stratospheric water vapor transport and polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) formation, we investigate the dependence of PSC optical depth on tropopause temperature, cloud microphysical parameters, stratospheric overturning, and tropospheric methane. We show that PSC radiative effects can help slow removal of water from the stratosphere via self-heating. However, we also show that the ability of PSCs to have a substantial impact on climate depends strongly on the PSC particle number density and the strength of the overturning circulation. Thus even a large source of stratospheric water vapor (e.g. from methane oxidation) will not result in substantial PSC radiative effects unless PSC ice crystal number density is high compared to most current observations, and stratospheric overturning (which modulates polar stratospheric temperatures) is low. These results are supported by analysis of a series of runs of the NCAR WACCM model with methane concentrations varying up to one thousand times present levels.
Two-dimensional reconstruction of past sea level (1950–2003) from tide gauge data and an Ocean General Circulation Model
Authors: Llovel W. , Cazenave A. , Rogel P. , Lombard A. , Nguyen M. B.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. A two-dimensional reconstruction of past sea level is proposed at yearly interval over the period 1950–2003 using tide gauge records from 99 selected sites and 44-year long (1960–2003) 2°×2° sea level grids from the OPA/NEMO ocean general circulation model with data assimilation. We focus on the regional variability and do not attempt to compute the global mean trend. An Empirical Orthogonal Function decomposition of the reconstructed sea level grids over 1950–2003 displays leading modes that reflect two main components: (1) a long-term (multi-decadal), regionally variable signal and (2) an interannual, regionally variable signal dominated by the signature of El Nino-Southern Oscillation. Tests show that spatial trend patterns of the 54-year long reconstructed sea level significantly depend on the temporal length of the two-dimensional sea level signal used for the reconstruction (i.e., the length of the gridded OPA/NEMO sea level time series). On the other hand, interannual variability is well reconstructed, even when only ~10-years of model grids are used. The robustness of the results is assessed, leaving out successively each of the 99 tide gauges used for the reconstruction and comparing observed and reconstructed time series at the non considered tide gauge site. The reconstruction performs well at most tide gauges, especially at interannual frequency.
Individual and combined effects of ice sheets and precession on MIS-13 climate
Authors: Yin Q. Z. , Berger A. , Crucifix M.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. An Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity is used to investigate the role of insolation and of the size of ice sheets on the regional and global climate of marine isotope stage (MIS) 13. The astronomical forcing is selected at two dates with opposite precession, one when northern hemisphere (NH) summer occurs at perihelion (at 506 ka (1 ka=1000 years) BP), and the other when it occurs at aphelion (at 495 ka BP). Five different volumes of the Eurasian ice sheet (EA) and North American ice sheet (NA), ranging from 0 to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) one, are used. The global cooling due to the ice sheets is mainly related to their area, little to their height. The regional cooling and warming anomalies caused by the ice sheets intensify with increasing size. Precipitation over different monsoon regions responds differently to the size of the ice sheets. Over North Africa and India, precipitation decreases with increasing ice sheet size due to the southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), whatever the astronomical configuration is. However, the situation is more complicated over East Asia. The ice sheets play a role through both reducing the land/ocean thermal contrast and generating a wave train which is topographically induced by the EA ice sheet. This wave train contributes to amplify the Asian land/ocean pressure gradient in summer and finally reinforces the precipitation. The presence of this wave train depends on the combined effect of the ice sheet size and insolation. When NH summer occurs at perihelion, the EA is able to induce this wave train whatever its size is, and this wave train plays a more important role than the reduction of the land/ocean thermal contrast. Therefore, the ice sheets reinforce the summer precipitation over East China whatever their sizes are. However, when NH summer occurs at aphelion, there is a threshold in the ice volume beyond which the wave train is not induced anymore. Therefore, below this threshold, the wave train effect is dominant and the ice sheets reinforce precipitation over East China. Beyond this threshold, the ice sheets reduce the precipitation mainly through reducing the land/ocean thermal contrast.
The influence of the circulation on surface temperature and precipitation patterns over Europe
Authors: Jones P. D. , Lister D. H.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. The atmospheric circulation clearly has an important influence on variations in surface temperature and precipitation. In this study we illustrate the spatial patterns of variation that occur for the principal circulation patterns across Europe in the standard four seasons. We use an existing classification scheme of surface pressure patterns, with the aim of considering whether the patterns of influence of specific weather types have changed over the course of the 20th century. We consider whether the long-term warming across Europe is associated with more favourable weather types or related to warming within some of the weather types. The results indicate that the latter is occurring, but not all circulation types show warming. The study also illustrates that certain circulation types can lead to marked differences in temperature and/or precipitation for relatively closely positioned sites when the sites are located in areas of high relief or near coasts.
High resolution cyclostratigraphy of the early Eocene – new insights into the origin of the Cenozoic cooling trend
Authors: Westerhold T. , Röhl U.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Here we present a high-resolution cyclostratigraphy based on X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning data from a new record retrieved from the tropical western Atlantic (Demerara Rise, ODP Leg 207, Site 1258). The Eocene sediments from ODP Site 1258 cover magnetochrons C20 to C24 and show well developed cycles. This record includes the missing interval for reevaluating the early Eocene part of the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS), also providing key aspects for reconstructing high-resolution climate variability during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO). Detailed spectral analysis demonstrates that early Eocene sedimentary cycles are characterized by precession frequencies modulated by short (100 kyr) and long (405 kyr) eccentricity with a generally minor obliquity component. Counting of both the precession and eccentricity cycles results in revised estimates for the duration of magnetochrons C21r through C24n. Our cyclostratigraphic framework also corroborates that the geochronology of the Eocene Green River Formation (Wyoming, USA) is still questionable mainly due to the uncertain correlation of the "Sixth tuff" to the GPTS. Right at the onset of the long-term Cenozoic cooling trend the dominant eccentricity-modulated precession cycles of ODP Site 1258 are interrupted by strong obliquity cycles for a period of ~800 kyr in the middle of magnetochron C22r. These distinct obliquity cycles at this low latitude site point to (1) a high-latitude driving mechanism on global climate variability from 50.1 to 49.4 Ma, and (2) seem to coincide with a significant drop in atmospheric CO2 concentration below a critical threshold between 2- and 3-times the pre-industrial level (PAL). The here newly identified orbital configuration of low eccentricity in combination with high obliquity amplitudes during this ~800-kyr period and the crossing of a critical pCO2 threshold may have led to the formation of the first ephemeral ice sheet on Antarctica as early as ~50 Ma ago.
Uncertainties in modelling CH4 emissions from northern wetlands in glacial climates: effect of hydrological model and CH4 model structure
Authors: Berrittella C. , van Huissteden J.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. Methane (CH4) fluxes from northern wetlands may have influenced atmospheric CH4 concentrations at climate warming phases during the last 800 000 years and during the present global warming. Including these CH4 fluxes in earth system models is essential to understand feedbacks between climate and atmospheric composition. Attempts to model CH4 fluxes from wetlands have previously been undertaken using various approaches. Here, we test a process-based wetland CH4 flux model (PEATLAND-VU) which includes details of soil-atmosphere CH4 transport. The model has been used to simulate CH4 emissions from continental Europe in previous glacial climates and the current climate. This paper presents results regarding the sensitivity of modeling glacial terrestrial CH4 fluxes to (a) basic tuning parameters of the model, (b) different approaches in modeling of the water table, and (c) model structure. In order to test the model structure, PEATLAND-VU was compared to a simpler modeling approach based on wetland primary production estimated from a vegetation model (BIOME 3.5). The tuning parameters are the CH4 production rate from labile organic carbon and its temperature sensitivity. The modelled fluxes prove comparatively insensitive to hydrology representation, while sensitive to microbial parameters and model structure. Glacial climate emissions are also highly sensitive to assumptions about the extent of ice cover and exposed seafloor. Wetland expansion over low relief exposed seafloor areas have compensated for a decrease of wetland area due to continental ice cover.
Central African biomes and forest succession stages derived from modern pollen data and plant functional types
Authors: Lebamba J. , Ngomanda A. , Vincens A. , Jolly D. , Favier C. , Elenga H. , Bentaleb I.
Published: April 2010

Abstract. New detailed vegetation reconstructions are proposed in Atlantic Central Africa from a modern pollen data set derived from 199 sites (Cameroon, Gabon and Congo) including 131 new sites. In this study, the concept of plant functional classification is improved with new and more detailed plant functional types (PFTs) and new aggregations of pollen taxa. Using the biomisation method, we reconstructed (1) modern potential biomes and (2) potential succession stages of forest regeneration, a new approach in Atlantic Central African vegetation dynamics and ecosystem functioning reconstruction. When compared to local vegetation, potential biomes are correctly reconstructed (97.5% of the sites) and tropical rain forest (TRFO biome) is well identified from tropical seasonal forest (TSFO biome). When the potential biomes are superimposed on the White's vegetation map, only 76.4% of the sites are correctly reconstructed. But using botanical data, correspondence and cluster analyses, the 43 sites from Congo (Mayombe) evidence more affinities with those of central Gabon and so they can also be considered as correctly reconstructed as TRFO biome and White's map should be revised. In terms of potential succession stages of forest regeneration, the mature forest (TMFO) is well differentiated from the secondary forest (TSFE), but inside this latter group, the young and the pioneer stages are not clearly identified due probably to their low sampling representation. Moreover, linked to their progressive and mosaic character, the boundaries between two forest biomes or two forest stages are not clearly detected and need also a more intensive sampling in such transitions.