DOI: 10.1594/pangaea.972654
title: Simulated seasonal sea surface temperature, subsurface ocean temperature, and sea ice distribution for selected periods of the last two glacial cycles

description: We present seasonal averages of simulated sea surface temperature, subsurface ocean temperature (220 m depth), and sea ice distribution for six time slices within five different orbitally controlled climate states of the Quaternary: pre-industrial (1850 CE), mid-Holocene (6 ka BP), Last Glacial Maximum (21 ka BP), Last Interglacial (at 125 and 128 ka BP), and Penultimate Glacial Maximum (140 ka BP). Simulations have been conducted with the COSMOS suite of climate models that provide a coupled representation of atmosphere and ocean general circulation. Model physics are augmented with climate-vegetation dynamics. Simulations follow the PMIP3 framework and consider reconstructions of greenhouse gas concentrations and of orbital configuration for the respective time periods. Paleogeography is adapted following protocols for the PMIP3 modelling protocol for the Last Glacial Maximum and the PMIP4 protocol for the Last Interglacial. Our model data may be useful for understanding dynamic patterns behind reconstructions of marine temperature and sea ice cover. This data publication supports a scientific publication by Khoo et al. (2024) who provide further information on the modelling methodology.
description: File names use the following naming pattern:TIME_SLICE_VARIABLE_SEASON_1x1deg.ncavailable time slices: PI, midHolocene_6k, LGM_21k, LIG_125k, LIG_128k, PGM_140kavailable variables: sea_ice_compactness, sea_surface_temperature, subsurface_ocean_temperatureavailable seasons: ASO, MDJFMA, DJF, JJAAbbreviation of time periods: PI - pre-industrial (1850 CE); LGM_21k - Last Glacial Maximum; LIG_125k and LIG_128k - Last Interglacial; PGM_140k - Penultimate Glacial Maximum. Abbreviation of seasonal averages: ASO - August, September, October (austral winter sea ice season); NDJFMA - November, December, January, February, March, April (austral spring and summer sea ice season); JJA - June, July, August (austral winter season); DJF - December, January, February (austral summer season). Definition of sea ice season follows the inference that temperature and sea ice extremes are shifted in time over the seasonal cycle. Description of variables: sea ice compactness - degree of grid cell area covered by sea ice; sea surface temperature - potential sea water temperature at the uppermost ocean model level; subsurface ocean temperature - potential sea water temperature at an ocean level at depth of 220 m below the sea surface. Data has been averaged over all months that relate to a specific season and interpolated from the native ocean model grid to a regular 1x1 degree resolution using a conservative interpolation method. Note that the interpolation method does not conserve details of coast lines for all geographies. For example, the open Panama Seaway in interglacial climates is an artifact of interpolating ocean model output to a regular grid while the correct status of the gateway (closed) has been present in actual model geography. Names of model output variables have been renamed from model-internal terminology in order to follow CMIP6 vocabulary.