Southern Ocean origin for the resumption of Atlantic thermohaline circulation during deglaciation

Gregor Knorr () and Gerrit Lohmann
Additional contact information
Gregor Knorr: Universität Hamburg
Gerrit Lohmann: Universität Hamburg

Nature, 2003, vol. 424, issue 6948, 532-536

Abstract: Abstract During the two most recent deglaciations, the Southern Hemisphere warmed before Greenland1,2. At the same time, the northern Atlantic Ocean was exposed to meltwater discharge3, which is generally assumed to reduce the formation of North Atlantic Deep Water4,5. Yet during deglaciation, the Atlantic thermohaline circulation became more vigorous, in the transition from a weak glacial to a strong interglacial mode6. Here we use a three-dimensional ocean circulation model7 to investigate the impact of Southern Ocean warming and the associated sea-ice retreat8 on the Atlantic thermohaline circulation. We find that a gradual warming in the Southern Ocean during deglaciation induces an abrupt resumption of the interglacial mode of the thermohaline circulation, triggered by increased mass transport into the Atlantic Ocean via the warm (Indian Ocean) and cold (Pacific Ocean) water route9,10. This effect prevails over the influence of meltwater discharge, which would oppose a strengthening of the thermohaline circulation. A Southern Ocean trigger for the transition into an interglacial mode of circulation provides a consistent picture of Southern and Northern hemispheric climate change at times of deglaciation, in agreement with the available proxy records.

Date: 2003
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature01855 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:424:y:2003:i:6948:d:10.1038_nature01855

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/nature01855

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().