Sea surface temperature variability of the Labrador Current over the last 2000 years

• Main Authors: Sicre, Marie-Alexandrine, Weckström, Kaarina, Seidenkrantz, Marit-Solveig A., Kuijpers, Antoon, Benetti, Marion, Massé, Guillaume, Ezat, Ullah, Schmidt, Sabine, Bouloubassi, Ioanna
• Other Authors: Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)), Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN), Institut Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL), École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X), Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris)-Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris)-Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: CCSD 2012
• Subjects: [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; [SDU.STU.GP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; Arctic; Newfoundland; Labrador Sea; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00914346

International audience This study presents the first sub-decadal scale sea-surface temperature (SSTs) time-series derived from alkenone paleothermometry, covering the last 2000-year ocean temperature history of the the Labrador Sea region. The records obtained from two sites off Newfoundland document SST variations in a climatically crucial component of the Western North Atlantic circulation system, the southernmost Labrador Current (LC). This boundary current is a major conduit of cold and ice loaded fresh waters originating from the Arctic, which has a major impact on climate in the entire North Atlantic region. Our results demonstrate a clear link between the LC strength and the Northern Annular Mode (NAM), supporting the idea of a more persistent +NAM system and stronger LC during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA). They also suggest enhanced LC activity under future warming with major implications for global thermohaline circulation.