Can oceanic paleothermometers reconstruct the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation?
Instrumental records of the North Atlantic sea surface temperature reveal a large-scale low frequency mode of variability that has become known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). Proxy and modelling studies have demonstrated the important consequences of the AMO on other components of t...
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ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:cp8868 2023-05-15T17:34:01+02:00 Can oceanic paleothermometers reconstruct the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation? Heslop, D. Paul, A. 2018-09-27 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-7-151-2011 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/7/151/2011/ eng eng doi:10.5194/cp-7-151-2011 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/7/151/2011/ eISSN: 1814-9332 Text 2018 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-7-151-2011 2020-07-20T16:26:11Z Instrumental records of the North Atlantic sea surface temperature reveal a large-scale low frequency mode of variability that has become known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). Proxy and modelling studies have demonstrated the important consequences of the AMO on other components of the climate system both within and outside the Atlantic region. Over longer time scales, the past behavior of the AMO is predominantly constrained by terrestrial proxies and only a limited number of records are available from the marine realm itself. Here we use an Earth System-Climate Model of intermediate complexity to simulate AMO-type behavior in the Atlantic with a specific focus placed on the ability of ocean paleothermometers to capture the associated surface and subsurface temperature variability. Given their lower prediction errors and annual resolution, coral-based proxies of sea surface temperature appear to be capable of reconstructing the temperature variations associated with the past AMO with an adequate signal-to-noise ratio. In contrast, the relatively high prediction error and low temporal resolution of sediment-based proxies, such as the composition of foraminiferal calcite, limits their ability to produce interpretable records of past temperature anomalies corresponding to AMO activity. Whilst the presented results will inevitably be model-dependent to some degree, the statistical framework is model-independent and can be applied to a wide variety of scenarios. Text North Atlantic Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Climate of the Past 7 1 151 159 |
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Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
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English |
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Instrumental records of the North Atlantic sea surface temperature reveal a large-scale low frequency mode of variability that has become known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). Proxy and modelling studies have demonstrated the important consequences of the AMO on other components of the climate system both within and outside the Atlantic region. Over longer time scales, the past behavior of the AMO is predominantly constrained by terrestrial proxies and only a limited number of records are available from the marine realm itself. Here we use an Earth System-Climate Model of intermediate complexity to simulate AMO-type behavior in the Atlantic with a specific focus placed on the ability of ocean paleothermometers to capture the associated surface and subsurface temperature variability. Given their lower prediction errors and annual resolution, coral-based proxies of sea surface temperature appear to be capable of reconstructing the temperature variations associated with the past AMO with an adequate signal-to-noise ratio. In contrast, the relatively high prediction error and low temporal resolution of sediment-based proxies, such as the composition of foraminiferal calcite, limits their ability to produce interpretable records of past temperature anomalies corresponding to AMO activity. Whilst the presented results will inevitably be model-dependent to some degree, the statistical framework is model-independent and can be applied to a wide variety of scenarios. |
format |
Text |
author |
Heslop, D. Paul, A. |
spellingShingle |
Heslop, D. Paul, A. Can oceanic paleothermometers reconstruct the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation? |
author_facet |
Heslop, D. Paul, A. |
author_sort |
Heslop, D. |
title |
Can oceanic paleothermometers reconstruct the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation? |
title_short |
Can oceanic paleothermometers reconstruct the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation? |
title_full |
Can oceanic paleothermometers reconstruct the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation? |
title_fullStr |
Can oceanic paleothermometers reconstruct the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Can oceanic paleothermometers reconstruct the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation? |
title_sort |
can oceanic paleothermometers reconstruct the atlantic multidecadal oscillation? |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-7-151-2011 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/7/151/2011/ |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_source |
eISSN: 1814-9332 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/cp-7-151-2011 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/7/151/2011/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-7-151-2011 |
container_title |
Climate of the Past |
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7 |
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1 |
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151 |
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159 |
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1766132703426510848 |