Earth’s radiative imbalance from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present ...

• Main Authors: Baggenstos, Daniel, Häberli, Marcel, Schmitt, Jochen, Shackleton, Sarah A., Birner, Benjamin, Severinghaus, Jeffrey P., Kellerhals, Thomas, Fischer, Hubertus
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: National Academy of Sciences NAS 2019
• Subjects: 530 Physics; 550 Earth sciences & geology; Antarctic; West Antarctic Ice Sheet; Antarc*; Antarctica; ice core; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7892/boris.132143; https://boris.unibe.ch/132143/

The energy imbalance at the top of the atmosphere determines the temporal evolution of the global climate, and vice versa changes in the climate system can alter the planetary energy fluxes. This interplay is fundamental to our understanding of Earth’s heat budget and the climate system. However, even today, the direct measurement of global radiative fluxes is difficult, such that most assessments are based on changes in the total energy content of the climate system. We apply the same approach to estimate the long-term evolution of Earth’s radiative imbalance in the past. New measurements of noble gas-derived mean ocean temperature from the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica Dome C ice core covering the last 40,000 y, combined with recent results from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core and the sea-level record, allow us to quantitatively reconstruct the history of the climate system energy budget. The temporal derivative of this quantity must be equal to the planetary radiative ...