Wind‐Driven Evolution of the North Pacific Subpolar Gyre Over the Last Deglaciation
International audience North Pacific atmospheric and oceanic circulations are key missing pieces in our understanding of the reorganization of the global climate system since the Last Glacial Maximum. Here, using a basin-wide compilation of planktic foraminiferal δ 18 O, we show that the North Pacif...
Published in: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
Other Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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HAL CCSD
2020
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-02968755 https://hal.science/hal-02968755/document https://hal.science/hal-02968755/file/2019GL086328.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086328 |
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openpolar |
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Open Polar |
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Institut national des sciences de l'Univers: HAL-INSU |
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language |
English |
topic |
[SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean Atmosphere [SDU.ENVI]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Continental interfaces environment |
spellingShingle |
[SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean Atmosphere [SDU.ENVI]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Continental interfaces environment Gray, William Wills, Robert Rae, James Burke, Andrea Ivanovic, Ruza Roberts, William Ferreira, David Valdes, Paul Wind‐Driven Evolution of the North Pacific Subpolar Gyre Over the Last Deglaciation |
topic_facet |
[SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean Atmosphere [SDU.ENVI]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Continental interfaces environment |
description |
International audience North Pacific atmospheric and oceanic circulations are key missing pieces in our understanding of the reorganization of the global climate system since the Last Glacial Maximum. Here, using a basin-wide compilation of planktic foraminiferal δ 18 O, we show that the North Pacific subpolar gyre extended~3°further south during the Last Glacial Maximum, consistent with sea surface temperature and productivity proxy data. Climate models indicate that the expansion of the subpolar gyre was associated with a substantial gyre strengthening, and that these gyre circulation changes were driven by a southward shift of the midlatitude westerlies and increased wind stress from the polar easterlies. Using single-forcing model runs, we show that these atmospheric circulation changes are a nonlinear response to ice sheet topography/albedo and CO 2. Our reconstruction indicates that the gyre boundary (and thus westerly winds) began to migrate northward at~16.5 ka, driving changes in ocean heat transport, biogeochemistry, and North American hydroclimate. Plain language summary Despite the North Pacific's importance in the global climate system, changes in the circulation of this region since the last ice age are poorly understood. Today, the North Pacific Ocean has distinct properties north and south of~40°N: To the south, the warm surface waters form a circulation cell that moves clockwise (the subtropical gyre); to the north, the cold surface waters form a circulation cell that moves anticlockwise (the subpolar gyre). This difference in surface ocean circulation north and south of~40°N is determined by the wind patterns. Here, using a compilation of oxygen isotopes measured in the carbonate shells of fossil plankton from sediment cores across the basin, which tracks changes in the spatial pattern of temperature, we reconstruct how the position of the boundary between the gyres changed since the last ice age. Our results show that the boundary between the gyres was shifted southward by~3°during the last ... |
author2 |
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) Paléocéanographie (PALEOCEAN) Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-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)) Department of Atmospheric Sciences Seattle University of Washington Seattle School of Earth and Environmental Sciences University St Andrews University of St Andrews Scotland School of Earth and Environment Leeds (SEE) University of Leeds Newcastle University Newcastle Department of Meteorology Reading University of Reading (UOR) School of Geographical Sciences Bristol University of Bristol Bristol |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Gray, William Wills, Robert Rae, James Burke, Andrea Ivanovic, Ruza Roberts, William Ferreira, David Valdes, Paul |
author_facet |
Gray, William Wills, Robert Rae, James Burke, Andrea Ivanovic, Ruza Roberts, William Ferreira, David Valdes, Paul |
author_sort |
Gray, William |
title |
Wind‐Driven Evolution of the North Pacific Subpolar Gyre Over the Last Deglaciation |
title_short |
Wind‐Driven Evolution of the North Pacific Subpolar Gyre Over the Last Deglaciation |
title_full |
Wind‐Driven Evolution of the North Pacific Subpolar Gyre Over the Last Deglaciation |
title_fullStr |
Wind‐Driven Evolution of the North Pacific Subpolar Gyre Over the Last Deglaciation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Wind‐Driven Evolution of the North Pacific Subpolar Gyre Over the Last Deglaciation |
title_sort |
wind‐driven evolution of the north pacific subpolar gyre over the last deglaciation |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-02968755 https://hal.science/hal-02968755/document https://hal.science/hal-02968755/file/2019GL086328.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086328 |
genre |
Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Ice Sheet |
op_source |
ISSN: 0094-8276 EISSN: 1944-8007 Geophysical Research Letters https://hal.science/hal-02968755 Geophysical Research Letters, 2020, 47 (6), ⟨10.1029/2019GL086328⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1029/2019GL086328 hal-02968755 https://hal.science/hal-02968755 https://hal.science/hal-02968755/document https://hal.science/hal-02968755/file/2019GL086328.pdf doi:10.1029/2019GL086328 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086328 |
container_title |
Geophysical Research Letters |
container_volume |
47 |
container_issue |
6 |
_version_ |
1797585058783035392 |
spelling |
ftinsu:oai:HAL:hal-02968755v1 2024-04-28T08:25:09+00:00 Wind‐Driven Evolution of the North Pacific Subpolar Gyre Over the Last Deglaciation Gray, William Wills, Robert Rae, James Burke, Andrea Ivanovic, Ruza Roberts, William Ferreira, David Valdes, Paul 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) Paléocéanographie (PALEOCEAN) Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-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)) Department of Atmospheric Sciences Seattle University of Washington Seattle School of Earth and Environmental Sciences University St Andrews University of St Andrews Scotland School of Earth and Environment Leeds (SEE) University of Leeds Newcastle University Newcastle Department of Meteorology Reading University of Reading (UOR) School of Geographical Sciences Bristol University of Bristol Bristol 2020-03-28 https://hal.science/hal-02968755 https://hal.science/hal-02968755/document https://hal.science/hal-02968755/file/2019GL086328.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086328 en eng HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1029/2019GL086328 hal-02968755 https://hal.science/hal-02968755 https://hal.science/hal-02968755/document https://hal.science/hal-02968755/file/2019GL086328.pdf doi:10.1029/2019GL086328 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess ISSN: 0094-8276 EISSN: 1944-8007 Geophysical Research Letters https://hal.science/hal-02968755 Geophysical Research Letters, 2020, 47 (6), ⟨10.1029/2019GL086328⟩ [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean Atmosphere [SDU.ENVI]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Continental interfaces environment info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2020 ftinsu https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086328 2024-04-05T00:40:57Z International audience North Pacific atmospheric and oceanic circulations are key missing pieces in our understanding of the reorganization of the global climate system since the Last Glacial Maximum. Here, using a basin-wide compilation of planktic foraminiferal δ 18 O, we show that the North Pacific subpolar gyre extended~3°further south during the Last Glacial Maximum, consistent with sea surface temperature and productivity proxy data. Climate models indicate that the expansion of the subpolar gyre was associated with a substantial gyre strengthening, and that these gyre circulation changes were driven by a southward shift of the midlatitude westerlies and increased wind stress from the polar easterlies. Using single-forcing model runs, we show that these atmospheric circulation changes are a nonlinear response to ice sheet topography/albedo and CO 2. Our reconstruction indicates that the gyre boundary (and thus westerly winds) began to migrate northward at~16.5 ka, driving changes in ocean heat transport, biogeochemistry, and North American hydroclimate. Plain language summary Despite the North Pacific's importance in the global climate system, changes in the circulation of this region since the last ice age are poorly understood. Today, the North Pacific Ocean has distinct properties north and south of~40°N: To the south, the warm surface waters form a circulation cell that moves clockwise (the subtropical gyre); to the north, the cold surface waters form a circulation cell that moves anticlockwise (the subpolar gyre). This difference in surface ocean circulation north and south of~40°N is determined by the wind patterns. Here, using a compilation of oxygen isotopes measured in the carbonate shells of fossil plankton from sediment cores across the basin, which tracks changes in the spatial pattern of temperature, we reconstruct how the position of the boundary between the gyres changed since the last ice age. Our results show that the boundary between the gyres was shifted southward by~3°during the last ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice Sheet Institut national des sciences de l'Univers: HAL-INSU Geophysical Research Letters 47 6 |