A numerical study of the climate response to lowered Mediterranean Sea level during the Messinian Salinity Crisis
Roughly six million years ago, tectonic movements isolated the Mediterranean Sea (MS) from the Atlantic Ocean, an event known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). Subsequent evaporative drawdown of the MS resulted in a subaerial depression with a depth between 1500 and 2500 m. In this study, five...
Published in: | Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |
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Language: | English |
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Elsevier Ltd.
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Online Access: | http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-002-607 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.04.016 |
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ftncar:oai:drupal-site.org:articles_15447 2023-09-05T13:11:36+02:00 A numerical study of the climate response to lowered Mediterranean Sea level during the Messinian Salinity Crisis Murphy, Lisa (author) Kirk-Davidoff, Daniel (author) Mahowald, Natalie (author) Otto-Bliesner, Bette (author) 2009-08-01 http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-002-607 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.04.016 en eng Elsevier Ltd. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-002-607 doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.04.016 ark:/85065/d7ng4rn0 An edited version of this article was published by Elsevier. Copyright 2009 Elsevier. Messinian Salinity Crisis Palaeoclimatology Messinian Late Miocene Hydrological budget Mediterranean Sea Desiccation Text article 2009 ftncar https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.04.016 2023-08-14T18:41:45Z Roughly six million years ago, tectonic movements isolated the Mediterranean Sea (MS) from the Atlantic Ocean, an event known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). Subsequent evaporative drawdown of the MS resulted in a subaerial depression with a depth between 1500 and 2500 m. In this study, five simulations are run using the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model version 3 (CAM3) configured with the slab ocean model. Three simulations have been performed to test the climate impacts to desiccation and to changing the MS base level. In this study, the MS base level is reduced 750 m in the Half Land simulation (HL), and 1500 m in the Lowered Sea (LS) and Lowered Land (LL) simulations. The HL and LL simulations differ from the LS in that the surface is converted to land, representing the complete desiccation of the MS. The substantial MS depression generates planetary-scale atmospheric waves responsible for significant climate effects throughout the Northern Hemisphere. A notable deepening of the Aleutian Low and a significant equatorward shift in the Atlantic jet stream are evident. In DJF, vertical ascent at the northern margin of the MS results in a 1.5-2.5 mm day⁻¹ precipitation anomaly in the LS run over the Alps, consistent with proxy data. Annual mean area averaged MS evaporation is slightly higher than control conditions. Except when salinity is a substantial barrier to evaporation, our results suggest that a partially filled basin cannot exist in equilibrium and the MS must either be partly connected to the Atlantic Ocean or completely desiccated. Base level lowering, which alters the water budget, must be taken into account when considering the freshwater budget during the MSC. Article in Journal/Newspaper aleutian low OpenSky (NCAR/UCAR - National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 279 1-2 41 59 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
OpenSky (NCAR/UCAR - National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research) |
op_collection_id |
ftncar |
language |
English |
topic |
Messinian Salinity Crisis Palaeoclimatology Messinian Late Miocene Hydrological budget Mediterranean Sea Desiccation |
spellingShingle |
Messinian Salinity Crisis Palaeoclimatology Messinian Late Miocene Hydrological budget Mediterranean Sea Desiccation A numerical study of the climate response to lowered Mediterranean Sea level during the Messinian Salinity Crisis |
topic_facet |
Messinian Salinity Crisis Palaeoclimatology Messinian Late Miocene Hydrological budget Mediterranean Sea Desiccation |
description |
Roughly six million years ago, tectonic movements isolated the Mediterranean Sea (MS) from the Atlantic Ocean, an event known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). Subsequent evaporative drawdown of the MS resulted in a subaerial depression with a depth between 1500 and 2500 m. In this study, five simulations are run using the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model version 3 (CAM3) configured with the slab ocean model. Three simulations have been performed to test the climate impacts to desiccation and to changing the MS base level. In this study, the MS base level is reduced 750 m in the Half Land simulation (HL), and 1500 m in the Lowered Sea (LS) and Lowered Land (LL) simulations. The HL and LL simulations differ from the LS in that the surface is converted to land, representing the complete desiccation of the MS. The substantial MS depression generates planetary-scale atmospheric waves responsible for significant climate effects throughout the Northern Hemisphere. A notable deepening of the Aleutian Low and a significant equatorward shift in the Atlantic jet stream are evident. In DJF, vertical ascent at the northern margin of the MS results in a 1.5-2.5 mm day⁻¹ precipitation anomaly in the LS run over the Alps, consistent with proxy data. Annual mean area averaged MS evaporation is slightly higher than control conditions. Except when salinity is a substantial barrier to evaporation, our results suggest that a partially filled basin cannot exist in equilibrium and the MS must either be partly connected to the Atlantic Ocean or completely desiccated. Base level lowering, which alters the water budget, must be taken into account when considering the freshwater budget during the MSC. |
author2 |
Murphy, Lisa (author) Kirk-Davidoff, Daniel (author) Mahowald, Natalie (author) Otto-Bliesner, Bette (author) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
title |
A numerical study of the climate response to lowered Mediterranean Sea level during the Messinian Salinity Crisis |
title_short |
A numerical study of the climate response to lowered Mediterranean Sea level during the Messinian Salinity Crisis |
title_full |
A numerical study of the climate response to lowered Mediterranean Sea level during the Messinian Salinity Crisis |
title_fullStr |
A numerical study of the climate response to lowered Mediterranean Sea level during the Messinian Salinity Crisis |
title_full_unstemmed |
A numerical study of the climate response to lowered Mediterranean Sea level during the Messinian Salinity Crisis |
title_sort |
numerical study of the climate response to lowered mediterranean sea level during the messinian salinity crisis |
publisher |
Elsevier Ltd. |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-002-607 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.04.016 |
genre |
aleutian low |
genre_facet |
aleutian low |
op_relation |
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology http://nldr.library.ucar.edu/repository/collections/OSGC-000-000-002-607 doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.04.016 ark:/85065/d7ng4rn0 |
op_rights |
An edited version of this article was published by Elsevier. Copyright 2009 Elsevier. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2009.04.016 |
container_title |
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology |
container_volume |
279 |
container_issue |
1-2 |
container_start_page |
41 |
op_container_end_page |
59 |
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1776205332022820864 |