Solar-forced shifts of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies during the Holocene
The Southern Hemisphere Westerly Winds (SWW) constitute an important zonal circulation that influences large-scale precipitation patterns and ocean circulation. Variations in their intensity and latitudinal position have been suggested to exert a strong influence on the CO2 budget in the Southern Oc...
| Published in: | Climate of the Past |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2011
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-7-339-2011 https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00027589 https://noa.gwlb.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/cop_derivate_00027544/cp-7-339-2011.pdf https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/7/339/2011/cp-7-339-2011.pdf |
| Summary: | The Southern Hemisphere Westerly Winds (SWW) constitute an important zonal circulation that influences large-scale precipitation patterns and ocean circulation. Variations in their intensity and latitudinal position have been suggested to exert a strong influence on the CO2 budget in the Southern Ocean, thus making them a potential factor affecting the global climate. In the present study, the possible influence of solar forcing on SWW variability during the Holocene is addressed. It is shown that a high-resolution iron record from the Chilean continental slope (41° S), which is interpreted to reflect changes in the position of the SWW, is significantly correlated with reconstructed solar activity during the past 3000 years. In addition, solar sensitivity experiments with a comprehensive global climate model (CCSM3) were carried out to study the response of SWW to solar variability. Taken together, the proxy and model results suggest that centennial-scale periods of lower (higher) solar activity caused equatorward (southward) shifts of the annual mean SWW. |
|---|