A comprehensive, multi-process box-model approach to glacial-interglacial carbon cycling
The canonical question of which physical, chemical or biological mechanisms were responsible for oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO2 during the last glacial is yet unanswered. Insight from paleo proxies has led to a multitude of hypotheses but none so far have been convincingly supported in three dime...
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ftsouthampton:oai:eprints.soton.ac.uk:163299 2023-07-30T03:57:12+02:00 A comprehensive, multi-process box-model approach to glacial-interglacial carbon cycling de Boer, A.M. Watson, A.J. Edwards, N.R. Oliver, Kevin I.C. 2010 text https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/163299/ https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/163299/1/deboer_10_cp_carbonbox.pdf en eng https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/163299/1/deboer_10_cp_carbonbox.pdf de Boer, A.M., Watson, A.J., Edwards, N.R. and Oliver, Kevin I.C. (2010) A comprehensive, multi-process box-model approach to glacial-interglacial carbon cycling. Climate of the Past, 6, 867-903. (doi:10.5194/cpd-6-867-2010 <http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/cpd-6-867-2010>). Article PeerReviewed 2010 ftsouthampton https://doi.org/10.5194/cpd-6-867-2010 2023-07-09T21:18:17Z The canonical question of which physical, chemical or biological mechanisms were responsible for oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO2 during the last glacial is yet unanswered. Insight from paleo proxies has led to a multitude of hypotheses but none so far have been convincingly supported in three dimensional numerical modelling experiments. The processes that influence the CO2 uptake and export production are inter-related and too complex to solve conceptually while complex numerical models are time consuming and expensive to run which severely limits the combinations of mechanisms that can be explored. Instead, an intermediate inverse box model approach is used here in which the whole parameter space is explored. The glacial circulation and biological production states are derived from these using proxies of glacial export production and the need to draw down CO2 into the ocean. We find that circulation patterns which explain glacial observations include reduced Antarctic Bottom Water formation and high latitude mixing and to a lesser extent reduced equatorial upwelling. The proposed mechanism of CO2 uptake by an increase of eddies in the Southern Ocean, leading to a reduced residual circulation, is not supported. Regarding biological mechanisms, an increase in the nutrient utilization in either the equatorial regions or the northern polar latitudes can reduce atmospheric CO2 and satisfy proxies of glacial export production. Consistent with previous studies, CO2 is drawn down more easily through increased productivity in the Antarctic region than the sub-Antarctic, but that violates observations of lower export production there. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Southern Ocean University of Southampton: e-Prints Soton Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
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University of Southampton: e-Prints Soton |
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ftsouthampton |
language |
English |
description |
The canonical question of which physical, chemical or biological mechanisms were responsible for oceanic uptake of atmospheric CO2 during the last glacial is yet unanswered. Insight from paleo proxies has led to a multitude of hypotheses but none so far have been convincingly supported in three dimensional numerical modelling experiments. The processes that influence the CO2 uptake and export production are inter-related and too complex to solve conceptually while complex numerical models are time consuming and expensive to run which severely limits the combinations of mechanisms that can be explored. Instead, an intermediate inverse box model approach is used here in which the whole parameter space is explored. The glacial circulation and biological production states are derived from these using proxies of glacial export production and the need to draw down CO2 into the ocean. We find that circulation patterns which explain glacial observations include reduced Antarctic Bottom Water formation and high latitude mixing and to a lesser extent reduced equatorial upwelling. The proposed mechanism of CO2 uptake by an increase of eddies in the Southern Ocean, leading to a reduced residual circulation, is not supported. Regarding biological mechanisms, an increase in the nutrient utilization in either the equatorial regions or the northern polar latitudes can reduce atmospheric CO2 and satisfy proxies of glacial export production. Consistent with previous studies, CO2 is drawn down more easily through increased productivity in the Antarctic region than the sub-Antarctic, but that violates observations of lower export production there. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
de Boer, A.M. Watson, A.J. Edwards, N.R. Oliver, Kevin I.C. |
spellingShingle |
de Boer, A.M. Watson, A.J. Edwards, N.R. Oliver, Kevin I.C. A comprehensive, multi-process box-model approach to glacial-interglacial carbon cycling |
author_facet |
de Boer, A.M. Watson, A.J. Edwards, N.R. Oliver, Kevin I.C. |
author_sort |
de Boer, A.M. |
title |
A comprehensive, multi-process box-model approach to glacial-interglacial carbon cycling |
title_short |
A comprehensive, multi-process box-model approach to glacial-interglacial carbon cycling |
title_full |
A comprehensive, multi-process box-model approach to glacial-interglacial carbon cycling |
title_fullStr |
A comprehensive, multi-process box-model approach to glacial-interglacial carbon cycling |
title_full_unstemmed |
A comprehensive, multi-process box-model approach to glacial-interglacial carbon cycling |
title_sort |
comprehensive, multi-process box-model approach to glacial-interglacial carbon cycling |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/163299/ https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/163299/1/deboer_10_cp_carbonbox.pdf |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/163299/1/deboer_10_cp_carbonbox.pdf de Boer, A.M., Watson, A.J., Edwards, N.R. and Oliver, Kevin I.C. (2010) A comprehensive, multi-process box-model approach to glacial-interglacial carbon cycling. Climate of the Past, 6, 867-903. (doi:10.5194/cpd-6-867-2010 <http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/cpd-6-867-2010>). |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cpd-6-867-2010 |
_version_ |
1772816275466092544 |