Response of the carbon cycle in an intermediate complexity model to the different climate configurations of the last nine interglacials
Atmospheric CO2 levels during interglacials prior to the Mid-Brunhes Event (MBE, ∼ 430 ka BP) were around 40 ppm lower than after the MBE. The reasons for this difference remain unclear. A recent hypothesis proposed that changes in oceanic circulation, in response to different external forcings befo...
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fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:oai:doaj.org/article:88f81507e24446ee8166eeab3b059bd1 2023-05-15T16:37:47+02:00 Response of the carbon cycle in an intermediate complexity model to the different climate configurations of the last nine interglacials N. Bouttes D. Swingedouw D. M. Roche M. F. Sanchez-Goni X. Crosta 2018-03-01 https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 https://www.clim-past.net/14/239/2018/cp-14-239-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/article/88f81507e24446ee8166eeab3b059bd1 en eng Copernicus Publications doi:10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 1814-9324 1814-9332 https://www.clim-past.net/14/239/2018/cp-14-239-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/article/88f81507e24446ee8166eeab3b059bd1 undefined Climate of the Past, Vol 14, Pp 239-253 (2018) envir geo Journal Article https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_6501/ 2018 fttriple https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 2023-01-22T19:07:30Z Atmospheric CO2 levels during interglacials prior to the Mid-Brunhes Event (MBE, ∼ 430 ka BP) were around 40 ppm lower than after the MBE. The reasons for this difference remain unclear. A recent hypothesis proposed that changes in oceanic circulation, in response to different external forcings before and after the MBE, might have increased the ocean carbon storage in pre-MBE interglacials, thus lowering atmospheric CO2. Nevertheless, no quantitative estimate of this hypothesis has been produced up to now. Here we use an intermediate complexity model including the carbon cycle to evaluate the response of the carbon reservoirs in the atmosphere, ocean and land in response to the changes of orbital forcings, ice sheet configurations and atmospheric CO2 concentrations over the last nine interglacials. We show that the ocean takes up more carbon during pre-MBE interglacials in agreement with data, but the impact on atmospheric CO2 is limited to a few parts per million. Terrestrial biosphere is simulated to be less developed in pre-MBE interglacials, which reduces the storage of carbon on land and increases atmospheric CO2. Accounting for different simulated ice sheet extents modifies the vegetation cover and temperature, and thus the carbon reservoir distribution. Overall, atmospheric CO2 levels are lower during these pre-MBE simulated interglacials including all these effects, but the magnitude is still far too small. These results suggest a possible misrepresentation of some key processes in the model, such as the magnitude of ocean circulation changes, or the lack of crucial mechanisms or internal feedbacks, such as those related to permafrost, to fully account for the lower atmospheric CO2 concentrations during pre-MBE interglacials. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice Ice Sheet permafrost Unknown Climate of the Past 14 2 239 253 |
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envir geo N. Bouttes D. Swingedouw D. M. Roche M. F. Sanchez-Goni X. Crosta Response of the carbon cycle in an intermediate complexity model to the different climate configurations of the last nine interglacials |
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envir geo |
description |
Atmospheric CO2 levels during interglacials prior to the Mid-Brunhes Event (MBE, ∼ 430 ka BP) were around 40 ppm lower than after the MBE. The reasons for this difference remain unclear. A recent hypothesis proposed that changes in oceanic circulation, in response to different external forcings before and after the MBE, might have increased the ocean carbon storage in pre-MBE interglacials, thus lowering atmospheric CO2. Nevertheless, no quantitative estimate of this hypothesis has been produced up to now. Here we use an intermediate complexity model including the carbon cycle to evaluate the response of the carbon reservoirs in the atmosphere, ocean and land in response to the changes of orbital forcings, ice sheet configurations and atmospheric CO2 concentrations over the last nine interglacials. We show that the ocean takes up more carbon during pre-MBE interglacials in agreement with data, but the impact on atmospheric CO2 is limited to a few parts per million. Terrestrial biosphere is simulated to be less developed in pre-MBE interglacials, which reduces the storage of carbon on land and increases atmospheric CO2. Accounting for different simulated ice sheet extents modifies the vegetation cover and temperature, and thus the carbon reservoir distribution. Overall, atmospheric CO2 levels are lower during these pre-MBE simulated interglacials including all these effects, but the magnitude is still far too small. These results suggest a possible misrepresentation of some key processes in the model, such as the magnitude of ocean circulation changes, or the lack of crucial mechanisms or internal feedbacks, such as those related to permafrost, to fully account for the lower atmospheric CO2 concentrations during pre-MBE interglacials. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
N. Bouttes D. Swingedouw D. M. Roche M. F. Sanchez-Goni X. Crosta |
author_facet |
N. Bouttes D. Swingedouw D. M. Roche M. F. Sanchez-Goni X. Crosta |
author_sort |
N. Bouttes |
title |
Response of the carbon cycle in an intermediate complexity model to the different climate configurations of the last nine interglacials |
title_short |
Response of the carbon cycle in an intermediate complexity model to the different climate configurations of the last nine interglacials |
title_full |
Response of the carbon cycle in an intermediate complexity model to the different climate configurations of the last nine interglacials |
title_fullStr |
Response of the carbon cycle in an intermediate complexity model to the different climate configurations of the last nine interglacials |
title_full_unstemmed |
Response of the carbon cycle in an intermediate complexity model to the different climate configurations of the last nine interglacials |
title_sort |
response of the carbon cycle in an intermediate complexity model to the different climate configurations of the last nine interglacials |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 https://www.clim-past.net/14/239/2018/cp-14-239-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/article/88f81507e24446ee8166eeab3b059bd1 |
genre |
Ice Ice Sheet permafrost |
genre_facet |
Ice Ice Sheet permafrost |
op_source |
Climate of the Past, Vol 14, Pp 239-253 (2018) |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 1814-9324 1814-9332 https://www.clim-past.net/14/239/2018/cp-14-239-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/article/88f81507e24446ee8166eeab3b059bd1 |
op_rights |
undefined |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 |
container_title |
Climate of the Past |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
239 |
op_container_end_page |
253 |
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