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...
Published in: | Climate of the Past |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2019
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/14/239/2018/ |
id |
fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:t-DM-d_wiADlnsu9UIeEK |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:t-DM-d_wiADlnsu9UIeEK 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 Bouttes, Nathaelle Swingedouw, Didier Roche, Didier M. Sanchez-Goni, Maria F. Crosta, Xavier 2019-04-10 https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/14/239/2018/ en eng doi:10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 10670/1.k86yn2 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/14/239/2018/ undefined Geographica Helvetica - geography eISSN: 1814-9332 geo envir Text https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_18cf/ 2019 fttriple https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 2023-01-22T17:52:21Z 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. Text Ice Ice Sheet permafrost Unknown Climate of the Past 14 2 239 253 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Unknown |
op_collection_id |
fttriple |
language |
English |
topic |
geo envir |
spellingShingle |
geo envir Bouttes, Nathaelle Swingedouw, Didier Roche, Didier M. Sanchez-Goni, Maria F. Crosta, Xavier Response of the carbon cycle in an intermediate complexity model to the different climate configurations of the last nine interglacials |
topic_facet |
geo envir |
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 |
Text |
author |
Bouttes, Nathaelle Swingedouw, Didier Roche, Didier M. Sanchez-Goni, Maria F. Crosta, Xavier |
author_facet |
Bouttes, Nathaelle Swingedouw, Didier Roche, Didier M. Sanchez-Goni, Maria F. Crosta, Xavier |
author_sort |
Bouttes, Nathaelle |
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 |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/14/239/2018/ |
genre |
Ice Ice Sheet permafrost |
genre_facet |
Ice Ice Sheet permafrost |
op_source |
Geographica Helvetica - geography eISSN: 1814-9332 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/cp-14-239-2018 10670/1.k86yn2 https://cp.copernicus.org/articles/14/239/2018/ |
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 |
_version_ |
1766028074443341824 |