State of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Climate System

• Main Authors: Mayewski, P A, Meredith, M P, Bromwich, D, Campbell, Hamish, School of Environmental and Rural Science, Hamilton, G S, Lyons, W B, Maasch, K A, Aoki, S, Xiao, C, van Ommen, Tas, Summerhayes, C P, Turner, J, Worby, A, Barrett, P J, Casassa, G, Bertler, N A N, Bracegirdle, T, Naveira Garabato, A C
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: John Wiley & Sons, Inc 2008
• Subjects: Environmental Impact Assessment; Environmental Monitoring; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*; ice core
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/16186

This paper reviews developments in our understanding of the state of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean climate and its relation to the global climate system over the last few millennia. Climate over this and earlier periods has not been stable, as evidenced by the occurrence of abrupt changes in atmospheric circulation and temperature recorded in Antarctic ice core proxies for past climate. Two of the most prominent abrupt climate change events are characterized by intensification of the circumpolar westerlies (also known as the Southern Annular Mode) between ~6000 and 5000 years ago and since 1200-1000 years ago.