Global Ocean Cooling of 2.3°C During the Last Glacial Maximum

Autor: A. M. Seltzer, P. W. Davidson, S. A. Shackleton, D. P. Nicholson, S. Khatiwala
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 51, Iss 9, Pp n/a-n/a (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1944-8007
0094-8276
DOI: 10.1029/2024GL108866
Popis: Abstract Quantitative constraints on past mean ocean temperature (MOT) critically inform our historical understanding of Earth's energy balance. A recently developed MOT proxy based on paleoatmospheric Xe, Kr, and N2 ratios in ice core air bubbles is a promising tool rooted in the temperature dependences of gas solubilities. However, these inert gases are systematically undersaturated in the modern ocean interior, and it remains unclear how air‐sea disequilibrium may have changed in the past. Here, we carry out 30 tracer‐enabled model simulations under varying circulation, sea ice cover, and wind stress regimes to evaluate air‐sea disequilibrium in the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ocean. We find that undersaturation of all three gases was likely reduced, primarily due to strengthened high‐latitude winds, biasing reconstructed MOT by −0.38 ± 0.37°C (1σ). Accounting for air‐sea disequilibrium, paleoatmospheric inert gases indicate that LGM MOT was 2.27 ± 0.46°C (1σ) colder than the pre‐industrial era.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals