Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

Published in

European Geosciences Union, Climate of the Past, 4(8), p. 1301-1307, 2012

DOI: 10.5194/cp-8-1301-2012

European Geosciences Union, Climate of the Past, 4(8), p. 1257-1285, 2012

DOI: 10.5194/cp-8-1257-2012

European Geosciences Union, Climate of the Past Discussions, 2(8), p. 715-786

DOI: 10.5194/cpd-8-715-2012

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

The relative roles of CO2 and palaeogeography in determining Late Miocene climate: Results from a terrestrial model-data comparison

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Postprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Published version: archiving allowed
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Abstract. The late Miocene palaeorecord provides evidence for a warmer and wetter climate than that of today, and there is uncertainty in the palaeo-CO2 record of at least 200 ppm. We present results from fully coupled atmosphere-ocean-vegetation simulations for the late Miocene that examine the relative roles of palaeogeography (topography and ice sheet geometry) and CO2 concentration in the determination of late Miocene climate through comprehensive terrestrial model-data comparisons. Assuming that these data accurately reflect the late Miocene climate, and that the late Miocene palaeogeographic reconstruction used in the model is robust, then results indicate that: 1. Both palaeogeography and atmospheric CO2 contribute to the proxy-derived precipitation differences between the late Miocene and modern reference climates. However these contributions exibit synergy and so do not add linearly. 2. The vast majority of the proxy-derived temperature differences between the late Miocene and modern reference climates can only be accounted for if we assume a palaeo-CO2 concentration towards the higher end of the range of estimates.