Mid-pliocene Atlantic meridional overturning circulation simulated in PlioMIP2

In the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project Phase 2 (PlioMIP2), coupled climate models have been used to simulate an interglacial climate during the mid-Piacenzian warm period (mPWP; 3.264 to 3.025 Ma). Here, we compare the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), poleward ocean heat transport and sea surface warming in the Atlantic simulated with these models. In PlioMIP2, all models simulate an intensified mid-Pliocene AMOC. How- ever, there is no consistent response in the simulated Atlantic ocean heat transport nor in the depth of the Atlantic overturning cell. The models show a large spread in the simulated AMOC maximum, the Atlantic ocean heat transport and the surface warming in the North Atlantic. Although a few models simulate a surface warming of similar to 8-12 degrees C in the North Atlantic, similar to the reconstruction from Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) version 4, most models appear to underestimate this warming. The large model spread and model-data discrepancies in the PlioMIP2 ensemble do not support the hypothesis that an intensification of the AMOC, together with an increase in northward ocean heat transport, is the dominant mechanism for the mid-Pliocene warm climate over the North Atlantic.

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Author Zhang, Zhongshi
Li, Xiangyu
Guo, Chuncheng
Otterå, Odd Helge
Nisancioglu, Kerim H.
Tan, Ning
Contoux, Camille
Ramstein, Gilles
Feng, Ran
Otto-Bliesner, Bette L.
Brady, Esther
Chandan, Deepak
Peltier, W. Richard
Baatsen, Michiel L. J.
von der Heydt, Anna S.
Weiffenbach, Julia E.
Stepanek, Christian
Lohmann, Gerrit
Zhang, Qiong
Li, Qiang
Chandler, Mark A.
Sohl, Linda E.
Haywood, Alan M.
Hunter, Stephen J.
Tindall, Julia C.
Williams, Charles
Lunt, Daniel J.
Chan, Wing-Le
Abe-Ouchi, Ayako
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2021-02-25T00:00:00
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Not Assigned
Alternate Identifier N/A
Resource Version N/A
Topic Category geoscientificInformation
Progress N/A
Metadata Date 2023-08-18T18:13:23.013137
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:24196
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Zhang, Zhongshi, Li, Xiangyu, Guo, Chuncheng, Otterå, Odd Helge, Nisancioglu, Kerim H., Tan, Ning, Contoux, Camille, Ramstein, Gilles, Feng, Ran, Otto-Bliesner, Bette L., Brady, Esther, Chandan, Deepak, Peltier, W. Richard, Baatsen, Michiel L. J., von der Heydt, Anna S., Weiffenbach, Julia E., Stepanek, Christian, Lohmann, Gerrit, Zhang, Qiong, Li, Qiang, Chandler, Mark A., Sohl, Linda E., Haywood, Alan M., Hunter, Stephen J., Tindall, Julia C., Williams, Charles, Lunt, Daniel J., Chan, Wing-Le, Abe-Ouchi, Ayako. (2021). Mid-pliocene Atlantic meridional overturning circulation simulated in PlioMIP2. UCAR/NCAR - Library. http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7z89gtj. Accessed 14 June 2025.

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