Past terrestrial hydroclimate sensitivity controlled by Earth system feedbacks

Despite tectonic conditions and atmospheric CO2 levels (pCO(2)) similar to those of present-day, geological reconstructions from the mid-Pliocene (3.3-3.0 Ma) document high lake levels in the Sahel and mesic conditions in subtropical Eurasia, suggesting drastic reorganizations of subtropical terrestrial hydroclimate during this interval. Here, using a compilation of proxy data and multi-model paleoclimate simulations, we show that the mid-Pliocene hydroclimate state is not driven by direct CO2 radiative forcing but by a loss of northern high-latitude ice sheets and continental greening. These ice sheet and vegetation changes are long-term Earth system feedbacks to elevated pCO(2). Further, the moist conditions in the Sahel and subtropical Eurasia during the mid-Pliocene are a product of enhanced tropospheric humidity and a stationary wave response to the surface warming pattern, which varies strongly with land cover changes. These findings highlight the potential for amplified terrestrial hydroclimate responses over long timescales to a sustained CO2 forcing.

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Related Dataset #1 : NERC HadGEM3-GC31-LL model output prepared for CMIP6 PMIP midPliocene-eoi400

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Author Feng, R.
Bhattacharya, T.
Otto-Bliesner, Bette
Brady, Esther C.
Haywood, A. M.
Tindall, J. C.
Hunter, S. J.
Abe-Ouchi, A.
Chan, W.
Kageyama, M.
Contoux, C.
Guo, C.
Li, X.
Lohmann, G.
Stepanek, C.
Tan, N.
Zhang, Q.
Zhang, Z.
Han, Z.
Williams, C. J. R.
Lunt, D. J.
Dowsett, H. J.
Chandan, D.
Peltier, W. R.
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2022-03-14T00:00:00
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Not Assigned
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Resource Version N/A
Topic Category geoscientificInformation
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Metadata Date 2025-07-11T16:05:30.371711
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:25238
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Feng, R., Bhattacharya, T., Otto-Bliesner, Bette, Brady, Esther C., Haywood, A. M., Tindall, J. C., Hunter, S. J., Abe-Ouchi, A., Chan, W., Kageyama, M., Contoux, C., Guo, C., Li, X., Lohmann, G., Stepanek, C., Tan, N., Zhang, Q., Zhang, Z., Han, Z., Williams, C. J. R., Lunt, D. J., Dowsett, H. J., Chandan, D., Peltier, W. R.. (2022). Past terrestrial hydroclimate sensitivity controlled by Earth system feedbacks. UCAR/NCAR - Library. https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7k64nq8. Accessed 12 August 2025.

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