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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Author Feng, Ran
Bhattacharya, Tripti
Otto-Bliesner, Bette L.
Brady, Esther C.
Haywood, Alan M.
Tindall, Julia C.
Hunter, Stephen J.
Abe-Ouchi, Ayako
Chan, Wing-Le
Kageyama, Masa
Contoux, Camille
Guo, Chuncheng
Li, Xiangyu
Lohmann, Gerrit
Stepanek, Christian
Tan, Ning
Zhang, Qiong
Zhang, Zhongshi
Han, Zixuan
Williams, Charles J. R.
Lunt, Daniel J.
Dowsett, Harry J.
Chandan, Deepak
Peltier, W. Richard
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2022-03-14T00:00:00
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Not Assigned
Alternate Identifier N/A
Resource Version N/A
Topic Category geoscientificInformation
Progress N/A
Metadata Date 2023-08-18T18:37:09.413469
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:25238
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Feng, Ran, Bhattacharya, Tripti, Otto-Bliesner, Bette L., Brady, Esther C., Haywood, Alan M., Tindall, Julia C., Hunter, Stephen J., Abe-Ouchi, Ayako, Chan, Wing-Le, Kageyama, Masa, Contoux, Camille, Guo, Chuncheng, Li, Xiangyu, Lohmann, Gerrit, Stepanek, Christian, Tan, Ning, Zhang, Qiong, Zhang, Zhongshi, Han, Zixuan, Williams, Charles J. R., Lunt, Daniel J., Dowsett, Harry J., Chandan, Deepak, Peltier, W. Richard. (2022). Past terrestrial hydroclimate sensitivity controlled by Earth system feedbacks. UCAR/NCAR - Library. http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7k64nq8. Accessed 17 June 2025.

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