Evaluation of coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations of the mid-Holocene using palaeovegetation data from the northern hemisphere extratropics | Macquarie University ResearchOnline

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Evaluation of coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations of the mid-Holocene using palaeovegetation data from the northern hemisphere extratropics

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/107554

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Title: Evaluation of coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations of the mid-Holocene using palaeovegetation data from the northern hemisphere extratropics
Related: Climate dynamics, Vol. 31, Issue 7-8 (2008), p.871-890
DOI: 10.1007/s00382-008-0415-5
Publisher: Springer
Date: 2008
FoR/RFCD Code(s): 040100 Atmospheric Sciences 040500 Oceanography
Author/Creator: Wohlfahrt, J
Author/Creator: Harrison, S. P
Author/Creator: Braconnot, P
Author/Creator: Hewitt, C. D
Author/Creator: Kitoh, A
Author/Creator: Mikolajewicz, U
Author/Creator: Otto-Bliesner, B
Author/Creator: Weber, S. L
Description: We have used the BIOME4 biogeography–biochemistry model and comparison with palaeovegetation data to evaluate the response of six ocean–atmosphere general circulation models to mid-Holocene changes in orbital forcing in the mid- to high-latitudes of the northern hemisphere. All the models produce: (a) a northward shift of the northern limit of boreal forest, in response to simulated summer warming in high-latitudes. The northward shift is markedly asymmetric, with larger shifts in Eurasia than in North America; (b) an expansion of xerophytic vegetation in mid-continental North America and Eurasia, in response to increased temperatures during the growing season; (c) a northward expansion of temperate forests in eastern North America, in response to simulated winter warming. The northward shift of the northern limit of boreal forest and the northward expansion of temperate forests in North America are supported by palaeovegetation data. The expansion of xerophytic vegetation in mid-continental North America is consistent with palaeodata, although the extent may be over-estimated. The simulated expansion of xerophytic vegetation in Eurasia is not supported by the data. Analysis of an asynchronous coupling of one model to an equilibrium-vegetation model suggests vegetation feedback exacerbates this mid-continental drying and produces conditions more unlike the observations. Not all features of the simulations are robust: some models produce winter warming over Europe while others produce winter cooling. As a result, some models show a northward shift of temperate forests (consistent with, though less marked than, the expansion shown by data) and others produce a reduction in temperate forests. Elucidation of the cause of such differences is a focus of the current phase of the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project.
Description: 20 page(s)
Subject Keyword: 040100 Atmospheric Sciences
Subject Keyword: 040500 Oceanography
Subject Keyword: mid-Holocene
Subject Keyword: extratropical climates
Subject Keyword: climate model evaluation
Subject Keyword: ocean feedback
Subject Keyword: tundra–taiga boundary
Subject Keyword: mid-continental aridity
Subject Keyword: data-model comparisons
Subject Keyword: pollen reconstructions of vegetation
Resource Type: journal article
Organisation: Macquarie University. Dept. of Biological Sciences

Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/107554
Identifier: ISSN:0930-7575
Identifier: mq-rm-2009011740
Language: eng
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