Constraints on the magnitude and patterns of ocean cooling at the Last Glacial Maximum

Elderfield, H. and Kiefer, T. (2009) Constraints on the magnitude and patterns of ocean cooling at the Last Glacial Maximum. Nature Geoscience, 2 (2). pp. 127-132. ISSN 1752-0894 EISSN:1752-0908 DOI 10.1038/ngeo411

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Abstract

Observation-based reconstructions of sea surface temperature from relatively stable periods in the past, such as the Last Glacial Maximum, represent an important means of constraining climate sensitivity and evaluating model simulations. The first quantitative global reconstruction of sea surface temperatures during the Last Glacial Maximum was developed by the Climate Long-Range Investigation, Mapping and Prediction (CLIMAP) project in the 1970s and 1980s (refs 2, 3). Since that time, several shortcomings of that earlier effort have become apparent. Here we present an updated synthesis of sea surface temperatures during the Last Glacial Maximum, rigorously defined as the period between 23 and 19 thousand years before present, from the Multiproxy Approach for the Reconstruction of the Glacial Ocean Surface (MARGO) project. We integrate microfossil and geochemical reconstructions of surface temperatures and include assessments of the reliability of individual records. Our reconstruction reveals the presence of large longitudinal gradients in sea surface temperature in all of the ocean basins, in contrast to the simulations of the Last Glacial Maximum climate available at present.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	MARGO Project Members: C. Waelbroeck1, A. Paul2, M. Kucera3, A. Rosell-Melé4, M. Weinelt5, R. Schneider5, A. C. Mix6, A. Abelmann7, L. Armand8, E. Bard9, S. Barker10, T. T. Barrows11, H. Benway6, I. Cacho12, M.-T. Chen13, E. Cortijo1, X. Crosta14, A. de Vernal15, T. Dokken16, J. Duprat14, H. Elderfield17, F. Eynaud14, R. Gersonde7, A. Hayes18, M. Henry15, C. Hillaire-Marcel15, C.-C. Huang13, E. Jansen16, S. Juggins19, N. Kallel20, T. Kiefer17, M. Kienast21, L. Labeyrie1, H. Leclaire1, L. Londeix14, S. Mangin14, J. Matthiessen7, F. Marret22, M. Meland16, A. E. Morey6, S. Mulitza2, U. Pflaumann5, N. G. Pisias6, T. Radi14, A. Rochon23, E. J. Rohling24, L. Sbaffi25, C. Schäfer-Neth7, S. Solignac15, H. Spero26, K. Tachikawa9 and J.-L. Turon14
Uncontrolled Keywords:	08AREP; IA57;
Subjects:	01 - Climate Change and Earth-Ocean Atmosphere Systems
Divisions:	01 - Climate Change and Earth-Ocean Atmosphere Systems
Journal or Publication Title:	Nature Geoscience
Volume:	2
Page Range:	pp. 127-132
Identification Number:	10.1038/ngeo411
Depositing User:	Sarah Humbert
Date Deposited:	14 May 2009 15:54
Last Modified:	23 Jul 2013 09:54
URI:	http://eprints.esc.cam.ac.uk/id/eprint/985

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