Modeling El Niño and its tropical teleconnections during the last glacial-interglacial cycle

Bette L. Otto-Bliesner; Esther C. Brady; Sang Ik Shin; Zhengyu Liu; Christine Shields

doi:10.1029/2003GL018553

Modeling El Niño and its tropical teleconnections during the last glacial-interglacial cycle

Bette L. Otto-Bliesner
, Esther C. Brady
, Sang Ik Shin
, Zhengyu Liu
, Christine Shields

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

95 Scopus citations

Abstract

Simulations with the NCAR Climate System Model (CSM), a global, coupled ocean-atmosphere-sea ice model, for the last glacial-interglacial cycle reproduce recent estimates, based on alkenones and Mg/Ca ratios, of sea surface temperature (SST) changes and gradients in the tropical Pacific and predict weaker El Niños/La Niñas compared to present for the Holocene and stronger El Niños/La Niñas for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Changes for the LGM (Holocene) are traced to a weakening (strengthening) of the tropical Pacific zonal SST gradient, wind stresses, and upwelling and a sharpening (weakening) of the tropical thermocline. Results suggest that proxy evidence of weaker precipitation variability in New Guinea and Ecuador are explained not only by changes in El Niño/La Niña but also changes in the atmospheric circulation and hydrologic cycle.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	CLM 4-1 - CLM 4-4
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	30
Issue number	23
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GL018553
State	Published - Dec 1 2003

Access to Document

10.1029/2003GL018553

Cite this

@article{258f71a9eb634306bf51083c825a5771,

title = "Modeling El Ni{\~n}o and its tropical teleconnections during the last glacial-interglacial cycle",

abstract = "Simulations with the NCAR Climate System Model (CSM), a global, coupled ocean-atmosphere-sea ice model, for the last glacial-interglacial cycle reproduce recent estimates, based on alkenones and Mg/Ca ratios, of sea surface temperature (SST) changes and gradients in the tropical Pacific and predict weaker El Ni{\~n}os/La Ni{\~n}as compared to present for the Holocene and stronger El Ni{\~n}os/La Ni{\~n}as for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Changes for the LGM (Holocene) are traced to a weakening (strengthening) of the tropical Pacific zonal SST gradient, wind stresses, and upwelling and a sharpening (weakening) of the tropical thermocline. Results suggest that proxy evidence of weaker precipitation variability in New Guinea and Ecuador are explained not only by changes in El Ni{\~n}o/La Ni{\~n}a but also changes in the atmospheric circulation and hydrologic cycle.",

author = "Otto-Bliesner, \{Bette L.\} and Brady, \{Esther C.\} and Shin, \{Sang Ik\} and Zhengyu Liu and Christine Shields",

year = "2003",

month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1029/2003GL018553",

language = "English",

volume = "30",

pages = "CLM 4--1 -- CLM 4--4",

journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

issn = "0094-8276",

publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Inc.",

number = "23",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Modeling El Niño and its tropical teleconnections during the last glacial-interglacial cycle

AU - Otto-Bliesner, Bette L.

AU - Brady, Esther C.

AU - Shin, Sang Ik

AU - Liu, Zhengyu

AU - Shields, Christine

PY - 2003/12/1

Y1 - 2003/12/1

N2 - Simulations with the NCAR Climate System Model (CSM), a global, coupled ocean-atmosphere-sea ice model, for the last glacial-interglacial cycle reproduce recent estimates, based on alkenones and Mg/Ca ratios, of sea surface temperature (SST) changes and gradients in the tropical Pacific and predict weaker El Niños/La Niñas compared to present for the Holocene and stronger El Niños/La Niñas for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Changes for the LGM (Holocene) are traced to a weakening (strengthening) of the tropical Pacific zonal SST gradient, wind stresses, and upwelling and a sharpening (weakening) of the tropical thermocline. Results suggest that proxy evidence of weaker precipitation variability in New Guinea and Ecuador are explained not only by changes in El Niño/La Niña but also changes in the atmospheric circulation and hydrologic cycle.

AB - Simulations with the NCAR Climate System Model (CSM), a global, coupled ocean-atmosphere-sea ice model, for the last glacial-interglacial cycle reproduce recent estimates, based on alkenones and Mg/Ca ratios, of sea surface temperature (SST) changes and gradients in the tropical Pacific and predict weaker El Niños/La Niñas compared to present for the Holocene and stronger El Niños/La Niñas for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Changes for the LGM (Holocene) are traced to a weakening (strengthening) of the tropical Pacific zonal SST gradient, wind stresses, and upwelling and a sharpening (weakening) of the tropical thermocline. Results suggest that proxy evidence of weaker precipitation variability in New Guinea and Ecuador are explained not only by changes in El Niño/La Niña but also changes in the atmospheric circulation and hydrologic cycle.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/1542755952

U2 - 10.1029/2003GL018553

DO - 10.1029/2003GL018553

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:1542755952

SN - 0094-8276

VL - 30

SP - CLM 4-1 - CLM 4-4

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 23

ER -

Modeling El Niño and its tropical teleconnections during the last glacial-interglacial cycle

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this