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Modelling the response of stable water isotopes in Greenland precipitation to orbital configurations of the previous interglacial

Sjolte, Jesper LU orcid ; Hoffmann, Georg and Johnsen, Sigfus Johann (2014) In Tellus. Series B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology 66.
Abstract
The relation between delta O-18 of precipitation and temperature has been used in numerous studies to reconstruct past temperatures at ice core sites in Greenland and Antarctica. During the past two decades, it has become clear that the slope between delta O-18 and temperature varies in both space and time. Here, we use a general circulation model driven by changes in orbital parameters to investigate the Greenland delta O-18-temperature relation for the previous interglacial, the Eemian. In our analysis, we focus on changes in the moisture source regions, and the results underline the importance of taking the seasonality of climate change into account. The orbitally driven experiments show that continental evaporation over North America... (More)
The relation between delta O-18 of precipitation and temperature has been used in numerous studies to reconstruct past temperatures at ice core sites in Greenland and Antarctica. During the past two decades, it has become clear that the slope between delta O-18 and temperature varies in both space and time. Here, we use a general circulation model driven by changes in orbital parameters to investigate the Greenland delta O-18-temperature relation for the previous interglacial, the Eemian. In our analysis, we focus on changes in the moisture source regions, and the results underline the importance of taking the seasonality of climate change into account. The orbitally driven experiments show that continental evaporation over North America increases during summer in the warm parts of the Eemian, while marine evaporation decreases. This likely flattens the Greenland delta O-18 response to temperature during summer. Since the main climate change in the experiments occurs during summer this adds to a limited response of delta O-18, which is more strongly tied to temperature during winter than during summer. A south-west to north-east gradient in the delta O-18-temperature slope is also evident for Greenland, with low slopes in the south-west and steeper slopes in the north-east. This probably reflects the proportion of continental moisture and Arctic moisture arriving in Greenland, with more continental moisture in the south-west and less in the north-east, and vice versa for the Arctic moisture. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
stable water isotopes, modelling, moisture source, seasonality, previous, interglacial
in
Tellus. Series B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology
volume
66
article number
22872
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • wos:000341768000001
  • scopus:84930958746
ISSN
0280-6509
DOI
10.3402/tellusb.v66.22872
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
338a9b1c-47aa-42d5-9452-a44f94d21682 (old id 4713031)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:23:31
date last changed
2022-01-28 00:24:10
@article{338a9b1c-47aa-42d5-9452-a44f94d21682,
  abstract     = {{The relation between delta O-18 of precipitation and temperature has been used in numerous studies to reconstruct past temperatures at ice core sites in Greenland and Antarctica. During the past two decades, it has become clear that the slope between delta O-18 and temperature varies in both space and time. Here, we use a general circulation model driven by changes in orbital parameters to investigate the Greenland delta O-18-temperature relation for the previous interglacial, the Eemian. In our analysis, we focus on changes in the moisture source regions, and the results underline the importance of taking the seasonality of climate change into account. The orbitally driven experiments show that continental evaporation over North America increases during summer in the warm parts of the Eemian, while marine evaporation decreases. This likely flattens the Greenland delta O-18 response to temperature during summer. Since the main climate change in the experiments occurs during summer this adds to a limited response of delta O-18, which is more strongly tied to temperature during winter than during summer. A south-west to north-east gradient in the delta O-18-temperature slope is also evident for Greenland, with low slopes in the south-west and steeper slopes in the north-east. This probably reflects the proportion of continental moisture and Arctic moisture arriving in Greenland, with more continental moisture in the south-west and less in the north-east, and vice versa for the Arctic moisture.}},
  author       = {{Sjolte, Jesper and Hoffmann, Georg and Johnsen, Sigfus Johann}},
  issn         = {{0280-6509}},
  keywords     = {{stable water isotopes; modelling; moisture source; seasonality; previous; interglacial}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Tellus. Series B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology}},
  title        = {{Modelling the response of stable water isotopes in Greenland precipitation to orbital configurations of the previous interglacial}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v66.22872}},
  doi          = {{10.3402/tellusb.v66.22872}},
  volume       = {{66}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}