Glacial state of the global carbon cycle: time-slice simulations for the last glacial maximum with an Earth-system model



Kurahashi-Nakamura, Takasumi, Paul, André ORCID: 0000-0003-1961-139X, Merkel, Ute ORCID: 0000-0001-9851-0575 and Schulz, Michael ORCID: 0000-0001-6500-2697
(2022) Glacial state of the global carbon cycle: time-slice simulations for the last glacial maximum with an Earth-system model. Climate of the Past, 18 (9). pp. 1997-2019.

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Abstract

<jats:p>Abstract. Three time-slice carbon cycle simulations for the last glacial maximum (LGM) constrained by the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and the increase in the mean concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon in the deep ocean were carried out with a fully coupled comprehensive climate model (the Community Earth System Model version 1.2). The three modelled LGM ocean states yielded different physical features in response to artificial freshwater forcing, and, depending on the physical states, suitable amounts of carbon and alkalinity were added to the ocean to satisfy constraints from paleo-data. In all the simulations, the amount of carbon added was in line with the inferred transfers of carbon among various reservoirs during the evolution from the LGM to the pre-industrial (PI) period, suggesting that the simulated glacial ocean states are compatible with the PI one in terms of the carbon budget. The increase in total alkalinity required to simulate ocean states that were deemed appropriate for the LGM was in broad quantitative accord with the scenario of post-glacial shallow water deposition of calcium carbonate, although a more precise assessment would demand further studies of various processes such as the land chemical weathering and deep-sea burial of calcium carbonates, which have affected the alkalinity budget throughout history since the LGM. On the other hand, comparisons between the simulated distributions of paleoceanographic tracers and corresponding reconstructions clearly highlighted the different water-mass geometries and favoured a shallower Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) for the LGM as compared to PI. </jats:p>

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 14 Life Below Water
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences > School of Medicine
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 09 Feb 2023 10:09
Last Modified: 17 Mar 2024 15:35
DOI: 10.5194/cp-18-1997-2022
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1997-2022
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3168301