Simulation of the Middle Miocene Climate Optimum

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  • Y. You
    University of Sydney Institute of Marine Science University of Sydney New South Wales Australia
  • M. Huber
    Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana USA
  • R. D. Müller
    School of Geosciences University of Sydney New South Wales Australia
  • C. J. Poulsen
    Department of Geological Sciences University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan USA
  • J. Ribbe
    Department of Biological and Physical Sciences University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba, Queensland Australia

Description

<jats:p>Proxy data constraining land and ocean surface paleo‐temperatures indicate that the Middle Miocene Climate Optimum (MMCO), a global warming event at ∼15 Ma, had a global annual mean surface temperature of 18.4°C, about 3°C higher than present and equivalent to the warming predicted for the next century. We apply the latest National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model CAM3.1 and Land Model CLM3.0 coupled to a slab ocean to examine sensitivity of MMCO climate to varying ocean heat fluxes derived from paleo sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, using detailed reconstructions of Middle Miocene boundary conditions including paleogeography, elevation, vegetation and surface temperatures. Our model suggests that to maintain MMCO warmth consistent with proxy data, the required atmospheric CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> concentration is about 460–580 ppmv, narrowed from the most recent estimate of 300–600 ppmv.</jats:p>

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