Result of PMIP Working Group in coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations for 6 ka BP
by
Pascale Braconnot
LSCE, UMR 1572, Orme des Merisiers, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Coauthors: S. Harrison (Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany), C.D. Hewitt (Hadley center, UK), A. Kitoh (MRI, Japan), J. Kutzbach (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA), Zhengyu Liu (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA), B. Otto-Bliesner (NCAR, USA), J. Syktus (CSIRO, Australia), N. Weber (KNMI, The Netherlands)

The "Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project" has spurred several sensitivity experiments as well as coupled experiments for the mid-Holocene (6ka BP). Several coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations are now available for this time period. All these experiments were designed to test the sensitivity of the ocean-atmosphere system to the orbital forcing alone. The CO2 level prescribed for the 6ka simulation is the same as in the control simulation. The aims of the PMIP working group on coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations are to document:

• the robust differences between coupled and atmosphere only simulations
• how the changes in the ocean circulation impact on the seasonal cycle and the monsoon response to the 6 ka BP insolation
• how these simulations compares with data in various regions, such as Africa, Europe and in high northern latitudes, following the methodology developed for PMIP.
• and for some of the models, the changes in interannual to decadal variability.

Results of these analyses along the PEPIII section will be presented in the poster. They will serve as a basis to extend PMIP activities with respect to coupled simulations and design a common 6ka coupled ocean-atmosphere-vegetation experiment for future investigation.

Date received: April 27, 2001

Copyright © 2001 by the author(s). The author(s) of this document and the organizers of the conference have granted their consent to include this abstract in Atlas Conferences Inc. Document # cahi-23.