Effect of wind changes during the Last Glacial Maximum on the circulation in the Southern Ocean

Present‐day surface wind stress climatology is manipulated to simulate wind conditions during the last glacial maximum. These estimated wind fields force a one‐layer, wind‐driven numerical model of the southern ocean to determine if a change in the strength of the surface wind stress can shift the location of the Antarctic Polar Front, which is part of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. A change in the forcing by a factor of 0.5–2.0 results in a change in the speed of the flow by an identical factor with no change in position. However, if the present‐day wind climatology is shifted meridionally, there is a change in both strength of the circulation and spatial pattern. A shift of the wind stress of more than 5° of latitude is required to produce a shift in the location of the polar front.