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Ocean response to volcanic eruptions in C oupled M odel I ntercomparison P roject 5 simulations
Author(s) -
Ding Yanni,
Carton James A.,
Chepurin Gennady A.,
Stenchikov Georgiy,
Robock Alan,
Sentman Lori T.,
Krasting John P.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1002/2013jc009780
Subject(s) - volcano , geology , climatology , sea surface temperature , coupled model intercomparison project , oceanography , atmospheric sciences , southern hemisphere , general circulation model , climate change , seismology
We examine the oceanic impact of large tropical volcanic eruptions as they appear in ensembles of historical simulations from eight Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 models. These models show a response that includes lowering of global average sea surface temperature by 0.1–0.3 K, comparable to the observations. They show enhancement of Arctic ice cover in the years following major volcanic eruptions, with long‐lived temperature anomalies extending to the middepth and deep ocean on decadal to centennial timescales. Regional ocean responses vary, although there is some consistent hemispheric asymmetry associated with the hemisphere in which the eruption occurs. Temperature decreases and salinity increases contribute to an increase in the density of surface water and an enhancement in the overturning circulation of the North Atlantic Ocean following these eruptions. The strength of this overturning increase varies considerably from model to model and is correlated with the background variability of overturning in each model. Any cause/effect relationship between eruptions and the phase of El Niño is weak.