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Sea surface temperature anomalies in the oceans at the LGM estimated from the alkenone‐ U 37 K′ index: comparison with GCMs
Author(s) -
RosellMelé Antoni,
Bard Edouard,
Emeis KayChristian,
Grieger Bjoern,
Hewitt Chris,
Müller Peter J.,
Schneider Ralph R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2003gl018151
Subject(s) - sea surface temperature , climatology , last glacial maximum , alkenone , geology , glacial period , northern hemisphere , proxy (statistics) , oceanography , geomorphology , machine learning , computer science
U 37 K′ sea surface temperature (SST) estimates for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) are discussed and compared to coupled general circulation model (GCM) results. We conclude that U 37 K′ estimates and most numerical models agree in the magnitude of the large scale SST cooling features of the glacial ocean. There was a larger cooling in the northern than in the Southern Hemisphere. The eastern boundary currents and equatorial regions were also colder. There is a consensus between models and alkenone data for a tropical cooling of about −2°C, which is in disagreement with both a smaller cooling as suggested by the CLIMAP project reconstruction, or a more pronounced cooling as suggested from coral proxy records. The comprehensive HadCM3 simulation examined reproduces a puzzling feature of the U 37 K′ ‐SST reconstruction, i.e., the warming of the glacial north Atlantic, which needs further investigation using numerical modelling and proxy data reconstruction.