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Translating Milankovitch climate forcing into eustatic fluctuations via thermal deep water expansion: a conceptual link
Author(s) -
Schulz Michael,
SchäferNeth Christian
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3121.1997.tb00018.x
Subject(s) - milankovitch cycles , geology , forcing (mathematics) , climatology , climate change , orbital forcing , sea level , paleontology , glacier , oceanography , glacial period
Sedimentological evidence indicates metre‐scale, cyclic changes in global sea‐level during Mesozoic greenhouse climates; the cyclicity is thought to be due to Milankovitch forcing. The absence of continental ice‐caps requires other mechanisms than glacier build‐up to explain these variations. We propose that thermal expansion of the entire oceanic water column may partly explain the observed sea‐level variations on Milankovitch timescales. Using existing climate model results, we show that an increase in deep water temperature of ∼ 2°C and a corresponding sea‐level rise of 1.7 m by thermal expansion can be induced by Milankovitch forcing via increased formation of warm deep waters in low latitudes.