Publication Abstracts

O'Connell et al. 1996

O'Connell, S., M.A. Chandler, and R. Ruedy, 1996: Implications for the creation of warm saline deep water: Late Paleocene reconstructions and global climte model simulations. Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull., 100, 270-284.

A global warming trend began during the late Paleocene which culminated during the early Eocene in the warmest global temperatures of the Cenozoic. We have reconstructed late Paleocene surficial boundary conditions and modeled atmospheric conditions using the GISS GCM II. These experiments were conducted to: 1) understand atmospheric circulation near the beginning of a period of global warming and 2) assess the possibility of creating oceanic warm saline deep water (WSDW). The warming is largely a surface phenomena attributed primarily to increased sea surface temperatures (SSTs). The sensitivity of the climate to ocean temperature was tested using two SST distributions, each constrained by oxygen isotope values, but with different east-west gradients. The simulations discussed here contain several features unique among warm climate experiments. The first experiment (P-1) used latitudinally constant (zonal) sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and the other (P-A) with modern east-west SST gradients superimposed. The east-west gradients in the SST field exert a strong influence on the general atmospheric circulation. The zonally distributed SSTs strengthen the general circulation of the atmosphere, in particular Hadley Cell circulation is intensified leading to extremes of precipitation in the equatorial region and extreme evaporation across subtropical oceans. Under extreme zonal conditions, it is possible to create evaporation in excess of precipitation of as much as 3 mm/day. When this occurs in restricted areas, such as the late Paleocene eastern Tethys Ocean and parts of the South Atlantic Ocean, it should be possible to create very saline water which could become a component in warm saline deep water (WSDW).

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BibTeX Citation

@article{oc01000b,
  author={O'Connell, S. and Chandler, M. A. and Ruedy, R.},
  title={Implications for the creation of warm saline deep water: Late Paleocene reconstructions and global climte model simulations},
  year={1996},
  journal={Geological Society of America Bulletin},
  volume={100},
  pages={270--284},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - oc01000b
AU  - O'Connell, S.
AU  - Chandler, M. A.
AU  - Ruedy, R.
PY  - 1996
TI  - Implications for the creation of warm saline deep water: Late Paleocene reconstructions and global climte model simulations
JA  - Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull.
JO  - Geological Society of America Bulletin
VL  - 100
SP  - 270
EP  - 284
ER  -

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