24 MARCH 2006 | Bette L. Otto-Bliesner,1*, Shawn J. Marshall,2 Jonathan T. Overpeck,3 Gifford H. Miller,4 Aixue Hu,1 CAPE Last Interglacial Project members
The study simulates the Arctic climate and icefield retreat during the Last Interglacial Period (LIG, ~130,000 to 116,000 years ago) using a global climate model and an ice-sheet model. The simulations, driven by large insolation anomalies, show significant warming in the Arctic, with an average increase of 2.4°C in the Northern Hemisphere. The Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) and other Arctic icefields likely contributed 2.2 to 3.4 meters to the sea-level rise during the LIG. The model captures key aspects of the Arctic response to anomalous forcing, including the retreat of icefields and the amplification of mass balance perturbations. The results confirm that the NCAR Community Climate System Model (CCSM) can simulate the observed Arctic warming and sea-ice retreat, providing valuable insights into the sensitivity of the Arctic climate system to anomalous forcing.The study simulates the Arctic climate and icefield retreat during the Last Interglacial Period (LIG, ~130,000 to 116,000 years ago) using a global climate model and an ice-sheet model. The simulations, driven by large insolation anomalies, show significant warming in the Arctic, with an average increase of 2.4°C in the Northern Hemisphere. The Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) and other Arctic icefields likely contributed 2.2 to 3.4 meters to the sea-level rise during the LIG. The model captures key aspects of the Arctic response to anomalous forcing, including the retreat of icefields and the amplification of mass balance perturbations. The results confirm that the NCAR Community Climate System Model (CCSM) can simulate the observed Arctic warming and sea-ice retreat, providing valuable insights into the sensitivity of the Arctic climate system to anomalous forcing.