Abstract
Paleoclimatic data are increasingly showing that abrupt change is present in wide regions of the globe. Here a mechanism for abrupt climate change with global implications is presented. Results from a tropical coupled ocean-atmosphere model show that, under certain orbital configurations of the past. Variability associated with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) physics can abruptly lock to the seasonal cycle for several centuries, producing a mean sea surface temperature (SST) change in the tropical Pacific that resembles a La Niña. It is suggested that this change in SST would have a global impact and that abrupt events such as the Younger Dryas may be the outcome of orbitally driven changes in the tropical Pacific.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2369-2375 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Climate |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 1 2001 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atmospheric Science