Abstract
STABLE isotope measurements in deep-sea sediment cores have indi-cated that the Atlantic thermohaline circulation experienced sig-nificant changes during the last glacial maximum: the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) was shallower than today and the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) penetrated much farther north1–6. Numerical ocean models have, so far, been unable to simulate these circulation changes realistically7. Here we show that a zonally averaged, three-basin ocean model, driven by glacial boundary conditions8–10, reproduces the main trends of the geo-chemically constrained glacial Atlantic circulation. In addition, we provide quantitative estimates of the meridional water transport during glacial times. Our results suggest that the glacial production of AABW was slightly higher than at present, whereas that of NADW was reduced by ∼40%, resulting in an intermediate circulation cell which closed within the Atlantic basin. We also show that the strength of the Atlantic conveyor belt strongly depends on the surface density contrast between the high latitudes of the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
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Fichefet, T., Hovine, S. & Duplessy, JC. A model study of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation during the last glacial maximum. Nature 372, 252–255 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/372252a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/372252a0
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