HOLIVAR2006 Abstracts
Multi-millennial simulations of the climate of the Late Holocene.
S. J. Phipps1,2,3, J. L. Roberts1,2 and N. L. Bindoff1,2,3,4
1Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC, University of Tasmania, Australia
2Tasmanian Partnership for Advanced Computing, University of Tasmania, Australia
3Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies, University of Tasmania, Australia
4CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Australia
Contact: S. J. Phipps (sjphipps@utas.edu.au)
A low-resolution version of the CSIRO coupled general circulation model has been developed, which is suitable for studying climate variability and change on multi-millennial time scales. The model is computationally efficient, and portable across a wide range of computer architectures.
Simulations are conducted in accordance with PMIP2 experimental design. The control climate exhibits a very high degree of stability, and the dominant mode of internal variability corresponds to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation. However, the simulated El Nino is weaker, and has a longer return period, than the observed phenomenon.
An equilibrium simulation of the Mid-Holocene climate exhibits temperature and precipitation anomalies which are in good agreement with those simulated by other models. Relative to the control simulation, El Nino is weaker and has a longer return period.
Preliminary results are also presented for transient simulations of the climate of the Late Holocene, from 6 kyr BP to the present day. The technique of Lorenz and Lohmann (2004) is employed, in which the rate of change in the Earth's orbital parameters is accelerated.
Lorenz, S.J., Lohmann, G., 2004. Acceleration technique for Milankovitch type forcing in a coupled atmosphere-ocean circulation model: method and application for the Holocene. Climate Dynamics, 23(7-8), 727-743.
Steven Phipps recently completed a PhD at the University of Tasmania, and currently works as an Earth Systems Scientist at the Tasmanian Partnership for Advanced Computing. His research interests include climate system modelling, and climate variability and change on millennial timescales.