Dr Karen Kohfeld
Simon Fraser University
Date/Time: Friday 27th April, 15:30 – 16:30
Venue: IMAS Sandy Bay seminar room
Abstract:
Several physical mechanisms have been proposed to explain glacial-interglacial fluctuations in atmospheric CO2, and many involve enhanced stratification and/or isolation of the deep ocean. One influential hypothesis requires a large equatorward displacement of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds, an idea indirectly supported by palaeo-observational studies. Here, detailed analysis of multi-model climate simulations alongside a comprehensive database of moisture observations shows that palaeo-observations can also be interpreted more directly as changes in moisture which do not depend on the position of the westerly winds. This study suggests that latitudinal changes in westerly winds may have been too small to directly account for enhanced glacial ocean carbon storage.