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Title: Anomalous mid-twentieth century atmospheric circulation change over the South Atlantic compared to the last 6000 years

Journal Article · · Environmental Research Letters
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [1];  [7];  [8];  [1];  [1];  [9];  [10];  [11]
  1. Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia). Climate Change Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
  2. Exeter Univ., Devon (United Kingdom). Dept. of Geography
  3. Univ. of East Anglia, Norwich (United Kingdom). Climatic Research Unit, School of Environmental Sciences
  4. Univ. of East Anglia, Norwich (United Kingdom). Climatic Research Unit, School of Environmental Sciences; King Abdulaziz Univ., Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). Center of Excellence for Climate Change Research, Dept. of Meteorology
  5. Univ. of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia). Climate Change Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences; Extent Heritage, Waterloo (Australia)
  6. Univ. of Waikato, Hamilton (New Zealand). Waikato Radiocarbon Laboratory
  7. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States). Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences; NOAA, Boulder, CO (United States). Physical Sciences Division, Earth System Research Laboratory
  8. ERT, Inc., Asheville, NC (United States)
  9. British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, (United Kingdom)
  10. Met Office Hadley Centre, Exeter (United Kingdom)
  11. Kiel and Kiel Univ., Kiel (Germany). GEOMARHelmholtz Centre for Ocean Research
+ Show Author Affiliations

Determining the timing and impact of anthropogenic climate change in data-sparse regions is a considerable challenge. Arguably, nowhere is this more difficult than the Antarctic Peninsula and the subantarctic South Atlantic where observational records are relatively short but where high rates of warming have been experienced since records began. Here we interrogate recently developed monthly-resolved observational datasets from the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, and extend the records back using climate-sensitive peat growth over the past 6000 years. Investigating the subantarctic climate data with ERA-Interim and Twentieth Century Reanalysis, we find that a stepped increase in precipitation across the 1940s is related to a change in synoptic atmospheric circulation: a westward migration of quasi-permanent positive pressure anomalies in the South Atlantic has brought the subantarctic islands under the increased influence of meridional airflow associated with the Amundsen Sea Low. Analysis of three comprehensively multi-dated (using 14C and 137Cs) peat sequences across the two islands demonstrates unprecedented growth rates since the mid-twentieth century relative to the last 6000 years. Comparison to observational and reconstructed sea surface temperatures suggests this change is linked to a warming tropical Pacific Ocean. Lastly, our results imply 'modern' South Atlantic atmospheric circulation has not been under this configuration for millennia.

Research Organization:
Univ. of California (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1287270
Journal Information:
Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 11, Issue 6; ISSN 1748-9326
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 17 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (10)

Investigating Subantarctic 14 C Ages of Different Peat Components: Site and Sample Selection for Developing Robust Age Models in Dynamic Landscapes journal June 2019
Global Peak in Atmospheric Radiocarbon Provides a Potential Definition for the Onset of the Anthropocene Epoch in 1965 journal February 2018
An insect invasion of Antarctica: the past, present and future distribution of Eretmoptera murphyi (Diptera, Chironomidae) on Signy Island journal August 2019
Tropical forcing of increased Southern Ocean climate variability revealed by a 140-year subantarctic temperature reconstruction journal January 2017
Evidence for increased expression of the Amundsen Sea Low over the South Atlantic during the late Holocene journal January 2018
Pleistocene glacial history of the New Zealand subantarctic islands journal January 2019
Tropical forcing of increased Southern Ocean climate variability revealed by a 140-year subantarctic temperature reconstruction journal November 2016
Pleistocene glacial history of the New Zealand subantarctic islands posted_content May 2018
Evidence for increased expression of the Amundsen Sea Low over the South Atlantic during the late Holocene journal March 2018
Not so free range? Oviposition microhabitat and egg clustering affects Eretmoptera murphyi (Diptera: Chironomidae) reproductive success journal October 2018

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
southern annular mode (SAM)
Southern Hemisphere westerlies
subantarctic climate extremes
temperature
climate reanalysis
anthropogenic climate change
El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
hemisphere westerly winds
climate-change
annular mode
sea-ice
antarctic peninsula
holocene climate
carbon accumulation
regional climate
slowing-down
trends