2018/06/21 by Laurie Menviel, Paul Spence, Jimin Yu +4 · 1 citation
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research #Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s41467-018-04876-4
openalex publication_date 2018/06/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Abstract The early part of the last deglaciation is characterised by a ~40 ppm atmospheric CO 2 rise occurring in two abrupt phases. The underlying mechanisms driving these increases remain a subject of intense debate. Here, we successfully reproduce changes in CO 2 , δ 13 C and Δ 14 C as recorded by paleo-records during Heinrich stadial 1 (HS1). We show that HS1 CO 2 increase can be explained by enhanced Southern Ocean upwelling of carbon-rich Pacific deep and intermediate waters, resulting from intensified Southern Ocean convection and Southern Hemisphere (SH) westerlies. While enhanced Antarctic Bottom Water formation leads to a millennial CO 2 outgassing, intensified SH westerlies induce a multi-decadal atmospheric CO 2 rise. A strengthening of SH westerlies in a global eddy-permitting ocean model further supports a multi-decadal CO 2 outgassing from the Southern Ocean. Our results highlight the crucial role of SH westerlies in the global climate and carbon cycle system with important implications for future climate projections.