Abstract
TEMPERATURE records from Greenland ice cores1,2 suggest that large and abrupt changes of North Atlantic climate occurred frequently during both glacial and postglacial periods; one example is the Younger Dryas cold event. Broecker3 speculated that these changes result from rapid changes in the thermohaline circulation of the Atlantic Ocean, which were caused by the release of large amounts of melt water from continental ice sheets. Here we describe an attempt to explore this intriguing phenomenon using a coupled ocean–atmosphere model. In response to a massive surface flux of fresh water to the northern North Atlantic of the model, the thermohaline circulation weakens abruptly, intensifies and weakens again, followed by a gradual recovery, generating episodes that resemble the abrupt changes of the ocean–atmosphere system recorded in ice and deep-sea cores4. The associated change of surface air temperature is particularly large in the northern North Atlantic Ocean and its neighbourhood, but is relatively small in the rest of the world.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dansgaard, W. et al. Science 218, 1273–1277 (1982).
Johnsen, S. J. et al. Nature 359, 311–313 (1992).
Broecker, W. S. Paleoceanography 5, 459–467 (1990).
Keigwin, L. D. & Jones, G. A. J. geophys. Res. 99, 12397–12410 (1994).
Stouffer, R. J., Manabe, S. & Bryan, K. Nature 342, 660–662 (1989).
Manabe, S., Stouffer, R. J., Spelman, M. J. & Bryan, K. J. Clim. 4, 785–818 (1991).
Stouffer, R. J., Manabe, S. & Vinnikov, K. Ya. Nature 367, 634–636 (1994).
Marotzke, J. & Stone, P. J. phys. Oceanogr. 25, 1350–1364 (1995).
Fairbanks, R. G. Nature 342, 637–642 (1989).
Delworth, T., Manabe, S. & Stouffer, R. J. J. Clim. 6, 1993–2011 (1993).
Boyle, E. A. & Rosener, P. Paleogeogr. Paleoclimatol. Paleoecol. 89, 113–124 (1990).
Bond, G. et al. Nature 365, 143–147 (1993).
Keigwin, L. D. & Lehman, S. Paleoceanography 9, 185–194 (1994).
Manabe, S. & Stouffer, R. J. J. Clim. 1, 841–866 (1988).
Boyle, E. A. & Keigwin, L. Nature 330, 35–40 (1987).
Stocker, T. F., Wright, D. G. & Mysak, L. A. J. Clim. 5, 773–797 (1992).
Rahmstorf, S. Nature 372, 82–85 (1994).
Manabe, S. & Stouffer, R. J. Nature 364, 215–218 (1993).
Manabe, S. & Stouffer, R. J. Clim. 7, 5–23 (1994).
Wright, D. G. & Stocker, T. F. J. phys. Oceanogr. 21, 1713–1724 (1991).
Rahnstorf, S. Nature 378, 145–149 (1995).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Manabe, S., Stouffer, R. Simulation of abrupt climate change induced by freshwater input to the North Atlantic Ocean. Nature 378, 165–167 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/378165a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/378165a0
This article is cited by
-
Into the Holocene, anatomy of the Younger Dryas cold reversal and preboreal oscillation
Scientific Reports (2024)
-
Hydrological cycle amplification reshapes warming-driven oxygen loss in the Atlantic Ocean
Nature Climate Change (2024)
-
The weakening AMOC under extreme climate change
Climate Dynamics (2024)
-
Interbasin and interhemispheric impacts of a collapsed Atlantic Overturning Circulation
Nature Climate Change (2022)
-
Multi-decadal changes in the South China Sea mixed layer salinity
Climate Dynamics (2021)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
