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Enhanced Atlantic sea-level rise relative to the Pacific under high carbon emission rates

Nature Geoscience volume 9, pages 210–214 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Thermal expansion of the ocean in response to warming is an important component of historical sea-level rise1. Observational studies show that the Atlantic and Southern oceans are warming faster than the Pacific Ocean2,3,4,5. Here we present simulations using a numerical atmospheric-ocean general circulation model with an interactive carbon cycle to evaluate the impact of carbon emission rates, ranging from 2 to 25 GtC yr−1, on basin-scale ocean heat uptake and sea level. For simulations with emission rates greater than 5 GtC yr−1, sea-level rise is larger in the Atlantic than Pacific Ocean on centennial timescales. This basin-scale asymmetry is related to the shorter flushing timescales and weakening of the overturning circulation in the Atlantic. These factors lead to warmer Atlantic interior waters and greater thermal expansion. In contrast, low emission rates of 2 and 3 GtC yr−1 will cause relatively larger sea-level rise in the Pacific on millennial timescales. For a given level of cumulative emissions, sea-level rise is largest at low emission rates. We conclude that Atlantic coastal areas may be particularly vulnerable to near-future sea-level rise from present-day high greenhouse gas emission rates.

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Figure 1: Ensemble mean Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) averaged over model years 181–200.
Figure 2: Atlantic minus Pacific differences in basin-average volume mean ocean temperature and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration.
Figure 3: Basin area-average differences in SLR as a function of emission rate.
Figure 4: Spatial patterns of SLR under varying emission rates.

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Acknowledgements

We thank A. Adcroft and K. Dixon for their comments and feedback on this study. We also thank C. Raphael for assistance in preparing the figures for this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NOAA/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA

    J. P. Krasting, J. P. Dunne, R. J. Stouffer & R. W. Hallberg

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  1. J. P. Krasting
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  2. J. P. Dunne
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  3. R. J. Stouffer
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  4. R. W. Hallberg
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Contributions

J.P.K. designed the study and conducted the experiments. J.P.K. and J.P.D. performed the analysis of the results. All authors contributed to the interpretation of the results and assisted in writing the manuscript.

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Correspondence to J. P. Krasting.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Krasting, J., Dunne, J., Stouffer, R. et al. Enhanced Atlantic sea-level rise relative to the Pacific under high carbon emission rates. Nature Geosci 9, 210–214 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2641

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