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The overarching goals of the Synthesis of Transient Climate Evolution of the last 21-kyr (SynTraCE-21) working group are: 1) to synthesize proxy climate records of the major features of global climate of the last 21 kyr, and 2) to compare these data to transient model simulations, principally 21-kyr transient simulations run using the CCSM3 model.
This SynTraCE-21 workshop is geared towards addressing the following specific questions:
1) What are the mechanisms of climate change early in the deglaciation? Most models of deglaciation propose a chain of warming originating in the northern high latitudes and becoming globally synchronized by greenhouse gases later in the termination. Yet proxy data suggest a far more complex set of signals including âearlyâ warming in both the southern high latitudes and tropics leading GHG forcing. What are the spatiotemporal patterns of warming early in the deglaciation, ca. 19 ka, and what are their mechanisms in the SynTraCE simulations?
2) What are the dominant spatial patterns and mechanisms of tropical hydrological variability? Proxy data indicate that tropical precipitation exhibits complex patterns during deglacial and Holocene times, including meridional and zonal anomalies. What is the role of orbital forcing, ice volume, and greenhouse gas concentrations in causing both meridional and zonal variations in tropical rainfall via the monsoons, the ITCZ, and the Walker Circulation?
3) What are the dominant feedbacks between the oceans and land surfaces to climate change during the deglaciation and Holocene? Many regions experienced abrupt, unforced climate changes during the Holocene due to feedbacks between climate, land surfaces, and sea surface temperature variations. North Africa is a prime example, but other examples include the central United States and possibly the Amazon basin. Can models reproduce these feedbacks?
Please contact the organizers if you are interested in participating.