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This meeting will bring together observationalists and modelers to exchange their latest insights on proxies of SST and the efficacy of MARGO reconstructions, with a special focus on the LGM tropics. Our long-term goal is to facilitate an update of MARGO SSTs, with renewed attention on the use and combination of different proxies.
Background
Establishing SSTs for the LGM has long been a primary goal in paleoclimate research, with the CLIMAP efforts standing out as a landmark accomplishment. The development of new SST proxies in the 90’s and 00’s spurred the international community to reevaluate LGM SSTs. The publication of the MARGO SST reconstruction in 2009 represented the culmination of an international collaboration to update and improve LGM SST reconstructions. The MARGO reconstruction represents an important product for the modeling community because of the centrality of the LGM in paleo-modeling.
The MARGO SST reconstruction synthesizes both more traditional approaches (i.e., faunal transfer functions) and newer approaches (i.e., Mg/Ca and alkenone unsaturation). But because the MARGO data set for the tropics is still dominated by estimates based on transfer functions, the reconstructed SST changes might not be an optimal representation of the LGM SST field. The purpose of this workshop is to follow up on an initial meeting of COMPARE (Compare state-of-the-art numerical ocean models with marine paleo-archives) in Bremen, Germany (March 2012) in which most of the proposed participants met and discussed the limitations of the MARGO data set and how it can be improved.
Validation and updating of MARGO is particularly timely because so many new LGM estimates have been published in recent years using the newer approaches. In addition, SST estimates based on new proxies, such as TEX86, have yet to be integrated into MARGO. Furthermore, new modeling efforts are providing insights into proxy interpretation that previously have not been available. Discussions in Bremen between observationalists and modelers revealed many synergies that have the potential to lead to advances on both sides.
One of the major goals of the workshop will be to develop diagnosis strategies to evaluate the individual proxies. These might include either forward modeling with sensitivity tests or data assimilation, or a statistical strategy, with the goal of constraining the best answer for the LGM SST field. By co-locating the workshop with the PMIP modeling workshop, we will be able to leverage the interaction with modelers necessary to develop an optimal strategy.
More information
Please email: David Lea - leageol.ucsb.edu (lea[at]geol[dot]ucsb[dot]edu)