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| Open AccessThermodynamic controls of the Atlantic Niño
The nature of the El Niño-like variability in the Atlantic Ocean and its limited predictability remain unresolved. Here, via multi-model numerical experiments, the authors show that much of the variability can be explained by the interaction of stochastic atmospheric fluctuations with the ocean mixed layer.
- Hyacinth C. Nnamchi
- , Jianping Li
- & Riccardo Farneti
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Article
| Open AccessCombined effects of recent Pacific cooling and Indian Ocean warming on the Asian monsoon
Unique cooling in the tropical Pacific and warming in the Indian Ocean over the past 15 years is postulated to have an effect on Asian rainfall. Here, based on a numerical modelling experiment, the authors investigate this relationship and provide insight into the atmospheric dynamics at play.
- Hiroaki Ueda
- , Youichi Kamae
- & Atsuki Kumai
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Article
| Open AccessSea-level feedback lowers projections of future Antarctic Ice-Sheet mass loss
The retreat of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its potential contribution to future sea-level rise, is a major focus of climate research. Here, the authors show that positive feedbacks involving bedrock uplift and sea surface drop, may significantly impact the timing and extent of local ice-sheet retreat.
- Natalya Gomez
- , David Pollard
- & David Holland
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| Open AccessEarly Pliocene onset of modern Nordic Seas circulation related to ocean gateway changes
The cause and timing of early Pliocene cooling in the Nordic Seas remains uncertain. Here, the authors present palynological data from the Norwegian and Iceland Seas that demonstrate regional cooling and the development of modern surface circulation around 4.5 Ma, likely related to Bering Strait gateway changes.
- Stijn De Schepper
- , Michael Schreck
- & Gunn Mangerud
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Sources of heterogeneous variability and trends in Antarctic sea-ice
In contrast to the significant retreat of Arctic sea-ice, Antarctic sea-ice has exhibited a modest expansion in recent decades. Here, the authors employ model simulations to investigate the drivers of this unexpected trend.
- Richard J. Matear
- , Terence J. O’Kane
- & Matt Chamberlain
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Article
| Open AccessCalving rates at tidewater glaciers vary strongly with ocean temperature
Tidewater glacier calving is assumed to be dependent on ice dynamics, but direct evidence is lacking. Here, Luckman et al. use satellite data to derive frontal ablation rates for dynamically contrasting Svalbard glaciers, and show that frontal ablation rate varies primarily with sub-surface ocean temperature.
- Adrian Luckman
- , Douglas I. Benn
- & Mark Inall
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| Open AccessThe seasonal sea-ice zone in the glacial Southern Ocean as a carbon sink
Lower glacial atmospheric CO2has been linked to enhanced carbon storage in the Southern Ocean, yet the associated biological and physical mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, the authors combine diatom and radiolarian isotope measurements, and model simulations to investigate surface–subsurface processes.
- Andrea Abelmann
- , Rainer Gersonde
- & Ralf Tiedemann
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| Open AccessDestructive tsunami-like wave generated by surf beat over a coral reef during Typhoon Haiyan
The failure of a broad fringing coral reef to protect the village of Hemani from a tsunami-like wave during Typhoon Haiyan came as a destructive surprise. Here, the authors present results from a phase-resolving wave model and show that the steep reef face facilitated the release of energetic infragravity waves.
- Volker Roeber
- & Jeremy D. Bricker
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Article
| Open AccessIncreased reservoir ages and poorly ventilated deep waters inferred in the glacial Eastern Equatorial Pacific
Accurate deep Pacific Ocean ventilation ages are hindered by poor surface reservoir age reconstructions. Here, the authors generate new ventilation ages for the deep waters of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific, which indicate reduced air-sea gas exchange during the last glacial.
- Maria de la Fuente
- , Luke Skinner
- & Isabel Cacho
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| Open AccessPliocene cooling enhanced by flow of low-salinity Bering Sea water to the Arctic Ocean
Late Pliocene cooling led to the glaciation of the Northern Hemisphere, yet its trigger remains unclear. Here, the authors present neodymium and lead isotope records from the Bering Sea, and propose that the introduction of low-salinity water into the Arctic Ocean preconditioned Pliocene cooling.
- Keiji Horikawa
- , Ellen E. Martin
- & Kimitaka Kawamura
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Drying of Indian subcontinent by rapid Indian Ocean warming and a weakening land-sea thermal gradient
The response of the South Asian summer monsoon to climate change remains uncertain. Here, the authors combine observational datasets and model simulations and show that a warming Indian Ocean and weakened land-sea thermal gradient lead to significant rainfall weakening over the central Indian subcontinent.
- Mathew Koll Roxy
- , Kapoor Ritika
- & B. N. Goswami
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Article
| Open AccessSeasonality in submesoscale turbulence
Recent numerical simulations suggest that the fronts that develop along the rims of ocean eddies are stronger in winter than in summer. Here, the authors present observational confirmation, which informs how these frontal flows are formed.
- Jörn Callies
- , Raffaele Ferrari
- & Jonathan Gula
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An extreme event of sea-level rise along the Northeast coast of North America in 2009–2010
Extreme sea level rises are a threat to coastal communities, but their cause, in terms of seasonal or interannual time scales, has received little attention. Here, the authors combine observational and model data to show that one such rise in 2009–10 was caused by a 30% downturn in the Atlantic overturning circulation.
- Paul B. Goddard
- , Jianjun Yin
- & Shaoqing Zhang
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231Pa/230Th evidence for a weakened but persistent Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during Heinrich Stadial 1
Marine sedimentary 231Pa/230Th ratios are considered a promising tool for the investigation of past modes of ocean circulation. Here, the authors present a compilation of new and existing Atlantic sedimentary 231Pa/230Th ratios and interpret these data in the context of abrupt cooling during Heinrich Stadial 1.
- Louisa I. Bradtmiller
- , Jerry F. McManus
- & Laura F. Robinson
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| Open AccessImpact of oceanic-scale interactions on the seasonal modulation of ocean dynamics by the atmosphere
Oceanic mesoscale eddies are thought to derive from internal ocean instability. Here, the authors present a high-resolution simulation of the North Pacific Ocean and show that mesoscale eddies are instead sustained by small-scale mixed-layer instabilities triggered by atmospheric forcing in winter.
- Hideharu Sasaki
- , Patrice Klein
- & Yoshikazu Sasai
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The emergence of modern sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean
Reconstructing past sea ice coverage in the Arctic is important for future climate predictions. Here, the authors present a new sea ice record from the Eurasian sector of the Arctic Ocean and report that Arctic sea ice reached its modern winter maximum for the first time 2.6 million years ago.
- Jochen Knies
- , Patricia Cabedo-Sanz
- & Antoni Rosell-Melé
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Sea-level variability over five glacial cycles
Detailed sea-level records beyond ~150,000 years ago are limited. Here, the authors present a radiometrically constrained sea-level record from the Red Sea, spanning five glacial cycles and examine sea-level rise rates and the effects of past global ice-volume changes on monsoon intensity.
- K. M. Grant
- , E. J. Rohling
- & F. Williams
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| Open AccessIntensification of the meridional temperature gradient in the Great Barrier Reef following the Last Glacial Maximum
The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is under threat from rising ocean temperatures, yet its response to past temperature change is poorly known. Felis et al. show that the GBR experienced a much steeper temperature gradient during the last deglaciation, suggesting it may be more resilient than previously thought.
- Thomas Felis
- , Helen V. McGregor
- & Jody M. Webster
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| Open AccessEvidence for global cooling in the Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous experienced significant cooling, yet a lack of low-latitude records mean the regional extent of this cooling is poorly constrained. Linnert et al. present a TEX86sea surface temperature record from a palaeolatitude of ~35 °N and show that Late Cretaceous cooling was global in nature.
- Christian Linnert
- , Stuart A. Robinson
- & Ernest E. Russell
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| Open AccessEnhanced role of eddies in the Arctic marine biological pump
Arctic sea ice has been in rapid decline in recent decades, yet the impact on biogeochemical cycling is unknown due to insufficient sampling. Watanabe et al.combine year-long mooring observations with numerical models to show that an eddy-induced biological pump would be enhanced by sea ice retreat.
- Eiji Watanabe
- , Jonaotaro Onodera
- & Michio J. Kishi
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| Open AccessSiple Dome ice reveals two modes of millennial CO2 change during the last ice age
Whether all rapid climate events during the last ice age impacted the global carbon cycle is not clearly understood. Ahn and Brook present a high-resolution record of atmospheric CO2 from Antarctica and suggest that only Greenland stadials associated with massive iceberg discharge influenced atmospheric CO2.
- Jinho Ahn
- & Edward J. Brook
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| Open AccessOn the fate of pumice rafts formed during the 2012 Havre submarine eruption
Pumice rafts result from volcanic eruptions into and onto water, and can be extensive and potentially hazardous, but tracking their dispersal is difficult. Jutzeler et al.combine satellite imagery and an ocean model to accurately forecast pumice raft dispersal routes.
- Martin Jutzeler
- , Robert Marsh
- & Leif Karlstrom
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| Open AccessTimescales for detecting a significant acceleration in sea level rise
Global sea levels are rising as a result of climate change, but at what rate, and whether this rate is increasing is open to debate. Haigh et al.show that the earliest detection of significant increase in the rate of sea level rise can only be achieved once interannual and multidecadal variability is removed.
- Ivan D. Haigh
- , Thomas Wahl
- & Sönke Dangendorf
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Article
| Open AccessCorals record long-term Leeuwin current variability including Ningaloo Niño/Niña since 1795
El Niño Southern Oscillation has a strong impact on current strength and ocean temperatures off the western Australian coast, but long-term variability is poorly understood. Zinke et al.show a strong link between La Niña and El Niño events and decadal Leeuwin current variability in coral records since 1795.
- J. Zinke
- , A. Rountrey
- & M.T. McCulloch
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| Open AccessEvidence for external forcing of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation since termination of the Little Ice Age
The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation strongly influences Northern Hemisphere climate, yet its primary driver is poorly understood. Knudsen et al.analyse proxy records from the past ~450 years and show that external forcing has dominated control of the oscillation since the termination of the Little Ice Age.
- Mads Faurschou Knudsen
- , Bo Holm Jacobsen
- & Jesper Olsen
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Global heat and salt transports by eddy movement
Modelling studies suggest that oceanic mesoscale eddies play an important role in the global transport of heat and salt, yet there are few direct observations. Dong et al.present a method to calculate eddy transport through the use of satellite data and Argo profiles and confirm model-based estimates.
- Changming Dong
- , James C. McWilliams
- & Dake Chen
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Observed thinning of Totten Glacier is linked to coastal polynya variability
Totten Glacier discharges the largest volume of ice in East Antarctica, but the mechanisms causing its recent thinning are relatively unknown. Khazendar et al.combine remote-sensing data with high-resolution ice–ocean modelling to link this recent thinning to reduced sea ice production in polynyas.
- A. Khazendar
- , M.P. Schodlok
- & M.R. van den Broeke
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Palaeoclimate reconstructions reveal a strong link between El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Tropical Pacific mean state
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is one of the largest sources of global climate variability, yet our understanding relative to the Topical Pacific mean state is poor. Here, geochemical analyses of marine plankton reveal a strong link between zonal sea-surface temperatures and ENSO variability.
- Aleksey Yu Sadekov
- , Raja Ganeshram
- & Alexander W. Tudhope
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Pacific deep circulation and ventilation controlled by tidal mixing away from the sea bottom
The global ocean conveyor belt, a key element of climate change, carries heat, carbon and various dissolved materials in the deep ocean. Here, the authors’ ocean model simulations demonstrate that tide-induced mixing away from the sea bottom is driving the Pacific branch of this conveyor belt.
- Akira Oka
- & Yoshihiro Niwa
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Turbulence drives microscale patches of motile phytoplankton
Patchiness in the distribution of phytoplankton promotes many of the ecological interactions that underpin the marine food web. This study shows that turbulence, ubiquitous in the ocean, counter-intuitively ‘unmixes’ a population of motile phytoplankton, generating intense, small-scale patchiness in its distribution.
- William M. Durham
- , Eric Climent
- & Roman Stocker
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Article
| Open AccessOcean lead at the termination of the Younger Dryas cold spell
The abrupt ending of the Younger Dryas cooling episode marked the onset of the present interglacial and was the most prominent climate change in the Earth’s recent history. This study shows evidence for a sequence of events with a leading role of the ocean at the transition into the present day warm Holocene epoch.
- Christof Pearce
- , Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz
- & Søren M. Kristiansen
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| Open AccessOne mechanism contributing to co-variability of the Atlantic inflow branches to the Arctic
The branched inflow of warm Atlantic Water to the Arctic has been known for more than a hundred years, yet what controls the relative strengths of the two pathways remains poorly understood. Here, the authors identify the role of atmospheric circulation over the northern Barents Sea in controlling inflow.
- Vidar S. Lien
- , Frode B. Vikebø
- & Øystein Skagseth
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| Open AccessPronounced interannual variability in tropical South Pacific temperatures during Heinrich Stadial 1
During the last glacial termination, the North Atlantic experienced a cold interval, but its impact on tropical climate variability is not clear. Here, a fossil Tahiti coral record shows that tropical sea surface temperature varied actively during this event, consistent with climate model simulations.
- Thomas Felis
- , Ute Merkel
- & Miriam Pfeiffer
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| Open AccessSurface changes in the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during the last millennium
Palaeoclimate proxies, such as shells, record past ocean changes. A radiocarbon study based on a shell chronology from the Icelandic shelf is used to track changes in ocean circulation and climate for the past 1,350 years, suggesting a declining influence of North Atlantic surface waters on the Icelandic shelf over the last millennium.
- Alan D. Wanamaker Jr
- , Paul G. Butler
- & Christopher A. Richardson
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Abyssal undular vortices in the Eastern Mediterranean basin
Small-scale ocean dynamics can have wide reaching impacts on the larger-scale ocean circulation. Using temperature and velocity data, this study shows the presence of abyssal vortices in the Eastern Mediterranean basin, adding complexity to the structure and evolution of water masses in this region.
- A. Rubino
- , F. Falcini
- & A. Capone
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| Open AccessPotential regime shift in decreased sea ice production after the Mertz Glacier calving
The calving of the Mertz Glacier occurred in 2010 in East Antarctica, brought on by the re-positioning of a large iceberg. Using satellite data, this study shows a reduction in sea ice production following the calving, interpreted as a potential regime shift towards reduced sea ice production for the coming decades.
- T. Tamura
- , G.D. Williams
- & K.I. Ohshima
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Article
| Open AccessTwo centuries of limited variability in subtropical North Atlantic thermocline ventilation
Ocean circulation moves heat and gases between the ocean and atmosphere, impacting the carbon cycle at decadal timescales. Here, a radiocarbon coral record of ocean mixing from Bermuda suggests that the formation of mode water, and thus carbon uptake, have been more stable over the past 200 years than previously thought.
- Nathalie F. Goodkin
- , Ellen R. M. Druffel
- & Scott C. Doney
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Silver hake tracks changes in Northwest Atlantic circulation
Many organisms are responding to a warming climate by shifts in spatial distribution. The poleward movement of silver hake,Merluccius bilinearis, over the last forty years is related to the position of the Gulf Stream and Atlantic meridional overturning circulation through changes in local bottom water temperature.
- Janet A. Nye
- , Terrence M. Joyce
- & Jason S. Link
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| Open AccessSouth China Sea hydrological changes and Pacific Walker Circulation variations over the last millennium
Tropical Pacific hydrology affects the global climate through the strength of the Pacific Walker Circulation. Yanet al. reconstruct variations in the Pacific Walker Circulation in the South China Sea over the last millennium and find that less precipitation fell during warmer and more rainfall during cool periods.
- Hong Yan
- , Liguang Sun
- & Wenhan Cheng
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Article
| Open AccessMapping the evolving strain field during continental breakup from crustal anisotropy in the Afar Depression
The spatial and temporal scales over which continental breakup occurs by mechanical deformation and magma intrusion remain controversial. Keiret al. quantify anisotropy across the Afar Triple Junction using S-wave splitting from earthquakes to evaluate the strain in a region of continental breakup.
- Derek Keir
- , M. Belachew
- & J.V. Rowland
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Growth rates of Florida corals from 1937 to 1996 and their response to climate change
Ocean acidification due to increasing carbon dioxide levels can affect the growth and viability of corals. In this study, the authors measured extension, calcification and density in Florida corals collected in 1996, and show that recent climate change did not cause a decline in their extension or calcification.
- Kevin P. Helmle
- , Richard E. Dodge
- & C. Mark Eakin
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Article
| Open AccessMultiple S-isotopic evidence for episodic shoaling of anoxic water during Late Permian mass extinction
A final catastrophe killed 90% of marine species at the end of the Permian period, but significant biodiversity loss preceded this event. In this study, sulphur isotope evidence suggests that incursion of anoxic water into shallow regions may have contributed to biodiversity loss.
- Yanan Shen
- , James Farquhar
- & Boswell A. Wing
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| Open AccessTracking the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation through the last 8,000 years
The origin of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, a semi-periodic variability of sea-surface temperature, is unknown. Knudsenet al.show that 55- to 70-year climate oscillations existed throughout the last 8,000 years, suggesting that the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation is a permanent feature of the Holocene climate induced by internal ocean variability.
- Mads Faurschou Knudsen
- , Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz
- & Antoon Kuijpers
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Impact of the Mertz Glacier Tongue calving on dense water formation and export
Antarctic bottom water is important for the global climate system, but its main source in East Antarctica was altered recently because of calving of the Mertz Glacier Tongue. The authors model this event and find large changes in dense water exports from the region.
- Kazuya Kusahara
- , Hiroyasu Hasumi
- & Guy D. Williams
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Evidence for infragravity wave-tide resonance in deep oceans
Ocean tides and infragravity waves—the Earths 'hum'—have very different periods and wavelengths. Sugioka and colleagues report resonance between these two phenomena using arrays of broadband ocean-bottom seismometers and show that some tidal energy is transferred to the deep oceans through this coupling.
- Hiroko Sugioka
- , Yoshio Fukao
- & Toshihiko Kanazawa
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Deep-sea hydrothermal vent animals seek cool fluids in a highly variable thermal environment
Many animals adapt their behaviour according to their surroundings. Here, Bateset al.show that animals living in deep-sea hydrothermal vents choose habitats within their thermal limits.
- Amanda E Bates
- , Raymond W Lee
- & Miles D Lamare