Numerical Simulation of the Cretaceous Tethys Circumglobal Current

Abstract

Certain paleobiogeographical reconstructions of ocean currents during the Cretaceous (about 144 to 65 million years ago) suggest that a circumglobal tropical current flowed westward through the continental configuration of that time. Although some numerical climate models failed in initial attempts to simulate this current, simulations with a coupled atmosphere-ocean model with relatively high spatial resolution and a late Cretaceous continental distribution show that a circumglobal current is a robust feature even though local surface currents in the Tethys Seaway reverse during the south Eurasian monsoon months.