Last Interglacial model-data mismatch of thermal maximum temperatures partially explained
Author:
Bakker P.ORCID, Renssen H.
Abstract
Abstract. The timing of the Last Interglacial (LIG) thermal maximum is highly uncertain. Compilations of maximum LIG temperatures are therefore based on the assumption that maximum warmth occurred synchronously across the globe. Although known to be an oversimplification, the impact of this assumption on temperature estimates has yet to be assessed. We use the LIG temperature evolutions simulated by 9 different climate models to investigate whether the assumption of synchronicity results in a sizeable overestimation of LIG thermal maximum temperatures. We find that for annual temperatures, the overestimation is small, strongly model-dependent (global mean 0.4 ± 0.3 °C) and cannot explain the recently published 0.67 °C difference between simulated and reconstructed LIG thermal maximum temperatures. However, if one takes into consideration that temperature proxies are possibly biased towards summer, the overestimation of the LIG thermal maximum based on warmest month temperatures is non-negligible (global mean 1.1 ± 0.4 °C) and can at least partly explain the 0.67 °C global model-data difference.
Funder
European Commission
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
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2 articles.
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