Effects of soil moisture on the sensitivity of a climate model to earth orbital forcing at 9000 yr BP

Abstract

The sensitivity of climate to orbitally-related changes in solar radiation at 9000 yr BP (before present) is examined using fixed and interactive soil moisture versions of a low resolution general circulation model. In both versions of the model increased solar radiation for June–August at 9000 yr BP (compared to present) produced enhanced northern monsoons and warmer continental interiors in comparison to present whereas decreased solar radiation at 9000 yr BP in December–February produced weaker southern monsoons. The increased rainfall in the northern tropics in summer increased soil moisture and runoff at 9000 yr BP in the interactive model; in the southern hemisphere decreased rainfall in summer led to decreased soil moisture and runoff. Conditions in summer became drier (decreased soil moisture and runoff) at 9000 yr BP in the northern extratropics. The experiments showed that the magnitude (but not the sign) of model sensitivity to 9000 yr BP radiation is altered by the effects of interactive soil moisture. Decreased soil moisture (about 20%) over northern Eurasia in the interactive model led to smaller evaporative increases, greater temperature increases and greater reduction of precipitation than for the model with fixed soil moisture. Over northern tropical lands, slightly smaller temperature increases and greater evaporation and precipitation increases in the interactive model are linked to the simulation of increased soil moisture at 9000 yr BP. The differences in sensitivity between the two versions of the model over northern Eurasia are statistically significant at the 95% level whereas those for the tropics are not. Overall, the results of the simulations are generally supported by the geologic evidence for 9000 yr BP; however, the evidence lacks sufficient precision and the model resolution is too coarse for detailed model/data comparisons and for assessment of the relative accuracy of the two 9000 yr BP experiments. The computed sensitivities of temperature and soil moisture to 9000 yr BP radiation differ from those simulated under equilibrium conditions in the various general circulation model experiments for increased atmospheric concentration of CO2. In contrast to the effects of the enhanced seasonal cycle of solar radiation at 9000 yr BP, a CO2 increase causes a broad warming of both the ocean and land with little modification of land/ocean temperature difference. The experiments for 9000 yr BP indicate a clearer signal for summer drying than is obtained in the experiments for increased CO2. The results suggest that the 9000 yr BP climate may be of limited utility as an analog to future ‘warm’ climates.