Mid-Holocene East Asian summer monsoon strengthening: Insights from Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP) simulations

Authors：

Dabang Jiang ^a,b,c,*, Xianmei Lang ^d, Zhiping Tian ^a,e, Lixia Ju ^a,c
a Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
^b Key Laboratory of Regional Climate–Environment Research for Temperate East Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
^c Climate Change Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
^d International Center for Climate and Environment Sciences, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
^e University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China 

Abstract : 

The East Asian summer (June–July–August) monsoon (EASM) is typically thought to have been stronger during interglacial periods based on spatially sparse proxy data. On a large scale, however,whether this view is true and if so, its underlying dynamic mechanisms remain unclear. Using all pertinent experiments within the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP), here we present an analysis of the EASM during the mid-Holocene, 6000 years ago. Supporting the paleodata, the mid-Holocene EASM, as measured by regionally averaged meridional wind at 850 hPa, became stronger than the baseline period in 27 out of 28 PMIP models with a demonstrable ability to simulate the modern EASM climatology. On average, the EASM strengthened by 32% across all themodels and by a largermagnitude in 23 coupledmodels (35%) than in five atmosphericmodels (20%). It is proposed that an enhanced land–sea thermal contrast, and hence sea level pressure gradient, between the East Asian continent and adjacent oceans as a result of orbital forcingwas responsible for the EASM strengthening during the mid-Holocene.

Keywords : 

Mid-Holocene East Asian summer monsoon PMIP models

Citation：

D. Jiang et al. Mid-Holocene East Asian summer monsoon strengthening: Insights from Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP) simulations. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 369 (2013) 422–429 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.11.007