Evolution of ocean circulation and climate during the Miocene:

Results from GCM simulations

M. Butzin, G. Lohmann, T. Bickert and K. Grosfeld
University of Bremen, Department of Geosciences
P.O. Box 330 440, D-28334 Bremen, Germany (contact: mbutzin @marum.de)

We investigate the ocean circulation and its impact on climate during the transition The ocean model is based on the Large Scale Geostrophic model LSG and includes
from the early to the late Miocene (~ 24 - 5 Ma BP) with a series of simulations using a simple thermodynamic sea ice model, a new advection scheme for temperature,
three-dimensional general circulation models of the ocean and the atmosphere. salinity, ∆14C, numerical 'age' and 'dye' tracers, as well as a parameterization of
overflow. The horizontal resolution is 3.5° with 11 levels in the vertical. The ocean
Model scenarios: model is forced with monthly fields of wind stress, surface air temperature and
EM: Early Miocene (24 - 15 Ma BP), open Panamanian gateway (depth = 3000 m) freshwater flux taken from simulations with the atmospheric general circulation model
and wide Tethys (depth = 1000 m), closed Bering Strait, no sea ice ECHAM3/T42.
MM: Middle Miocene (15 - 11 Ma BP), open Panamanian and narrow Tethys
gateways (depth = 1000 m each), closed Bering Strait, no arctic sea ice In the first step of modeling, we employ a hybrid coupled modeling approach, which
LM: Late Miocene (11 - 5 Ma BP), open Panamanian gateway (depth = 500 m), allows an adjustment of sea surface temperatures and salinity to changes in the
open Bering Strait, arctic sea ice ocean circulation, based on an atmospheric energy balance model.
PD: Present-day control run

Meridional overturning [Sv], early Miocene (EM) Atlantic Meridional overturning [Sv], middle Miocene (MM) Atlantic Meridional overturning [Sv], late Miocene (LM) Atlantic
0 0 0
−5 0 5 0
−5
5
0 −5 5 0
−5 0 5
500 5 500 500

1000 1000 −5 1000 5

0
1500 5 1500 1500 0 0
−5
5 −10 −5
2000 −10 2000 0 2000
depth [m]

depth [m]

depth [m]
0 0 −10
−15
2500 2500 2500
−5

3000 3000 3000

0

5
0

0
−1

−1
5
3500 −15 3500 3500 −1
−15 0
−10

−1
4000 4000 −10 4000 −10
−5

−5
−1
−5

0
4500 4500 4500 −5
0
5000 5000 5000
−30 −20 −10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 −30 −20 −10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 −30 −20 −10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
latitude latitude latitude

−20 −15 −10 −5 0 5 10 15 20 −20 −15 −10 −5 0 5 10 15 20 −20 −15 −10 −5 0 5 10 15 20

Meridional overturning [Sv], present−day (PD) Atlantic

Compared with the control run (PD) the 0
0 5 5
Deep and bottom water formation also depend on the
5 10 10
Miocene experiments reveal significant 500
15
10
15 15 distribution of sea ice. If only antarctic sea ice is present
changes in the ocean circulation pattern. 1000
5 (model experiment MM), we find maximum strength of
Deep water formation in the North Atlantic is 1500 15
10
15
10
15 AABW flow and virtually no production of NADW. The latter
10
strongly reduced (EM, LM) or even absent 2000
is due to sea surface warming in the Arctic Sea together
depth [m]

5
5
0 5
2500
(MM) when the Isthmus of Panama is open. 0
with impeded brine release. If sea ice is allowed to exist at
3000 −5
In the South Atlantic we find a strong both hemispheres (scenario LM), we find some potential for
−5

3500
northward flow (in the order of 15·106 m 3/s = 4000
NADW formation in connection with a shallow Panamanian
−5
15 Sv) of bottom water from the Antarctic 4500
−5 gateway. If sea ice is globally removed (experiment EM),
(AABW). The strength of the AABW 5000
the global ocean becomes warmer and a shallow and weak
−30 −20 −10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
overturning cell increases with the depth of latitude overturning circulation in the North Atlantic establishes. This
the Panamanian gateway. circulation regime exists even in presence of a deep Central
−20 −15 −10 −5 0 5 10 15 20
American gateway.

Horizontal flow, Early Miocene (EM), z=450 m Horizontal flow, Early Miocene (EM), z=2000 m
80oN
The horizontal flow patterns show export of surface and 80oN

deep water from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean but

40oN import of thermocline and intermediate layer water from 40oN

the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The latter is

responsible for a reversal of the Northeast Brazil
0o
Current. The net flux of Pacific water through the 0o

Panamanian gateway into the Atlantic amounts to 1-3

Sv and increases with the gateway depth. A weak
upper level Gulf Stream circulation and the relatively
40oS 40oS
low-salinity thermocline water suppress deep water
80oS
formation in the North Atlantic. 80oS
120oW 60oW 0o 60oE 120oE 180oW 120oW 60oW 0o 60oE 120oE 180oW

maximum velocity = 0.07 m/s maximum velocity = 0.02 m/s

In a second step, sea surface temperature (SST)

anomalies are taken as an input for the atmospheric
circulation model PUMA, which belongs to models of
intermediate complexity (resolution: horizontal T21-
spacing of approximately 5.6° and five unevenly spaced,
terrain following levels in the vertical). Motivated by
geological evidences, the orography of Greenland and of
the Himalaya are lowered to 10% and to 50% of their
present-day values, respectively.
o
SST anomaly [ C] EM − PD
o
80 N

40oN

For the early Miocene, our experiments yield Precipitation anomalies display increased
warming of surface air above the Himalaya, rainfall for South and Southeast Asia (which
0o
Asia, Greenland, in the high latitudes of may be the result of an intensified Monsoon
Russia, and over the subantarctic Southern circulation) but drier conditions for the
Ocean. Colder surface air temperatures are Northwest Indian Ocean, Greenland and
40oS found over Antarctica and parts of Africa. parts of Africa.
o
80 S
120oW 60oW 0o 60oE 120oE 180oW

Conclusions :
−6 −5 −4 −3 −2 −1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

l If the Central American Gateway is open, NADW flows into the Pacific. The export is compensated by an influx
of low-salinity Pacific Intermediate water entering the Caribbean with a maximum strength of 3 Sv at a depth of
about 500 m.
l In a model scenario of the early Miocene assuming additionally no sea-ice coverage in the southern
hemisphere, we find intensified subantarctic deep water production but only modest formation of NADW. This
is consistent with very low δ13C gradients between the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean.
l Model experiments related to the middle Miocene build-up of a permanent Antarctic ice sheet yield maximum
production of Sub-Antarctic deep water while NADW formation is suppressed. This scenario is corroborated by
the convergence of Atlantic and Pacific benthic δ13C values between 15 and 11 Ma.
l Our model experiments predict the re-establishment of the formation of NADW in the late Miocene and the
evolution of the modern ocean conveyor assuming further shoaling of the Central American Gateway and
evolution of sea-ice in the Arctic Ocean.
l First atmospheric experiments suggest warming of surface air above the Himalaya and in the high latitudes of
This work is funded by the Deutsche Forschungs- the Northern Hemisphere, but colder conditions in parts of Africa. Maximum (positive and negative)
gemeinschaft (DFG), DFG-Project “Miocene carbonate precipitation anomalies are found above the tropical Indian Ocean and in the southern regions of the Asian
deposition: Relationship to the establishment of the modern continent.
thermohaline circulation”.