Linking Glacial-Interglacial states to multiple equilibria of climate

Abstract

Glacial-interglacial cycles are often described as an amplified global response of the climate to perturbations in solar radiation caused by oscillations of Earth's orbit. However, it remains unclear whether internal feedbacks are large enough to account for the radically different glacial and interglacial states. Here we provide support for an alternative view: Glacial-interglacial states are multiple equilibria of the climate system that exist for the same external forcing. We show that such multiple equilibria resembling glacial and interglacial states can be found in a complex coupled general circulation model of the ocean-atmosphere-sea ice system. The multiple states are sustained by ice-albedo feedback modified by ocean heat transport and are not caused by the bistability of the ocean's overturning circulation. In addition, expansion/contraction of the Southern Hemisphere ice pack over regions of upwelling, regulating outgassing of CO2 to the atmosphere, is the primary mechanism behind a large pCO2 change between states. ©2018. The Authors.