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Impact of Dust on climate and AMOC during the Last Glacial Maximum Simulated by CESM1.2
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  • Ming Zhang,
  • Yonggang Liu,
  • Jiang Zhu,
  • Zhuoqun Wang,
  • Zhengyu Liu
Ming Zhang
Peking University
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Yonggang Liu
Peking University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Jiang Zhu
National Center for Atmospheric Research
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Zhuoqun Wang
Peking University
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Zhengyu Liu
Ohio State University
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Abstract

While the impact of dust on climate and Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) during the interglacial period such as the mid-Holocene (MH) has been studied extensively, its impact during the glacial period is unclear. Here we investigate how the climate and AMOC would change if there had been no dust during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Model simulations show that the dust removal leads to a global cooling of over 2.4 °C and a weakening of AMOC by ~30 %. Such temperature change is opposite in sign to that for the MH. The cooling is attributed to the increase of snow and ice albedo and weakening of AMOC when dust is removed, and is amplified through a positive feedback between sea ice and AMOC. Our results indicate that the climate and AMOC are more sensitive to dust change during the glacial than the interglacial period.
16 Feb 2022Published in Geophysical Research Letters volume 49 issue 3. 10.1029/2021GL096672