For a fuller description of the paper itself, go to the end of this web page.
Each simulation published in this paper corresponds to a unique 5 or 6 character code on the web pages.
The following table lists the name of the simulation as used in the paper, and the corresponding code name
The webpage gives you the ability to examine the published simulations, but you can also download the raw (netcdf) files to perform your own analysis. Detailed instructions on how to use the webpages and access the data can be found here: Using_BRIDGE_webpages.pdf
There are four sets of simulations: (1) The 'Messinian control' simulation (with a diffusive pipe parameterisation; see Ivanovic et al. 2013 Ocean Modelling and Ivanovic et al. 2014 Climate Dynamics). This is set up to be a late Miocene version of the pre-industrial control used in Ivanovic et al. 2014 Climate Dynamics. It can be compared to this earlier simulation to see the differences brought about by the palaeo set-up; (2) one 'no-exchange' simulation that is identical to the Messinian control, except that it has no Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange (i.e. the exchange is blocked); (3) seven 'salinity event' simulations that are designed to test idealised scenarios of the Messinian Mediterranean's extreme salinity events (evidenced in the geological record by halite and gypsum precipitation, as well as brackish water deposits). For these, we combined changes in Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange strength (i.e. the coefficient of exchange, or mixing, between the basins; µ) to reflect likely increased and decreased Mediterranean inflow/outflow and varied Mediterranean salinity to reflect conditions for halite and gypsum saturation, as well as a near-freshening of the basin. For Mediterranean salinity and the exchange coefficient (where µC is the control) respectively, this included: 'halite-quarter' 380 psu and 0.25µC, 'halite-normal' 380 psu and µC, 'gypsum-half' 130 psu 0.5µC, 'gypsum-normal' 130 psu µC, 'fresh-half' 5 psu 0.5µC, 'fresh-normal' 5 psu µC and 'fresh-double' 5 psu and 2µC. (4) There is also a fourth set of three pre-industrial, extreme Mediterranean salinity simulations. These are as per the pre-industrial control in Ivanovic et al. 2014 Climate Dynamics, but have the Mediterranean held at constant salinities equivalent to halite and gypsum saturation, as well as near-freshening. They were not discussed explicitly in the text, but were used for the analysis. NOTE: for all forced Mediterranean salinity simulations (Messinian and pre-industrial), the whole Mediterranean basin is held at the constant salinity indicated for the entire duration of the simulation.
You can have make you own analysis and plots by going here
| Simulation Name as in Paper | Simulation name on web pages |
|---|---|
| Messinian Control simulation; Messinian Control, Miocene control, or control | tdgba2 |
| Messinian simulation with NO Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange; no-exchange | tdgbi2 |
| Simulation with quartered coefficient of Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange and the Mediterranean basin held at 380 psu; halite-quarter | tdgbb2 |
| Simulation with the control's coefficient of Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange and the Mediterranean basin held at 380 psu; halite-normal | tdgbc2 |
| Simulation with halved coefficient of Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange and the Mediterranean basin held at 130 psu; gypsum-half | tdgbd2 |
| Simulation with the control's coefficient of Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange and the Mediterranean basin held at 130 psu; gypsum-normal | tdgbe2 |
| Simulation with halved coefficient of Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange and the Mediterranean basin held at 5 psu; fresh-half | tdgbf2 |
| Simulation with the control's coefficient of Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange and the Mediterranean basin held at 5 psu; fresh-normal | tdgbg2 |
| Simulation with doubled coefficient of Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange and the Mediterranean basin held at 5 psu; fresh-double | tdgbh2 |
| Pre-Industrial HadCM3 control simulation, from Ivanovic et al. 2014 Climate Dynamics | tcvmb2 |
| Pre-Industrial simulation with no Mediterranean-Atlantic exchange, from Ivanovic et al. 2014 Climate Dynamics | tcvsr2 |
| Pre-industrial simulation with the Mediterranean basin held at 380 psu | tdcyd2 |
| Pre-industrial simulation with the Mediterranean basin held at 130 psu | tdcyc2 |
| Pre-industrial simulation with the Mediterranean basin held at 5 psu | tdcye2 |
This paper examines the effect of changes to the exchange rate and salinity of Mediterranean Outflow Water on North Atlantic Ocean circulation and global-scale climate during the Messinian SAlinity Crisis. The outflow salinity/volume scenarios are sensitivity-type experiments. While they do represent the kinds of changes that could have occurred during the Messinian Salinity Crisis (5.96-5.33 Ma), they are not strictly 'realistic', as further geological constraints are required to achieve this.
| Name | Ivanovic et al |
|---|---|
| Brief Description | This paper examines the effect of changes to the exchange rate and salinity of Mediterranean Outflow Water on North Atlantic Ocean circulation and global-scale climate during the Messinian SAlinity Crisis. The outflow salinity/volume scenarios are sensitivity-type experiments. While they do represent the kinds of changes that could have occurred during the Messinian Salinity Crisis (5.96-5.33 Ma), they are not strictly 'realistic', as further geological constraints are required to achieve this. |
| Full Author List | Ruza F. Ivanovic, Paul J. Valdes, Rachel Flecker, Marcus Gutjahr |
| Title | Modelling global-scale climate impacts of the late Miocene Messinian Salinity Crisis |
| Year | 2014 |
| Journal | Climate of the Past |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 3-4 |
| Pages | 607-622 |
| DOI | doi:10.5194/cp-10-607-2014 |
| Contact's Name | Ruza Ivanovic |
| Contact's email | r.ivanovic@leeds.ac.uk |
| Abstract | Late Miocene tectonic changes in Mediterranean–Atlantic connectivity and climatic changes caused Mediterranean salinity to fluctuate dramatically, including a ten-fold increase and near-freshening. Recent proxy- and model-based evidence suggests that at times during this Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC, 5.96–5.33 Ma), highly saline and highly fresh Mediterranean water flowed into the North Atlantic Ocean, whilst at others, no Mediterranean Outflow Water (MOW) reached the Atlantic. By running extreme, sensitivity-type experiments with a fully coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model, we investigate the potential of these various MSC MOW scenarios to impact global-scale climate. The simulations suggest that although the effect remains relatively small, MOW had a greater influence on North Atlantic Ocean circulation and climate than it does today. We also find that depending on the presence, strength and salinity of MOW, the MSC could have been capable of cooling mid–high northern latitudes by a few degrees, with the greatest cooling taking place in the Labrador, Greenland–Iceland–Norwegian and Barents seas. With hypersaline MOW, a component of North Atlantic Deep Water formation shifts to the Mediterranean, strengthening the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) south of 35° N by 1.5–6 Sv. With hyposaline MOW, AMOC completely shuts down, inducing a bipolar climate anomaly with strong cooling in the north (mainly −1 to −3 °C, but up to −8 °C) and weaker warming in the south (up to +0.5 to +2.7 °C). These simulations identify key target regions and climate variables for future proxy reconstructions to provide the best and most robust test cases for (a) assessing Messinian model performance, (b) evaluating Mediterranean–Atlantic connectivity during the MSC and (c) establishing whether or not the MSC could ever have affected global-scale climate. |