Simulation of the Holocene climate evolution in Nothern Africa: the termination of the African Humid Period.

H. Renssen; V. Brovkin; T. Fichefet; H. Goosse

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2005.01.001

Simulation of the Holocene climate evolution in Nothern Africa: the termination of the African Humid Period.

H. Renssen, V. Brovkin, T. Fichefet, H. Goosse

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Abstract

The Holocene climate evolution in Northern Africa is studied in a 9000-yr-long transient simulation with a coupled atmosphere-ocean-vegetation model forced by changes in insolation and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The model simulates in the monsoonal domains a significant decrease in precipitation under influence of the orbitally forced reduction in summer insolation. In the Western Sahara region, the simulated mid-Holocene transition from humid to arid conditions (the termination of the African Humid Period) is highly non-linear with the occurrence of centennial-scale climate fluctuations due to the biogeophysical feedback between precipitation and vegetation cover. This result is in agreement with proxy data from the Western Sahara region. The other monsoonal regions experience a more gradual climate evolution that linearly follows the insolation forcing, which appears in disagreement with available lake level records. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	95-102
Journal	Quaternary International
Volume	150
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2005.01.001
Publication status	Published - 2006

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title = "Simulation of the Holocene climate evolution in Nothern Africa: the termination of the African Humid Period.",

abstract = "The Holocene climate evolution in Northern Africa is studied in a 9000-yr-long transient simulation with a coupled atmosphere-ocean-vegetation model forced by changes in insolation and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The model simulates in the monsoonal domains a significant decrease in precipitation under influence of the orbitally forced reduction in summer insolation. In the Western Sahara region, the simulated mid-Holocene transition from humid to arid conditions (the termination of the African Humid Period) is highly non-linear with the occurrence of centennial-scale climate fluctuations due to the biogeophysical feedback between precipitation and vegetation cover. This result is in agreement with proxy data from the Western Sahara region. The other monsoonal regions experience a more gradual climate evolution that linearly follows the insolation forcing, which appears in disagreement with available lake level records. {\textcopyright} 2006 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.",

author = "H. Renssen and V. Brovkin and T. Fichefet and H. Goosse",

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T1 - Simulation of the Holocene climate evolution in Nothern Africa: the termination of the African Humid Period.

AU - Renssen, H.

AU - Brovkin, V.

AU - Fichefet, T.

AU - Goosse, H.

PY - 2006

Y1 - 2006

N2 - The Holocene climate evolution in Northern Africa is studied in a 9000-yr-long transient simulation with a coupled atmosphere-ocean-vegetation model forced by changes in insolation and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The model simulates in the monsoonal domains a significant decrease in precipitation under influence of the orbitally forced reduction in summer insolation. In the Western Sahara region, the simulated mid-Holocene transition from humid to arid conditions (the termination of the African Humid Period) is highly non-linear with the occurrence of centennial-scale climate fluctuations due to the biogeophysical feedback between precipitation and vegetation cover. This result is in agreement with proxy data from the Western Sahara region. The other monsoonal regions experience a more gradual climate evolution that linearly follows the insolation forcing, which appears in disagreement with available lake level records. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.

AB - The Holocene climate evolution in Northern Africa is studied in a 9000-yr-long transient simulation with a coupled atmosphere-ocean-vegetation model forced by changes in insolation and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The model simulates in the monsoonal domains a significant decrease in precipitation under influence of the orbitally forced reduction in summer insolation. In the Western Sahara region, the simulated mid-Holocene transition from humid to arid conditions (the termination of the African Humid Period) is highly non-linear with the occurrence of centennial-scale climate fluctuations due to the biogeophysical feedback between precipitation and vegetation cover. This result is in agreement with proxy data from the Western Sahara region. The other monsoonal regions experience a more gradual climate evolution that linearly follows the insolation forcing, which appears in disagreement with available lake level records. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.

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DO - 10.1016/j.quaint.2005.01.001

M3 - Article

SN - 1040-6182

VL - 150

SP - 95

EP - 102

JO - Quaternary International

JF - Quaternary International

ER -

Simulation of the Holocene climate evolution in Nothern Africa: the termination of the African Humid Period.

Abstract

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