A new Earth system model of intermediate complexity, LOVECLIM, has been developed in order to study long-term future climate changes. In particular, LOVECLIM includes an interactive Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet model (AGISM) as well as an oceanic carbon cycle model (LOCH). Those climatic components can have a great impact on future climate. However, most studies investigating future climate changes do not take them into account. The few studies in recent literature assessing the impact of polar ice sheets on future climate draw very different conclusions, which shows the need for developing such a model. The aim of this study is to analyse the possible perturbations of climate induced by human activities over the next millennia. A particular attention is given to the evolution of the oceanic thermohaline circulation. A series of numerical simulations have been performed with LOVECLIM over the next millennia using various forcing scenarios. The global equilibrium warming computed by the model ranges from 0.55°C to 3.75°C with respect to preindustrial times. The model does not simulate a complete shut down of the oceanic thermohaline circulation but a transient weakening followed by a quasi-recovering at equilibrium. In most of the projections, the Greenland ice sheet undergoes a continuous reduction in volume, leading to an almost total disappearance in the most pessimistic scenarios. The impact of the Greenland deglaciation on climate has been assessed through sensitivity experiments. The removal of the Greenland ice sheet is responsible for a regional amplification of the global warming inducing a total melt of Arctic sea ice in summer. The freshwater flux from Greenland generates large salinity anomalies in the North Atlantic Ocean that reduce the rate of North Atlantic Deep Water formation, slowing down the oceanic thermohaline circulation.

A new Earth system model of intermediate complexity, LOVECLIM, has been developed in order to study long-term future climate changes. In particular, LOVECLIM includes an interactive Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet model (AGISM) as well as an oceanic carbon cycle model (LOCH). Those climatic components can have a great impact on future climate. However, most studies investigating future climate changes do not take them into account. The few studies in recent literature assessing the impact of polar ice sheets on future climate draw very different conclusions, which shows the need for developing such a model. The aim of this study is to analyse the possible perturbations of climate induced by human activities over the next millennia. A particular attention is given to the evolution of the oceanic thermohaline circulation. A series of numerical simulations have been performed with LOVECLIM over the next millennia using various forcing scenarios. The global equilibrium warming computed by the model ranges from 0.55°C to 3.75°C with respect to preindustrial times. The model does not simulate a complete shut down of the oceanic thermohaline circulation but a transient weakening followed by a quasi-recovering at equilibrium. In most of the projections, the Greenland ice sheet undergoes a continuous reduction in volume, leading to an almost total disappearance in the most pessimistic scenarios. The impact of the Greenland deglaciation on climate has been assessed through sensitivity experiments. The removal of the Greenland ice sheet is responsible for a regional amplification of the global warming inducing a total melt of Arctic sea ice in summer. The freshwater flux from Greenland generates large salinity anomalies in the North Atlantic Ocean that reduce the rate of North Atlantic Deep Water formation, slowing down the oceanic thermohaline circulation.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:50:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 11077827 bytes, checksum: bbdd1a123f813f0937be6a88333b1244 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-03-26 / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais / Based upon numerical experiments lasting for 1500 years long conducted with a coupled model of intermediate complexity, LOVECLIM, and under different CO2 concentrations, changes of the climatic system had been analyzed, through coupled (ocean and atmosphere) and uncoupled simulations (atmosphere). This allows to investigate the role of the ocean on climate changes. The numerical experiment carried out with 700 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere, delivers an increase in the radiative balance due to the enhancement in the longwave component, moreover air temperature increases up to approximately 3°C, in respect to the control climate. These changes lead to a reduction of the trade winds on the east Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean, and an intensification of westerlies especially on the oceanic areas in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, positive precipitation anomalies occur in the tropical ocean whereas a reduction is found in the tropical lands These results are similar to current patterns in associated with El Niño. Changes of ice thickness show reduction up to 1 m in Weddell and Amuddsen Seas. In east Antarctic, from the Ross Sea to the Indian part of Antarctic Ocean, the absence of sea ice is the most prominent feature in the sensitivity experiments. / Com base em experimentos de sensibilidade numérica de longo prazo conduzidos com um modelo acoplado Oceano-Atmosfera-Vegetação-Gelo (LOVECLIM) e sob diferentes concentrações de CO2, foram analisadas alterações do sistema climático, fazendo uso de experimentos acoplados (oceano e atmosfera) e desacoplados (atmosfera). Isto possibilita investigar o papel do oceano. O experimento numérico para um cenário com 700 ppm de CO2 na atmosfera, mostra um incremento no saldo de radiação devido ao aumento no balanço de ondas longas, bem como um acréscimo médio na temperatura do ar de aproximadamente 3°C. Estas mudanças produzem uma desintensificação dos ventos alísios sobre o Pacífico leste e sobre o Oceano Atlântico, e uma intensificação dos ventos de oeste especialmente sobre as áreas oceânicas no Hemisfério Norte. No Hemisfério Sul, observa-se maior ocorrência de precipitação na faixa tropical oceânica sobre as regiões dos oceanos Pacífico e Atlântico e uma diminuição sobre as regiões continentais. As alterações no vento e precipitação acontecem devido a sensibilidade da temperatura da superfície do mar ao acréscimo de CO2. Estes resultados são similares aos padrões atuais em anos de eventos El Niño. Os resultados no campo gelo marinho mostram a redução em sua espessura de até 1m em particular no mar de Weddell e no mar de Amundsen. Na parte leste da Antártica desde o mar de Ross até a zona Antártica do oceano Índico, a ausência do gelo foi a característica principal dos experimentos de sensibilidade climática.