The response of a coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model to insolation representative of 6000 years ago has been studied with a set of 1000-year quasi-equilibrium simulations. Comparison with similar experiments with an uncoupled atmosphere general circulation model demonstrates the importance of an interactive ocean for the climate signal. The model simulates an intensification of the African and Asian monsoons and a warming at high northern latitudes with reduced sea ice. Data from the coupled climate model have been used to drive a dynamical vegetation model. The modelled response is a marked increase in vegetation cover in the Sahara and a poleward shift of vegetation zones in high northern latitudes.
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Harrison, S.P. , Jolly, D. , Laarif, F. , Abe-Ouchi, A. , Dong, B. , Herterich, K. , Hewitt, C. , Joussaume, S. , Kutzbach, J.E. , Mitchell, J. , De Noblet, N. and Valdes, P.1998: Intercomparison of simulated global vegetation distributions in response to 6 kyr BP orbital forcing . Journal of Climate11, 2721-2741 .
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Jolly, D. , Prentice, I.C. , Bonnefille, R. , Ballouche, A. , Bengo, M. , Brenac, P. , Buchet, G. , Burney, D. , Cazet, J.-P. , Cheddadi, R. , Edorh, T. , Elenga, H. , Elmoutaki, S. , Guiot, J. , Laarif, F. , Lamb, H. , Lezine, A.-M. , Maley, J. , Mbenza, M. , Peyron, O. , Reille, M. , Reynaud-Farrera, I. , Riollet, G. , Ritchie, J.C. , Roche, E. , Scott, L. , Semanada, I. , Straka, H. , Urner, M. , van Campo, E. , Vilimumbalo, S. , Vincens, A. and Waller, M.1998b: Biome reconstruction from pollen and plant macrofossil data for Africa and the Arabian peninsula at 0 and 6000 years . Journal of Biogeography25, 1007-1027 .
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Joussaume, S. , Taylor, K.E. , Braconnot, P. , Mitchell, J.F.B. , Kutzbach, J.E. , Harrison, S.P. , Prentice, I.C. , Broccoli, A.J. , Abe-Ouchi, A. , Bartlein, P.J. , Bonfils, C. , Dong, B. , Guiot, J. , Herterich, K. , Hewitt, C.D. , Jolly, D. , Kim, J.W. , Kislov, A. , Kitoh, A. , Loutre, M.F. , Masson, V. , McAvaney, B. , MeFarlane, N. , de Noblet, N. , Peltier, W.R. , Peterschmitt, J.Y. , Pollard, D. , Rind, D. , Royer, J.F. , Schlesinger, M.E.Syktus, J. , Thompson, S. , Valdes, P. , Vettoretti, G. , Webb, R.S. and Wyputta, U.1999: Monsoon changes for 6000 years ago: results of 18 simulations from the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). Geophysical Research Letters 26, 859-862.
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18.
Kutzbach, J.E. and Liu, Z.1997: Response of the African monsoon to orbital forcing and ocean feedback in the middle Holocene . Science278, 440-443 .
19.
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Prentice, I.C. , Jolly, D. and BIOME 6000 Participants2000: Mid-Holocene and glacial-maximum vegetation geography of the northern continents and Africa . Journal of Biogeography27, 507-519 .
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