Reconstructing Variations of Global Sea-Surface Temperature during the Last Interglaciation

Abstract:

The last interglaciation (LIG; ~130-116 ka) was the most recent period in Earth history with higher-than-present global sea level (≥6 m) under similar-to-preindustrial concentrations of atmospheric CO₂, suggesting additional feedbacks related to albedo, insolation, and ocean circulation in generating the apparent climatic differences between the LIG and present Holocene. However, our understanding of how much warmer the LIG sea surface was relative to the present interglaciation remains uncertain, with current estimates suggesting from 0^°C to 2^°C warmer than late-20^thcentury average global temperatures. Moreover, the timing, spatial expression, and amplitude of regional and global sea surface temperature variability related to other climate forcing during the LIG are poorly constrained, largely due to uncertainties in age control and proxy temperature reconstructions. An accurate characterization of global and regional temperature change during the LIG can serve as a benchmark for paleoclimate modeling intercomparison projects and help improve understanding of sea-level sensitivity to temperature change. We will present a global compilation (~100 published records) of sea surface temperature (SST) and other climate reconstructions spanning the LIG. Using a Monte Carlo-enabled cross-correlation maximization algorithm to climatostratigraphically align proxy records and then account for both the resulting chronologic and proxy calibration uncertainties with Bayesian statistical inference, our results quantify the spatial timing, amplitude, and uncertainty in estimates of global and regional sea surface temperature change during the LIG and its relation to potential forcings.

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