Project Details
Projekt
Detecting Holocene changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: Integration of Proxy Data and Climate Simulations (DAMOCLES)
Applicant
Dr. Stefan Mulitza
Subject Area
Palaeontology
Term
from 2007 to 2011
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 42266780
Decadal-to-millennial-scale climate variability during the Holocene is well documented in numerous paleoclimate records collected from both hemispheres. Nevertheless, our understanding of the forcing and mechanisms causing rapid climate events is still limited and a direct role of the thermohaline circulation for climate change during interglacials (i.e., the Holocene) has so far not been demonstrated. Our research continues to focus on the reconstruction and modeling of anomaly patterns of temperature, radiocarbon concentration (Δ14C), and stable oxygen and carbon isotope ratios in tropical/subtropical upper ocean and intermediate waters of the Atlantic for abrupt climate events during the past 15,000 years. One such event, the 8.2-kyr event, is of key interest because it provides us with the opportunity to investigate the impact of polar meltwater on ocean properties and the climate system as a whole. We plan to determine the decadal-to-centennial-scale variability of upper and intermediate ocean water properties during the entire Holocene with a focus on the last 2000 years. During the third year, the DAMOCLES project will thus continue to address the key components of the INTERDYNAMIC proposal while maintaining a close combination of paleo-proxy data analysis with climate modeling studies.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
Participating Persons
Dr. Carsten Rühlemann; Professor Dr. Michael Schulz
