title: Modelled ocean changes at the Plio-Pleistocene transition driven by Antarctic ice advance.
abstract: The Earth underwent a major transition from the warm climates of the Pliocene to the Pleistocene ice ages between 3.2 and 2.6 million years ago. The intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation is the most obvious result of the Plio-Pleistocene transition. However, recent data show that the ocean also underwent a significant change, with the convergence of deep water mass properties in the North Pacific and North Atlantic Ocean. Here we show that the lack of coastal ice in the Pacific sector of Antarctica leads to major reductions in Pacific Ocean overturning and the loss of the modern North Pacific Deep Water (NPDW) mass in climate models of the warmest periods of the Pliocene. These results potentially explain the convergence of global deep water mass properties at the Plio-Pleistocene transition, as Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) became the common source.
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Environment and Sustainability Institute, College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.
authors.forename: Kevin P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Bolton
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Alan M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Haywood