SLS Seminar: Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro (MIT)

"How the subpolar gyre shaped the North Atlantic and European climate during the Little Ice Age"

The cold climate conditions that are reconstructed in the North Atlantic/Arctic and European regions during the Little Ace Age (LIA; c. 16th–18th centuries) have commonly been associated with variations in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation or North Atlantic Oscillation. The prevailing explanation assumed that the Gulf Stream, as a sort of warm-water-heating system for Europe, failed or weakened during the LIA, causing the cooling. Newer reconstructions of paleoceanographic changes during the LIA do not fully support this hypothesis, as they suggest, instead, a more important role of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre. In this seminar, I will discuss some recent advances in our understanding of the gyre dynamics during the LIA, thanks to a combination of proxy data and climate model simulations of the past millennium. Additionally, I will explore the role of the volcanic eruptions in the onset of these anomalous climate conditions.

About the Series

The Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate Sack Lunch Seminar Series is an informal seminar series within PAOC that focuses on more specialized topics than the PAOC Colloquium. Seminar topics include all research concerning the science of atmosphere, ocean and climate. The seminars usually take place on Wednesdays from 12-1pm in 54-915. The presentations are either given by an invited speaker or by a member of PAOC and can focus on new research or discussion of a paper of particular interest.