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Pliocene Ice Sheet Modelling Intercomparison Project (PLISMIP) – experimental design
A. M. Dolan1, S. J. Koenig2, D. J. Hill3, A. M. Haywood1, and R. M. DeConto2
1School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
2Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
3British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK
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Abstract. During the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (3.264 to 3.025 million yr ago), global mean
temperature was similar to that predicted for the next century and atmospheric carbon
dioxide concentrations were slightly higher. Sea level was also higher than today, implying
a reduction in the extent of the ice sheets. Thus, the mid-Pliocene Warm Period provides
a unique testing ground to investigate the stability of the Earth's ice sheets and their
contribution to sea level in a warmer-than-modern world. Climate models and ice sheet models
can be used to enhance our understanding of ice sheet stability, however, uncertainties
associated with different ice-sheet modelling frameworks/approaches mean that a rigorous
comparison of numerical ice sheet model simulations for the Pliocene is essential. As an
extension to the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP; Haywood et al., 2010,
2011a), the Pliocene Ice Sheet Modelling Intercomparison Project (PLISMIP) will address
these uncertainties. Here we outline the PLISMIP experimental design and initialisation
conditions that have been adopted to simulate the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets under
present day and warm mid-Pliocene conditions. Not only will this project provide a new
benchmark in the simulation of ice sheets in a past warm period, but the analysis of model
sensitivity to various uncertainties could directly inform future predictions of ice sheet
and sea level change.
Discussion Paper (PDF, 2229 KB) Interactive Discussion (Final Response, 3 Comments) Manuscript under review for GMD Special Issue
Citation: Dolan, A. M., Koenig, S. J., Hill, D. J., Haywood, A. M., and DeConto, R. M.: Pliocene Ice Sheet Modelling Intercomparison Project (PLISMIP) – experimental design, Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., 4, 2661-2686, doi:10.5194/gmdd-4-2661-2011, 2011. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
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