Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Variations of Indian and African monsoons induced by insolation changes at 6 and 9.5 kyr BP

  • Published:
Climate Dynamics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study investigates the role of insolation in controlling the Indian and African monsoon evolutions during the Holocene using coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations of 0, 6, 9.5 kyr BP climates, for which only the variations of Earth’s orbital configuration are considered. The two monsoon systems are enhanced at 6 and 9.5 kyr BP, compared to 0 kyr BP, as a result of the intensified seasonal cycle of insolation in the Northern Hemisphere. The analysis of daily climatologies indicates that even though the length of the “celestial” summer season is shorter at 9.5 kyr BP, the rainy season is longer than at present. Emphasis is put on the impact of the precession on the seasonality, which partly explains why the relative amplification of the Indian and African monsoon varies between 9.5 and 6 kyr BP. Moreover, the changes in snow cover over the Tibetan Plateau play a critical role in reinforcing the 9.5 kyr BP monsoon in India during spring. The results suggest that the teleconnection between convection over India and subsidence over the Mediterranean regions, through the Rodwell and Hoskins mechanism, has an impact on the development of the African monsoon at 9.5 kyr BP.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Berger AL (1978) Long-term variations of daily insolation and quaternary climatic changes. J Atmos Sci 35(12):2362–2367

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braconnot P, Marti O (2003) Impact of precession on monsoon characteristics from coupled ocean atmosphere experiments: changes in Indian monsoon and Indian ocean climatology. Mar Geol 201(1–3):23–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braconnot P, Joussaume S, de Noblet N, Ramstein G (2000a) Mid-Holocene and last glacial maximum African monsoon changes as simulated within the Paleoclimate modelling intercomparison project. Glob Planet Change 26(1–3):51–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braconnot P, Marti O, Joussaume S, Leclainche Y (2000b) Ocean feedback in response to 6 kyr BP insolation. J Clim 13(9):1537–1553

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braconnot P, Hourdin F, Bony S, Dufresne JL, Grandpeix JY, Marti O (2007a) Impact of different convective cloud schemes on the simulation of the tropical seasonal cycle in a coupled ocean-atmosphere model. Clim Dyn 29(5):501–520

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braconnot P, Otto-Bliesner B, Harrison S, Joussaume S, Peterchmitt JY, Abe-Ouchi A, Crucifix M, Driesschaert E, Fichefet T, Hewitt CD, Kageyama M, Kitoh A, Laine A, Loutre MF, Marti O, Merkel U, Ramstein G, Valdes P, Weber SL, Yu Y, Zhao Y (2007b) Results of PMIP2 coupled simulations of the Mid-Holocene and last glacial maximum—Part 1: experiments and large-scale features. Clim Past 3(2):261–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braconnot P, Otto-Bliesner B, Harrison S, Joussaume S, Peterchmitt JY, Abe-Ouchi A, Crucifix M, Driesschaert E, Fichefet T, Hewitt CD, Kageyama M, Kitoh A, Loutre MF, Marti O, Merkel U, Ramstein G, Valdes P, Weber L, Yu Y, Zhao Y (2007c) Results of PMIP2 coupled simulations of the Mid-Holocene and last glacial maximum—Part 2: feedbacks with emphasis on the location of the ITCZ and mid- and high latitudes heat budget. Clim Past 3(2):279–296

    Google Scholar 

  • Braconnot P, Marzin C, Gregoire L, Mosquet E, Marti O (2008) Monsoon response to changes in earth’s orbital parameters: comparisons between simulations of the eemian and of the holocene. Clim Past Discuss 4:459–493

    Google Scholar 

  • Chou C, Neelin JD (2003) Mechanisms limiting the northward extent of the northern summer monsoons over North America, Asia, and Africa. J Clim 16(3):406–425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Claussen M, Gayler V (1997) The greening of the Sahara during the Mid-Holocene: results of an interactive atmosphere-biome model. Glob Ecol Biogeogr Lett 6(5):369–377

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crucifix M, Loutre MF, Tulkens P, Fichefet T, Berger A (2002) Climate evolution during the Holocene: a study with an Earth system model of intermediate complexity. Clim Dyn 19(1):43–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Menocal P, Ortiz J, Guilderson T, Adkins J, Sarnthein M, Baker L, Yarusinsky M (2000) Abrupt onset and termination of the African Humid Period: rapid climate responses to gradual insolation forcing. Quatern Sci Rev 19(1–5):347–361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • deNoblet N, Braconnot P, Joussaume S, Masson V (1996) Sensitivity of simulated Asian and African summer monsoons to orbitally induced variations in insolation 126, 115 and 6kBP. Clim Dyn 12(9):589–603

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fasullo J (2004) A stratified diagnosis of the Indian monsoon-Eurasian snow cover relationship. J Clim 17(5):1110–1122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fichefet T, Maqueda MAM (1997) Sensitivity of a global sea ice model to the treatment of ice thermodynamics and dynamics. J Geophys Res 102(C6):12,609–12,646

    Google Scholar 

  • Fleitmann D, Burns SJ, Mangini A, Mudelsee M, Kramers J, Villa I, Neff U, Al-Subbary AA, Buettner A, Hippler D, Matter A (2007) Holocene ITCZ and Indian monsoon dynamics recorded in stalagmites from Oman and Yemen (Socotra). Quatern Sci Rev 26(1–2):170–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gasse F (2000) Hydrological changes in the African tropics since the Last Glacial Maximum. Quatern Sci Rev 19(1–5):189–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guilyardi E (2006) El Nino-mean state-seasonal cycle interactions in a multi-model ensemble. Climate Dyn 26(4):329–348

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta AK, Anderson DM, Pandey DN, Singhvi AK (2006) Adaptation and human migration, and evidence of agriculture coincident with changes in the Indian summer monsoon during the Holocene. Curr Sci 90(8):1082–1090

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall NMJ, Peyrille P (2006) Dynamics of the west African monsoon. J Phys IV 139:81–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt CD, Mitchell JFB (1996) Gcm simulations of the climate of 6 kyr bp: mean changes and interdecadal variability. J Clim 9(12):3505–3529

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt CD, Mitchell JFB (1998) A fully coupled GCM simulation of the climate of the Mid-Holocene. Geophys Res Lett 25(3):361–364

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoelzmann P, Jolly D, Harrison SP, Laarif F, Bonnefille R, Pachur HJ (1998) Mid-Holocene land-surface conditions in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula: A data set for the analysis of biogeophysical feedbacks in the climate system. Global Biogeochem Cycles 12(1):35–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hourdin F, Musat I, Bony S, Braconnot P, Codron F, Dufresne JL, Fairhead L, Filiberti MA, Friedlingstein P, Grandpeix JY, Krinner G, Levan P, Li ZX, Lott F (2006) The LMDZ4 general circulation model: climate performance and sensitivity to parametrized physics with emphasis on tropical convection. Clim Dyn 27(7–8):787–813

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jolly D, Prentice IC, Bonnefille R, Ballouche A, Bengo M, Brenac P, Buchet G, Burney D, Cazet JP, Cheddadi R, Edorh T, Elenga H, Elmoutaki S, Guiot J, Laarif F, Lamb H, Lezine AM, Maley J, Mbenza M, Peyron O, Reille M, Reynaud-Farrera I, Riollet G, Ritchie JC, Roche E, Scott L, Ssemmanda I, Straka H, Umer M, Van Campo E, Vilimumbalo S, Vincens A, Waller M (1998) Biome reconstruction from pollen and plant macrofossil data for Africa and the Arabian peninsula at 0 and 6000 years. J Biogeogr 25(6):1007–1027

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joussaume S, Braconnot P (1997) Sensitivity of paleoclimate simulation results to season definitions. J Geophys Res 102(D2):1943–1956

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joussaume S, Taylor KE, Braconnot P, Mitchell JFB, Kutzbach JE, Harrison SP, Prentice IC, Broccoli AJ, Abe-Ouchi A, Bartlein PJ, Bonfils C, Dong B, Guiot J, Herterich K, Hewitt CD, Jolly D, Kim JW, Kislov A, Kitoh A, Loutre MF, Masson V, McAvaney B, McFarlane N, de Noblet N, Peltier WR, Peterschmitt JY, Pollard D, Rind D, Royer JF, Schlesinger ME, Syktus J, Thompson S, Valdes P, Vettoretti G, Webb RS, Wyputta U (1999) Monsoon changes for 6000 years ago: results of 18 simulations from the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). Geophys Res Lett 26(7):859–862

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitoh A, Murakami S (2002) Tropical pacific climate at the Mid-Holocene and the last glacial maximum simulated by a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model. Paleoceanography 17(3):1047

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krinner G, Viovy N, de Noblet-Ducoudre N, Ogee J, Polcher J, Friedlingstein P, Ciais P, Sitch S, Prentice IC (2005) A dynamic global vegetation model for studies of the coupled atmosphere-biosphere system. Glob Biogeochem Cycles 19(1):GB1015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kripalani RH, Oh JH, Kulkarni A, Sabade SS, Chaudhari HS (2007) South Asian summer monsoon precipitation variability: coupled climate model simulations and projections under IPCC AR4. Theor Appl Climatol 90(3–4):133–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kutzbach JE, Gallimore RG (1988) Sensitivity of a coupled atmosphere mixed layer ocean model to changes in orbital forcing at 9000 years BP. J Geophys Res 93(D1):803–821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kutzbach JE, Liu Z (1997) Response of the African monsoon to orbital forcing and ocean feedbacks in the middle Holocene. Science 278(5337):440–443

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leloup JA, Lachkar Z, Boulanger JP, Thiria S (2007) Detecting decadal changes in ENSO using neural networks. Clim Dyn 28(2–3):147–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Levitus S (1982) Climatological Atlas of the World Ocean. Professional paper, NOAA/GFDL

  • Lezine AM, Tiercelin JJ, Robert C, Saliege JF, Cleuziou S, Inizan ML, Braemer F (2007) Centennial to millennial-scale variability of the Indian monsoon during the early Holocene from a sediment, pollen and isotope record from the desert of Yemen. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 243(3–4):235–249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li CF, Yanai M (1996) The onset and interannual variability of the Asian summer monsoon in relation to land sea thermal contrast. J Clim 9(2):358–375

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu XD, Yanai M (2001) Relationship between the Indian monsoon rainfall and the tropospheric temperature over the Eurasian continent. Q J R Meteor Soc 127(573):909–937

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu XD, Liu ZY, Kutzbach JE, Clemens SC, Prell WL (2006) Hemispheric insolation forcing of the Indian Ocean and Asian monsoon: local versus remote impacts. J Clim 19(23):6195–6208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z, Otto-Bliesner B, Kutzbach J, Li L, Shields C (2003) Coupled climate simulation of the evolution of global monsoons in the Holocene. J Clim 16(15):2472–2490

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z, Harrison SP, Kutzbach J, Otto-Bliesner B (2004) Global monsoons in the Mid-Holocene and oceanic feedback. Clim Dyn 22(2–3):157–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Z, Wang Y, Gallimore R, Gasse F, Johnson T, deMenocal P, Adkins J, Notaro M, Prenticer IC, Kutzbach J, Jacob R, Behling P, Wang L, Ong E (2007) Simulating the transient evolution and abrupt change of Northern Africa atmosphere-ocean-terrestrial ecosystem in the Holocene. Quatern Sci Rev 26(13–14):1818–1837

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu ZY, Kutzbach J, Wu LX (2000) Modeling climate shift of El Nino variability in the Holocene. Geophys Res Lett 27(15):2265–2268

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madec G, Delecluse P, Imbard M, Levy C (1998) OPA version 8.1 ocean general circulation model reference manual. LODYC/IPSL, Paris, France, 11

  • Marti O, Braconnot P, Bellier J, Bony S, Brockmann P, Cadule P, Caubel A, Denvil JL S andDufresne, Fairhead MA L and Filiberti, Foujols MA, Fichefet T, Friedlingstein P, Goosse H, Grandpeix JY, Hourdin F, Krinner G, Lvy C, Madec G, Musat I, deNoblet N, Polcher J, Talandier C (2005) The new IPSL climate system model: IPSL-Cm4. Note du Ple de Modlisation n26: ISSN 1288–1619

  • Meehl GA, Covey C, Delworth T, Latif M, McAvaney B, Mitchell JFB, Stouffer RJ, Taylor KE (2007) The WCRP CMIP3 multimodel dataset—a new era in climate change research. Bull Amer Meteor Soc 88(9):1383–+

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohgaito R, Abe-Ouchi A (2007) The role of ocean thermodynamics and dynamics in Asian summer monsoon changes during the Mid-Holocene. Clim Dyn 29(1):39–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otto-Bliesner BL (1999) El nino la nina and sahel precipitation during the middle holocene. Geophys Res Lett 26(1):87–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peyrille P, Lafore JP, Redelsperger JL (2007) An idealized two-dimensional framework to study the West African monsoon. Part I: Validation and key controlling factors. J Atmos Sci 64(8):2765–2782

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prasad S, Enzel Y (2006) Holocene paleoclimates of India. Quatern Res 66(3):442–453

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prell WL, Kutzbach JE (1987) Monsoon variability over the past 150,000 years. J Geophys Res 92(D7):8411–8425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prentice IC, Webb T (1998) BIOME 6000: reconstructing global Mid-Holocene vegetation patterns from palaeoecological records. J Biogeogr 25(6):997–1005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodwell MJ, Hoskins BJ (1996) Monsoons and the dynamics of deserts. Quart J Roy Meteor Soc 122(534):1385–1404

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider EK, Lindzen RS (1976) Influence of stable stratification on thermally driven tropical boundary-layer. J Atmos Sci 33(7):1301–1307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solomon S, Qin D, Manning M, Chen Z, Marquis M, Averyt KB, Tignor M, Miller HL (eds) (2007) IPCC 2007: climate change 2007: the physical basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

  • Srinivasan J (2006) Holocene precipitation and theories of monsoon. J Geol Soc India 68(3):527–532

    Google Scholar 

  • Su H, Neelin JD (2005) Dynamical mechanisms for african monsoon changes during the Mid-Holocene. J Geophys Res 110(D19):D19,105

    Google Scholar 

  • Terray L, Sevault E, Guilyardi E, Thual O (1995) The OASIS coupler user guide version 2.0.

  • Texier D, de Noblet N, Harrison SP, Haxeltine A, Jolly D, Joussaume S, Laarif F, Prentice IC, Tarasov P (1997) Quantifying the role of biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks in climate change: coupled model simulations for 6000 years BP and comparison with palaeodata for northern Eurasia and northern Africa. Clim Dyn 13(12):865–882

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Voss R, Mikolajewicz U (2001) The climate of 6000 years bp in near-equilibrium simulations with a coupled aogcm. Geophys Res Lett 28(11):2213–2216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang B (ed) (2006) The Asian Monsoon. Springer/Praxis Publishing Co., Heidelberg/Chichester

  • Wang PX, Clemens S, Beaufort L, Braconnot P, Ganssen G, Jian ZM, Kershaw P, Sarnthein M (2005) Evolution and variability of the Asian monsoon system: state of the art and outstanding issues. Quatern Sci Rev 24(5–6):595–629

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright H, Kutzbach J, Webb III T, Ruddiman W, Street-Perrot F, Bartlein P (eds) (1993) Global climates since the last glacial maximum. University of Minnesota Press

  • Wu RG, Kirtman BP (2007) Observed relationship of spring and summer East Asian rainfall with winter and spring Eurasian snow. J Clim 20(7):1285–1304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xavier PK, Marzin C, Goswami BN (2007) An objective definition of the Indian summer monsoon season and a new perspective on the ENSO-monsoon relationship. Q J R Meteor Soc 133(624):749–764

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie PP, Arkin PA (1997) Global precipitation: a 17-year monthly analysis based on gauge observations, satellite estimates, and numerical model outputs. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 78:2539–2558

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yanai M, Li CF (1994) Mechanism of heating and the boundary-layer over the Tibetan Plateau. Mon Weather Rev 122(2):305–323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yanai MH, Li CF, Song ZS (1992) Seasonal heating of the Tibetan Plateau and its effects on the evolution of the Asian summer monsoon. J Meteor Soc Japan 70(1B):319–351

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Y, Braconnot P, Marti O, Harrison SP, Hewitt C, Kitoh A, Liu Z, Mikolajewicz U, Otto-Bliesner B, Weber SL (2005) A multi-model analysis of the role of the ocean on the African and Indian monsoon during the Mid-Holocene. Clim Dyn 25(7–8):777–800

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Y, Braconnot P, Harrison SP, Yiou P, Marti O (2007) Simulated changes in the relationship between tropical ocean temperatures and the western African monsoon during the Mid-Holocene. Clim Dyn 28(5):533–551

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Charline Marzin is funded by a grant from the Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique. Computer time was provided by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (IDRIS computing center) and the Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique (CCRT computing center). CMAP Precipitation data is provided by the NOAA/OAR/ESRL PSD, Boulder, Colorado, USA, from their Web site at http://www.cdc.noaa.go. This work is a contribution to the French “ANR blanc” PICC project and to the “ANR Vulnérabilité Climat et Milieu” SAHELP project. We would like to thank Prince K. Xavier, Sonke Zaehle and Alessandro Tagliabue for technical assistance and proof reading of this manuscript. The reviewers of this paper have greatly contributed to improve the quality and the presentation of this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. LSCE/IPSL, UMR CEA-CNRS-UVSQ 1572, Orme des merisers, bat. 712, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Charline Marzin & Pascale Braconnot

Authors
  1. Charline Marzin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pascale Braconnot
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Charline Marzin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Marzin, C., Braconnot, P. Variations of Indian and African monsoons induced by insolation changes at 6 and 9.5 kyr BP. Clim Dyn 33, 215–231 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-009-0538-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-009-0538-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation