Climate-ice sheet interactions during Marine Isotope Stage 11, a super interglacial ~400,000 years ago

Past climates close to present day can provide important insights to better understand the current
interglacial and its future. The MIS 11 interglacial is potentially the best recent analogue on account
of similar orbital conditions and greenhouse gas concentrations, yet was characterized by a much
longer duration, a higher global sea level stand and a stronger polar warming as compared to any
other late Quaternary interglacial. Particularly striking is evidence for a sea level rise of between 6
and 13 m above present day. This project intends to elucidate the causes and mechanisms for these
observed climate and sea-level changes by performing transient experiments with the LOVECLIM
global climate model over the full duration of MIS 11. A novel feature will be the interactive coupling
with all major ice sheets in both hemispheres, which is essential for a complete understanding of the
climate changes during this super interglacial. We will investigate the response of the climate and ice
sheets to astronomical forcing and CO2 concentration and compare them with available proxy
records. The effect of ice sheet evolution on the strong polar amplification and climate instability
during MIS 11 will also be studied. Finally, the climate of MIS 11 will be compared with the Holocene
and its possible futures. The project is characterized by a high degree of complementarity and
interdependence as both teams need each other’s expertise