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. 2017 Sep 13;3(9):e1700156. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1700156

Fig. 4. Weak SST gradients and subsurface warming in Pliocene simulation.

Fig. 4

Annual mean SSTs for (A) the preindustrial control and (B) the Pliocene-like experiment. Note the reduced meridional and zonal large-scale SST gradients within the Pliocene-like simulation [see the study by Burls and Fedorov (34) for a detailed comparison with available SST reconstructions from locations around the globe]. (C and D) Zonal-mean ocean temperature change between the Pliocene-like and control simulations for (C) the Pacific and (D) the Atlantic. Superimposed circles show estimated Pliocene temperature changes based on available reconstructions. Consistent with North Atlantic temperature reconstructions from Site 607 (36) and Site 926 (37), the deep ocean is 2° to 3°C warmer in Pliocene simulation. In line with the estimates by Lear et al. (37) from Site 806, waters between 2000 and 3000 m in the Pacific are 2° to 3°C warmer. Below 3000 m, the deep-ocean warming is less in the Pacific Ocean than in the Atlantic, with bottom-water temperatures only between 1° and 2°C warmer than the control, which is arguably consistent with recent Pliocene bottom-water temperature estimates (40).