André Berger

Université Catholique de Louvain - UCLouvain | UCLouvain · Earth and Life Institute

Various abrupt climate events have been reported during the last glacial period, but their regional expressions and causes remain complex and not fully understood largely due to lack of high-resolution paleoclimate records. In this study, a high-resolution loess sequence is presented from North China which is significantly influenced by the East As...

Understanding the sea ice variability and the mechanisms involved during warm periods of the Earth is essential for a better understanding of the sea ice changes at the present and in the future. Based on simulations with the model LOVECLIM, this study investigates the sea ice variations during the last nine interglacials and focuses on the inter-c...

Cooling threshold The end of each interglacial period over the past 800,000 years was characterized by large, abrupt cooling episodes that were distinct from the gradual decrease in insolation that was occurring. Why did these sudden coolings occur? Yin et al . used a suite of climate models to show that an insolation threshold exists, beneath whic...

The origin of the long-term variations of the astronomical elements used by Milankovitch are first described, followed by the value of the astronomical periods. The detailed calculations by Milankovitch of the incoming solar radiation during the astronomical and caloric half-years are summarized, stressing the originality of the caloric ones. The s...

Knowing the evolution history of the climate systems in the Asian inland dominated by either the Westerlies or the Asian monsoon, and understanding their associated driving mechanisms are crucial for assessing future trends of climate and environmental conditions in this region, but both the evolution and mechanisms are still under debate. In this...

The atmospheric mechanisms responsible for the loess grain‐size variations in central Asia are less clear, and an increasing number of studies have found that the coarse‐grained component is likely supplied by the surface circulation rather than by the westerlies (westerlies circulation). In this study, we attempt to determine the atmospheric dynam...

The response of the climate system to astronomical parameters is an important scientific issue, but the internal processes and feedbacks need to be better understood. This study investigates the differences of the climate response to the astronomical forcing between the Northern (NH) and Southern (SH) hemispheres based on a more than 90,000-year lo...

Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 13 (∼500 ka ago) was a relatively weak interglacial according to the benthic δ¹⁸O and Antarctic ice core records. However, proxy records from the Northern Hemisphere indicate that MIS-13 was at least as warm as or even warmer than more recent interglacials, with an extremely strong summer monsoon and possible melting of t...

The evolution and driving factors underlying dust activity in central Asia remain controversial, particularly in its effects on downwind regions. We present a Holocene dust storm activity record retrieved from the Tarim Basin (TB) and perform linear and nonlinear analyses on dust records from the TB and the Greenland areas. The results indicate a s...

The mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) is widely recognized as a shift in paleoclimatic periodicity from 41- to 100-kyr cycles, which largely reflects integrated changes in global ice volume, sea level, and ocean temperature from the marine realm. However, much less is known about monsoon-induced terrestrial vegetation change across the MPT. Here, on...

Although recent decades have been the warmest since 1850, and global mean temperatures during 2015 and 2016 beat all instrumental records, the rate of increase in global surface air temperature (GSAT) significantly decreased at the beginning of the 21st Century. In this context, we examine the roles of ice melting and associated increase in sea-wat...

The framework MESSAGE from the IIASA fulfills the IPCC requirement RCP 2.6. To achieve this, it proposes the use of massive deployment of Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS), dealing with tens of billion tons of CO2. However, present knowledge of this process rests on a few experiments at the annual million tons level. MESSAGE includes three s...

The framework MESSAGE from the IIASA fulfills the IPCC requirement RCP 2.6. To achieve this, it proposes the use of massive deployment of Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS), dealing with tens of billion tons of CO2. However, present knowledge of this process rests on a few experiments at the annual million tons level. MESSAGE includes three s...

A rapid development of nuclear energy production reaching 173 EJ/y in 2060 and 605 EJ/y in 2110 limits the Global Mean Surface Temperature (GMST) increase to 1.5°C with respect to preindustrial value, with a reduction of the stored carbon dioxide from 800 Gt in the original MESSAGE-Efficiency scenario to 275 Gt in the present one, while multiplying...

A rapid development of nuclear energy production reaching 173 EJ/y in 2060 and 605 EJ/y in 2110 limits the Global Mean Surface Temperature (GMST) increase to 1.5°C with respect to preindustrial value, with a reduction of the stored carbon dioxide from 800 Gt in the original MESSAGE-Efficiency scenario to 275 Gt in the present one, while multiplying...

The present work explores the possibility to limit global warming without CCS or drastic decrease of energy consumption. It proposes to start the strong development of nuclear energy as soon as 2020 rather than 2060 as in the case of the MESSAGE “Supply” scenario. This corresponds to our Supply-N scenario.

Interglacials, including the present (Holocene) period, are warm, low land-ice extent (high sea?level), end members of glacial cycles. Based on a sea-level definition, we identify eleven interglacials in the last 800,000 years, a result that is robust to alternative definitions. Data compilations suggest that, despite spatial heterogeneity, Marine...

During Marine Isotope Stage (MIS)-13, an interglacial about 500 000 years ago, the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) was suggested exceptionally strong by different proxies in China. However, MIS-13 is a weak interglacial in marine oxygen isotope records and has relatively low CO2 and CH4 concentrations compared to other interglacials of the last 80...

Multiple terrestrial records suggest that marine isotopic stage 13 (MIS-13), an interglacial period approximately 0.5 million years ago, had the strongest East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) of the last one million years. This is unexpected given that, compared to other interglacials, MIS-13 was globally cooler with a lower CO2 concentration. We use t...

During Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 13, an interglacial about 500 000 years ago, the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) was suggested exceptionally strong by different proxies in China. However, MIS-13 is a weak interglacial in marine oxygen isotope records and has relatively low CO2 and CH4 concentrations compared to other interglacials of the last 80...

The climate of the Marine Isotopic Stage 13 (MIS-13) is explored in the fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model the Hadley Centre Coupled Model, version 3 (HadCM3). It is found that the strong insolation forcing at the time imposed a strengthened land-ocean thermal contrast, resulting in an intensified summer monsoon over Asia. The...

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the climate of the last interglacial simulated by two climate models of different complexities, CCSM3 (Community Climate System Model 3) and LOVECLIM (LOch-Vecode-Ecbilt-CLio-agIsm Model). The simulated surface temperature, hydrological cycle, vegetation and ENSO variability during the last interglacial ar...

The climate response to peak interglacial forcing during Marine Isotopic Stages (MIS) 1, 5, 9, 11 and 19 is examined using the Community Climate System Model 3. We determine which interglacial provides the closest analogue to peak MIS1 climate as well as how the variations in forcing between these interglacials translate into different surface clim...

The Eemian period, also known as MIS-5, experienced warmer than today climate, reduction in ice sheets and important sea-level rise. These interesting features have made the Eemian appropriate to evaluate climate models when forced with astronomical and greenhouse gas forcings different from today. In this work, we present the simulated Eemian clim...

During Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 13, an interglacial about 500,000 years ago, the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) was suggested by the loess records from northern China to be exceptionally strong (the strongest over the last one million years). This is quite surprising because MIS-13 was globally a cool interglacial with relatively low CO2 conce...

A sectorially averaged, ocean-atmosphere-sea-ice model is used to compare the climatic impacts of a freshwater input (FI) in the North Atlantic ocean in pre-industrial and glacial climates. The FI is designed in order to be compatible with paleoceanographic evidence about Heinrich Events (HE) 4 and 5. In agreement with previous studies performed in...

The Last Interglaciation (∼130 to 116 ka) is a time period with a strong astronomically-induced seasonal forcing of insolation compared to modern. Proxy records indicate a significantly different climate to that of the modern, in particular Arctic summer warming and higher eustatic sea level. Because the forcings are relatively well constrained, it...

The last interglaciation (~130 to 116 ka) is a time period with a strong astronomically induced seasonal forcing of insolation compared to the present. Proxy records indicate a significantly different climate to that of the modern, in particular Arctic summer warming and higher eustatic sea level. Because the forcings are relatively well constraine...

The astronomical theory aims to explain the recurrence of the Quaternary glacial-interglacial cycles. This theory shows that the changes in the eccentricity, obliquity, and climatic precession induce changes in the latitudinal and seasonal distribution of the incoming solar radiation. These changes, in turn, force the climate to vary from a glacial...

The occurrence of glacials is associated with NH summer at aphelion, a large eccentricity, and a low obliquity. For the interglacials, researchers tentatively associated them with NH summer at perihelion, a large eccentricity, and a large obliquity. Such simultaneous occurrences guarantee maximized energy received by the NH during its summer. A lar...

Many palaeoclimate studies have quantified pre-anthropogenic climate change to calculate climate sensitivity (equilibrium temperature change in response to radiative forcing change), but a lack of consistent methodologies produces a wide range of estimates and hinders comparability of results. Here we present a stricter approach, to improve interco...

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the climate of the last interglacial simulated by two climate models of different complexities, LOVECLIM and CCSM3. The simulated surface temperature, hydrological cycle, vegetation and ENSO variability during the last interglacial are analyzed through the comparison with the simulated Pre-Industrial (PI)...

The mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) of the global climate system, marked by a shift of previously dominant 41-ka cycles to lately dominant 100-ka cycles roughly in the mid-Pleistocene, is one of the fundamental enigma in the Quaternary climate evolution. The process and origin of the MPT remain of persistent interest and conjecture. Here we presen...

Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 13, an interglacial about 500,000 years ago, is unique due to an exceptionally strong East Asia summer monsoon (EASM) occurring in a relatively cool climate with low greenhouse gas concentrations (GHG). This paper attempts to find one of the possible mechanisms for this seeming paradox. Simulations with an Earth System mo...

Determining interglacial diversity, primarily as a function of duration, intensity and unique climate responses to Earth's orbital variations has become a focal point for researchers trying to better understand our current interglacial. Numerous interglacials have been espoused as Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 1 analogues or windows into the future o...

Studying the paleo-monsoon during past interglacials is a valuable approach to improve our understanding of the monsoon system in present-day and future climates. We focus on Marine Isotopic stage 13 (MIS-13; ~0.5 Ma) which was a relatively cool interglacial, but with a paradoxically intense monsoonal precipitation over eastern and southern Asia. O...

The climate response associated with the interglacial peaks of the last 1 million years is investigated with an Earth model of intermediate complexity, LOVECLIM, to the variations of the astronomically induced insolation and of the greenhouse gas concentrations. The dates selected are those where the Northern Hemisphere summer occurs at perihelion....

Paleoclimatic reconstructions help us to discover the natural variability of the climate system over time scales ranging from years to hundreds of thousands of years. They are fundamental in climate research, especially now, because they provide a unique set of data to validate models over climatic regimes largely different from those of the last 1...

Experts in climate and water sciences from Canada, the United States, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, Serbia, and other European countries and the UNESCO gathered at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts on the occasion of the 130th birthday anniversary of the geophysicist Milutin Milankovitch. The collection of their presentations is...

The Chinese loess-paleosol sequences have led to a great understanding of the evolution of the East Asian monsoon (EAM) in the Quaternary. However, evolution of the EAM in the late Miocene and Pliocene is quite blurry, hindering our understanding of the mechanisms driving the EAM. Thus, we obtained high-resolution grain size records of 8.1 Ma from...

As a first qualitative assessment tool, LOVECLIM has been used to investigate the interactions between insolation, ice sheets and the East Asian Monsoon at the Marine Isotopic Stage 13 (MIS–13) in work by Yin et al. (Clim Past 4:79–90, 2008, Clim Past 5:229–243, 2009). The results are in need of validation with a more sophisticated model, which is...

The individual contributions of insolation and greenhouse gases (GHG) to the interglacial climates of the past 800,000years are quantified through simulations with a model of intermediate complexity LOVECLIM and using the factor separation technique. The interglacials are compared in terms of their forcings and responses of surface air temperature,...

The individual contributions of insolation and greenhouse gases (GHG) to the interglacial climates of the past 800,000 years, as well as their combined effects and synergism, are quantified through simulations with an Earth system model of intermediate complexity and using the factor separation technique. The interglacials are compared in terms of...

Assuming that changes in the oxygen isotopic composition of the deep sea arise mainly from changes in the continental ice volume, the deep-sea records show that MIS-13 is among the most glaciated interglacials and therefore most probably among the coolest ones over the last one million years. The most important interstadial of MIS-13 is MIS-13.1 wi...

The calculation of the total solar energy received during a given interval of time over the year requires more attention than the calculation of the daily incoming solar radiation (daily insolation). It depends indeed upon whether the time interval is defined in terms of the true longitude or of the calendar date. The details of such a calculation...

Investigations during the last twenty-five years have demonstrated that the astronomically related 19, 23 and 41-kyr quasi-periodicities actually occur in long records of the Quaternary climate. But the same investigations identified also the largest climatic cycle as being about 100-kyr long. This cycle, the most striking feature of the Quaternary...

Assuming that changes in the oxygen isotopic composition of the deep sea arise mainly from changes in the continental ice volume, the deep-sea records show that MIS-13 would be among the most glaciated interglacials and therefore most probably among the coolest ones over the last one million years. However, some proxy records indicate unusually hig...

Reconstructions of climate from marine sediment and ice cores show that the amplitude of glacial-interglacial climate cycles increased substantially after the Mid-Brunhes Event, about 430,000 years ago. Interglacial periods before the event seem to be characterized by larger continental ice sheets, lower sea level, cooler temperatures in Antarctica...

Earth's climate has progressively cooled over the past 3 million years with a concomitant expansion of continental ice volume. This global trend towards increasingly severe and extended ice ages has nevertheless been repeatedly interrupted by relatively mild/warm interglacial intervals such as the one that has characterized the past 11,000 years. P...

Earth's climate has progressively cooled over the past 3 million years with a concomitant expansion of continental ice volume. This global trend towards increasingly severe and extended ice ages has nevertheless been repeatedly interrupted by relatively mild/warm interglacial intervals such as the one that has characterized the past 11,000 years. P...

Simulations with an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity are made to investigate the role of insolation and the size of ice sheets on the regional and global climate for marine isotope stage (MIS) 13. The astronomical forcing is selected at two dates with opposite precession, one when Northern Hemisphere summer (NHS) occurs at perihelion (...

The instrumental period of meteorological record is too short to capture the full variability of the climate system and, in particular to visualize the type of climate that is predicted to occur over the next decades and centuries. It is therefore important to reconstruct past climates and understand past climatic variations. Among them, those rela...

Simulations with an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity are made to investigate the role of insolation and the size of ice sheets on the regional and global climate for marine isotope stage (MIS) 13. The astronomical forcing is selected at two dates with opposite precession, one when Northern Hemisphere summer (NHS) occurs at perihelion (...

We correlate the China loess and Antarctica ice records to address the inter-hemispheric climate link over the past 800 ka. The results show a broad coupling between Asian and Antarctic climates at the glacial-interglacial scale. However, a number of decoupled aspects are revealed, among which marine isotope stage (MIS) 13 exhibits a strong anomaly...

Face au changement climatique, quelle est la responsabilité des scientifiques, des économistes et des décideurs politiques ? Celle des philosophes, des moralistes, des théologiens? enfin, celle de chacun, d'entre nous? Cette, question, qui interroge l'éthique, n'a encore été, que, rarement abordée. en France. Préparé à, l'issue d'un colloque tenu à...