Modelling Oxygen Isotopes in the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model for Pre-industrial and Last Glacial Maximum Conditions

Implementing oxygen isotopes ((H2O)-O-18, (H2O)-O-16) in coupled climate models provides both an important test of the individual model's hydrological cycle and a powerful tool to explore past climate changes mechanistically while producing results directly comparable to isotope proxy records. Here we describe the addition of oxygen isotopes to the University of Victoria Earth System Climate Model (UVic ESCM). Equilibrium simulations are performed for pre-industrial and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) conditions. The oxygen isotope content in the model's pre-industrial climate is compared with observations for precipitation and seawater. The distribution of oxygen isotopes during the LGM is compared with available paleo-reconstructions.