Abstract Global ocean circulation regulates climate and has undergone significant changes over the Cenozoic. Today, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is driven by North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation and Southern Ocean upwelling. By contrast, during the middle Eocene to early Oligocene (48–28 Ma), a restricted Drake Passage was limiting the northern Ekman transport, while a circum‐equatorial current sustained by trade winds promoted low‐latitude upwelling. Our set of simulations with the IPSL‐CM5A2 model reveals that this paleogeographic setting favored proto‐NADW upwelling at low latitudes, confining the AMOC to the Northern Hemisphere. Consequently, the role of southern westerly winds was limited, and the northward heat transport was weaker than in the modern ocean.
Observations from the Little Bunker
Last updated: January 27, 2026 08:12 PM
Atmospheric CO₂
428.6 ppm
+17.4
ppm/year
Atmospheric CH₄
1940.59 ppb
+-0.24
ppb/year
Global Temperature
+1.48 °C
Peak: +1.73°C
World Population
8.1 billion
+67
million/year