Land Surface Temperature Mid Miocene.

The data are of a simulated land only surface temperature difference between the middle Miocene at 15 million years ago and present day with US NCAR climate models. The data includes all available monthly sea surface temperature measurements from 1900 to 2000. The results recreate the temperature of 15 million years, ago which correlates to similar predictions for future climate warming.

The areas of significant temperature increase (over 6 deg C) shown are in northern America and Europe. In Western and Southern Australia, Miocene temperature was 6 C higher than present, and likely due to a stronger Leeuwin Current carrying a greater amount of equatorial water from the tropics since the Indonesian sea straits were wider and the Indonesian throughflow could be stronger. The middle Miocene Climate Optimum at 15 ma is the most recent warming event in geological history. The results suggest that our planet is heading back to the middle Miocene climate but with a different mechanism.

本数据集基于美国国家大气研究中心（National Center for Atmospheric Research, NCAR）的气候模型，模拟了1500万年前中新世中期与现代的仅陆面地表温差。本数据集涵盖了1900年至2000年间所有可获取的月度海表温度观测数据。该研究结果还原了1500万年前的气候温度状态，其与当前针对未来气候变暖的相关预测具有相关性。
研究显示升温幅度超过6℃的显著增温区域分布于北美与欧洲地区。在澳大利亚西部与南部区域，中新世时期的温度较现代高出6℃，这一现象或源于更强的卢因洋流（Leeuwin Current）：当时印尼海道更为宽阔，印尼贯穿流（Indonesian Throughflow）强度更高，携带了更多来自热带的赤道水域。1500万年前的中新世中期气候适宜期（Middle Miocene Climate Optimum）是地质历史中距今最近的大规模增温事件。研究结果表明，地球当前正朝着中新世中期的气候状态演化，但其驱动机制却存在差异。