Earth's transition from the Holocene into the Anthropocene: The North Atlantic Cold Blob as a signal

The North Atlantic Cold Blob marks the planet’s exit from the Holocene. Using a 12,000-year marine paleoclimate synthesis, we find that the Cold Blob contrast has left the Holocene range of natural variability in the late 20th century, with a modern rate of change substantially faster than any Holocene analogue. We discover the Quiescence Signature – a quantitative relationship linking local phase coherence to eddy kinetic energy – that explains the Cold Blob’s persistence. Under anthropogenic forcing, the joint (eddy kinetic energy, Quiescence Index) attractor deforms irreversibly, moving into phase space never visited during the Holocene. This departure is robust across emissions scenarios and establishes the Cold Blob as a definitive proxy-based marker of the Anthropocene.

For inquiries regarding access to the codes or most recent iteration of the model, installation procedures, initialization tailored to specific scientific endeavors, diverse methodologies concerning scaling and nondimensionalization, as well as opportunities for scientific collaboration, please do not hesitate to contact Masoud Rostami via email at rostamimasoud@yahoo.com or masoud.rostami@lmd.ipsl.fr.