doi:10.1007/s00376-014-4171-7

An Z., J. E. Kutzbach, W. L. Prell, and S. C. Porter, 2001: Evolution of Asian monsoons and phased uplift of the Himalaya-Tibetan plateau since Late Miocene times. Nature, 411, 62- 66.

Archer C. L., K. Caldeira, 2008: Historical trends in the jet streams. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35,L08803, doi: 10.1029/ 2008GL033614.

Ballantyne A. P., Y. Axford, G. H. Miller, B. L. Otto-Bliesnere, N. Rosenbloome, and J. W. C. White, 2013: The amplification of Arctic terrestrial surface temperatures by reduced sea-ice extent during the Pliocene. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 386, 59- 67.

Bengtsson L., K. I. Hodges, and E. Roeckner, 2006: Storm tracks and climate change. J.Climate, 19, 3518- 3543.

Bragg F. J., D. J. Lunt, and A. M. Haywood, 2012: Mid-Pliocene climate modelled using the UK Hadley Centre Model: PlioMIP Experiments 1 and 2. Geoscientific Model Development, 5, 1109- 1125.

Brierley C. M., A. V. Fedorov, 2010: Relative importance of meridional and zonal sea surface temperature gradients for the onset of the ice ages and Pliocene-Pleistocene climate evolution. Paleoceanography, 25,PA2214, doi: 10.1029/2009PA 001809.

Brierley C. M., A. V. Fedorov, Z. Liu, T. D. Herbert, K. T. Lawrence, and J. P. LaRiviere, 2009: Greatly expanded tropical warm pool and weakened Hadley circulation in the early Pliocene. Science, 323, 1714- 1718.

Chan W.-L., A. Abe-Ouchi, and R. Ohgaito, 2011: Simulating the mid-Pliocene climate with the MIROC general circulation model: Experimental design and initial results. Geoscientific Model Development, 4, 1035- 1049.

Chand ler, M., D. Rind, R. Thompson, 1994: Joint investigations of the middle Pliocene climate II: GISS GCM northern hemisphere results. Global and Planetary Change, 9, 197- 219.

Chand ler, M. A., L. E. Sohl, J. A. Jonas, H. J. Dowsett, M. Kelley, 2013: Simulations of the mid-Pliocene warm period using two versions of the NASA/GISS ModelE2-R coupled Model. Geoscientific Model Development, 6, 517- 531.

Chang E. K. M., S. Lee, and K. L. Swanson, 2002: Storm track dynamics. J.Climate, 15, 2163- 2183.

Chang H., Z. S. An., F. Wu., Z. D. Jin., W. G. Liu., and Y. G. Song, 2013: A Rb/Sr record of the weathering response to environmental changes in westerly winds across the Tarim Basin in the late Miocene to the early Pleistocene. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 386, 364- 373.

Chavaillaz Y., F. Codron, and M. Kageyama, 2013: Southern westerlies in LGM and future (RCP4.5) climates. Climate of the Past, 9, 517- 524.

Contoux C., G. Ramstein, and A. Jost, 2012: Modelling the mid-Pliocene warm period climate with the IPSL coupled model and its atmospheric component LMDZ5A. Geoscientific Model Development, 5, 903- 917.

Dee, D. P., Coauthors, 2011: The ERA-Interim reanalysis: Configuration and performance of the data assimilation system. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 137, 553- 597.

Dowsett H. J., M. M. Robinson, and K. M. Foley, 2009: Pliocene three-dimensional global ocean temperature reconstruction. Climate of the Past, 5, 769- 783.

Dowsett H., Coauthors, 2010: The PRISM3D paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Stratigraphy, 7, 123- 139.

Dowsett, H. J., Coauthors, 2012: Assessing confidence in Pliocene sea surface temperatures to evaluate predictive models. Nature Climate Change, 2, 365- 371.

Dowsett, H. J., Coauthors, 2013: Sea surface temperature of the mid-Piacenzian ocean: A data-model comparison. Scientific Reports,3, doi: 10.1038/srep02013.

Duce R. A., C. K. Unni, B. J. Ray, J. M. Prospero, and J. T. Merrill, 1980: Long-range atmospheric transport of soil dust from Asia to the tropical North Pacific: Temporal variability. Science, 209, 1522- 1524.

Grise K. M., L. M. Polvani, 2014: The response of midlatitude jets to increased CO₂: Distinguishing the roles of sea surface temperature and direct radiative forcing. Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 6863- 6871.

Haywood A.M., Coauthors, 2010: Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP): Experimental design and boundary conditions (experiment 1). Geoscientific Model Development, 3, 227- 242.

Haywood A. M., H. J. Dowsett, M. M. Robinson, D. K. Stoll, A. M. Dolan, D. J. Lunt, B. Otto-Bliesner, and M. A. Chandler, 2011: Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP): Experimental design and boundary conditions (experiment 2). Geoscientific Model Development, 4, 571- 577.

Haywood, A. M., Coauthors, 2013: Large-scale features of Pliocene climate: Results from the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project. Climate of the Past, 9, 191- 209.

Hill, D. J., Coauthors, 2014: Evaluating the dominant components of warming in Pliocene climate simulations. Climate of the Past, 10, 79- 90.

Hu Y., Q. Fu, 2007: Observed poleward expansion of the Hadley circulation since 1979. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 7, 5229- 5236.

Ihara C., Y. Kushnir, 2009: Change of mean midlatitude westerlies in 21st century climate simulations. Geophys. Res. Lett., 36,L13701, doi: 10.1029/2009GL037674.

Janecek T. R., D. K. Rea, 1985: Quaternary fluctuations in the northern hemisphere trade winds and westerlies. Quaternary Research, 24, 150- 163.

Jiang D. B., 2013: Vegetation feedback at the mid-Pliocene. Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters, 6, 320- 323.

Jiang D. B., H. J. Wang, Z. L. Ding, X. M. Lang, and H. Drange, 2005: Modeling the middle Pliocene climate with a global atmospheric general circulation model. J. Geophys. Res., 110,D14107, doi: 10.1029/2004JD005639.

Johanson C. M., Q. Fu, 2009: Hadley cell widening: Model simulations versus observations. J.Climate, 22, 2713- 2725.

Kamae Y., H. Ueda, 2012: Mid-Pliocene global climate simulation with MRI-CGCM2.3: Set-up and initial results of PlioMIP Experiments 1 and 2. Geoscientific Model Development, 5, 383- 423.

Kamae Y., H. Ueda, and A. Kitoh, 2011: Hadley and Walker circulations in the mid-Pliocene warm period simulated by an atmospheric general circulation model. J. Meteor. Soc.Japan, 89, 475- 493.

Kanamitsu M., W. Ebisuzaki, J. Woollen, S. Yang, J. J. Hnilo, M. Fiorino, and G. L. Potter, 2002: NCEP-DOE AMIP-II Reanalysis (R-2). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc. , 83, 1631- 1643.

Kawatani Y., K. Hamilton, and A. Noda, 2012: The effects of changes in sea surface temperature and CO₂ concentration on the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation. J. Atmos. Sci., 69, 1734- 1749.

Kodama C., T. Iwasaki, K. Shibata, and S. Yukimoto, 2007: Changes in the stratospheric mean meridional circulation due to increased CO₂: Radiation- and sea surface temperature-induced effects. J. Geophys. Res., 112,D16103, doi: 10.1029/ 2006JD008219.

Kuhlbrodt T., A. Griesel, M. Montoya, A. Levermann, M. Hofmann, and S. Rahmstorf, 2007: On the driving processes of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Reviews of Geophysics, 45,RG2001, doi: 10.1029/2004RG000166.

Kushner P. J., I. M. Held, and T. L. Delworth, 2001: Southern hemisphere atmospheric circulation response to global warming. J.Climate, 14, 2238- 2249.

Lorenz D. J., E. T. DeWeaver, 2007: Tropopause height and zonal wind response to global warming in the IPCC scenario integrations. J. Geophys. Res., 112,D10119, doi: 10.1029/ 2006JD008087.

Lu J., G. A. Vecchi, and T. Reichler, 2007: Expansion of the Hadley cell under global warming. Geophys. Res. Lett., 34,L06805, doi: 10.1029/2006GL028443.

Lunt D. J., A. M. Haywood, G. A. Schmidt, U. Salzmann, P. J. Valdes, and H. J. Dowsett, 2010: Earth system sensitivity inferred from Pliocene modelling and data. Nature Geoscience, 3, 60- 64.

Maher B. A., 2011: The magnetic properties of Quaternary aeolian dusts and sediments, and their palaeoclimatic significance. Aeolian Research, 3, 87- 144.

Pena-Ortiz C., D. Gallego, P. Ribera, P. Ordonez, and M. D. C. Alvarez-Castro, 2013: Observed trends in the global jet stream characteristics during the second half of the 20th century. J. Geophys. Res., 118, 2702- 2713.

Qiang M., L. Lang, and Z. Wang, 2010: Do fine-grained components of loess indicate westerlies: Insights from observations of dust storm deposits at Lenghu (Qaidam Basin, China). Journal of Arid Environments, 74, 1232- 1239.

Rea D. K., 1994: The paleoclimatic record provided by eolian deposition in the deep sea: The geologic history of wind. Reviews of Geophysics, 32, 159- 195.

Rea D. K., T. R. Janecek, 1982: Late Cenozoic changes in atmospheric circulation deduced from North Pacific eolian sediments. Marine Geology, 49, 149- 167.

Rea D. K., M. Leinen, 1988: Asian aridity and the zonal westerlies: Late Pleistocene and Holocene record of eolian deposition in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 66, 1- 8.

Rea D. K., H. Snoeckx, and L. H. Joseph, 1998: Late Cenozoic eolian deposition in the North Pacific: Asian drying, Tibetan uplift, and cooling of the northern hemisphere. Paleoceanography, 13, 215- 224.

Rojas M., 2013: Sensitivity of southern hemisphere circulation to LGM and 4× CO₂ climates. Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 965- 970.

Rojas M., Coauthors, 2009: The southern westerlies during the last glacial maximum in PMIP2 simulations. Climate Dyn., 32, 525- 548.

Rosenbloom N. A., B. L. Otto-Bliesner, E. C. Brady, and P. J. Lawrence, 2013: Simulating the mid-Pliocene warm period with the CCSM4 model. Geoscientific Model Development, 6, 549- 561.

Salzmann U., A. M. Haywood, D. J. Lunt, P. J. Valdes, and D. J. Hill, 2008: A new global biome reconstruction and data-model comparison for the middle Pliocene. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 17, 432- 447.

Seidel D. J., Q. Fu, W. J. Rand el, and T. J. Reichler, 2008: Widening of the tropical belt in a changing climate. Nature Geoscience, 1, 21- 24.

Sime L. C., K. E. Kohfeld, C. Le Qu\'er\'e, E. W. Wolff, A. M. de Boer, R. M. Graham, and L. Bopp, 2013: Southern hemisphere westerly wind changes during the last glacial maximum: Model-data comparison. Quaternary Science Reviews, 64, 104- 120.

Sloan L. C., T. J. Crowley, and D. Pollard, 1996: Modeling of middle Pliocene climate with the NCAR GENESIS general circulation model. Marine Micropaleontology, 27, 51- 61.

Stepanek C., G. Lohmann, 2012: Modelling mid-Pliocene climate with COSMOS. Geoscientific Model Development, 5, 1221- 1243.

Sun D. H., 2004: Monsoon and westerly circulation changes recorded in the late Cenozoic aeolian sequences of Northern China. Global and Planetary Change, 41, 63- 80.

Sun D. H., R. X. Su, J. Bloemendal, and H. Y. Lu, 2008: Grain-size and accumulation rate records from Late Cenozoic aeolian sequences in northern China: Implications for variations in the East Asian winter monsoon and westerly atmospheric circulation. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 264, 39- 53.

Sun Y., G. Ramstein, C. Contoux, and T. J. Zhou, 2013: A comparative study of large-scale atmospheric circulation in the context of a future scenario (RCP4.5) and past warmth (mid-Pliocene). Climate of the Past, 9, 1613- 1627.

Taylor K. E., 2001: Summarizing multiple aspects of model performance in a single diagram. J. Geophys. Res., 106, 7183- 7192.

Thompson R. S., R. F. Fleming, 1996: Middle Pliocene vegetation: Reconstructions, paleoclimatic inferences, and boundary conditions for climate modeling. Marine Micropaleontology, 27, 27- 49.

Toggweiler J. R., 2009: Shifting westerlies. Science, 323, 1434- 1435.

Toggweiler J. R., J. L. Russell, and S. R. Carson, 2006: Midlatitude westerlies, atmospheric CO₂, and climate change during the ice ages. Paleoceanography , 21,PA2005, doi:10.1029/2005PA001154.

Wilcox L. J., A. J. Charlton-Perez, and L. J. Gray, 2012: Trends in Austral jet position in ensembles of high-and low-top CMIP5 models. J. Geophys. Res., 117,D13115, doi: 10.1029/2012JD017597.

Yan Q., Z. S. Zhang, H. J. Wang, D. B. Jiang, and W. P. Zheng, 2011: Simulation of sea surface temperature changes in the middle Pliocene warm period and comparison with reconstructions. Chinese Science Bulletin, 56, 890- 899.

Yan Q., Z. S. Zhang, H. J. Wang, Y. Q. Gao, and W. P. Zheng, 2012: Set-up and preliminary results of mid-Pliocene climate simulations with CAM3.1. Geoscientific Model Development, 5, 289- 297.

Yin J. H., 2005: A consistent poleward shift of the storm tracks in simulations of 21st century climate. Geophys. Res. Lett., 32,L18701, doi: 10.1029/2005GL023684.

Zhang, R., Coauthors, 2013: Mid-Pliocene East Asian monsoon climate simulated in the PlioMIP. Climate of the Past, 9, 2085- 2099.

Zhang R., D. B. Jiang, 2014: Impact of vegetation feedback on the mid-Pliocene warm climate. Adv. Atmos. Sci. ,31, 1407-1416, doi:10.1007/s00376-014-4015-5.

Zhang Z., Q. Yan, 2012: Pre-industrial and mid-Pliocene simulations with NorESM-L: AGCM simulations. Geoscientific Model Development, 5, 1033- 1043.

Zhang, Z. S., Coauthors, 2012: Pre-industrial and mid-Pliocene simulations with NorESM-L. Geoscientific Model Development, 5, 523- 533.