Journal ArticleDOI
On the freshwater forcing and transport of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation
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In this article, it is argued that the freshwater loss to the atmosphere arises mainly in the subtropical South Atlantic and is balanced by northward freshwater transport in the wind-driven sub-tropical gyre, while the thermohaline circulation transports freshwater southward.Abstract:
The 'conveyor belt' circulation of the Atlantic Ocean transports large amounts of heat northward, acting as a heating system for the northern North Atlantic region. It is widely thought that this circulation is driven by atmospheric freshwater export from the Atlantic catchment region, and that it transports freshwater northward to balance the loss to the atmosphere. Using results from a simple conceptual model and a global circulation model, it is argued here that the freshwater loss to the atmosphere arises mainly in the subtropical South Atlantic and is balanced by northward freshwater transport in the wind-driven subtropical gyre, while the thermohaline circulation transports freshwater southward. It is further argued that the direction of freshwater transport is closely linked to the dynamical regime and stability of the 'conveyor belt': if its freshwater transport is indeed southward, then its flow is purely thermally driven and inhibited by the freshwater forcing. In this case the circulation is not far from Stommel's saddle-node bifurcation, and a circulation state without NADW formation would also be stable.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Investigating the Causes of the Response of the Thermohaline Circulation to Past and Future Climate Changes
Ronald J. Stouffer,Jianjun Yin,Jonathan M. Gregory,Jonathan M. Gregory,Keith W. Dixon,Michael J. Spelman,William J. Hurlin,Andrew J. Weaver,Michael Eby,Gregory M. Flato,Hiroyasu Hasumi,Aixue Hu,Johann H. Jungclaus,Igor Kamenkovich,Anders Levermann,Marisa Montoya,Shingo Murakami,Susanne Nawrath,Akira Oka,W. R. Peltier,Daniel Y. Robitaille,Andrei P. Sokolov,G. Vettoretti,S. L. Weber +23 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare the performance of different models ranging from the earth system models of intermediate complexity (EMICs) to the fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs) to document and improve understanding of the causes of wide variations in the modeled THC response.
Journal ArticleDOI
On the driving processes of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation
Till Kuhlbrodt,Alexa Griesel,Marisa Montoya,Anders Levermann,Matthias Hofmann,Stefan Rahmstorf +5 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review both observational data and model results concerning the two main candidates: vertical mixing processes in the ocean's interior and wind-induced Ekman upwelling in the Southern Ocean.
Journal ArticleDOI
Meltwater Pulse 1A from Antarctica as a Trigger of the Bølling-Allerød Warm Interval
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that with mwp-1A originating from the Antarctic Ice Sheet, consistent with recent sea-level fingerprinting inferences, the strength of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation increases, thereby warming the North Atlantic region and providing an explanation for the onset of the Bølling-Allerød warm interval.
Journal ArticleDOI
On the role of the Agulhas system in ocean circulation and climate
Lisa M. Beal,Wilhelmus P. M. de Ruijter,Arne Biastoch,Rainer Zahn,Meghan F. Cronin,Juliet Hermes,Johann R. E. Lutjeharms,Graham D. Quartly,Tomoki Tozuka,Sheekela Baker-Yeboah,Thomas G. Bornman,Paolo Cipollini,Henk A. Dijkstra,Ian Hall,Wonsun Park,Frank Peeters,Pierrick Penven,Herman Ridderinkhof,Jens Zinke +18 more
TL;DR: Detailed modelling experiments—backed by palaeoceanographic and sustained modern observations—are required to establish firmly the role of the Agulhas system in a warming climate.
Journal ArticleDOI
Characteristics of the ocean simulations in the Max Planck Institute Ocean Model (MPIOM) the ocean component of the MPI-Earth system model
Johann H. Jungclaus,Nils Fischer,Helmuth Haak,Katja Lohmann,Jochem Marotzke,Daniela Matei,Uwe Mikolajewicz,Dirk Notz,J.-S. von Storch +8 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the performance of the ocean/sea-ice model MPIOM, coupled to a new version of the atmosphere model ECHAM6 and modules for land surface and ocean biogeochemistry, is assessed for two model versions with different grid resolution in the ocean.
References
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Climatological atlas of the world ocean
TL;DR: A project to objectively analyze historical ocean temperature, salinity, oxygen, and percent oxygen saturation data for the world ocean has recently been completed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey.
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Climatological Atlas of the World Ocean
TL;DR: A project to objectively analyze historical ocean temperature, salinity, oxygen, and percent oxygen saturation data for the world ocean has recently been completed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey.
Journal ArticleDOI
Normal Monthly Wind Stress Over the World Ocean with Error Estimates
Sol Hellerman,Mel Rosenstein +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, wind and air-minus-sea temperatures are calculated in a form suitable for determining stress by any bulk aerodynamics model in which the drag coefficient can be represented by six or less coefficients of a second-degree polynomial in wind speed and stability.
Journal ArticleDOI
Interocean Exchange of Thermocline Water
TL;DR: In this paper, it is proposed that this return flow is accomplished primarily within the ocean's warm water thermocline layer, where the main thermoclines of the ocean are linked as they participate in a thermohaline-driven global scale circulation cell associated with NADW formation.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Great Ocean Conveyor
TL;DR: The ocean's conveyor appears to be driven by the salt left behind as the result of water-vapor transport through the atmosphere from the Atlantic to the Pacific basin this paper.
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