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Journal ArticleDOI

On the freshwater forcing and transport of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation

Stefan Rahmstorf
- 01 Nov 1996 - 
- Vol. 12, Iss: 12, pp 799-811
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TLDR
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.

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Dynamics of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Part 1: Buoyancy-forced response

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a complete dynamical description of such "base" solutions, thereby placing the hierarchy of ocean models on a firmer foundation, and obtain solutions to two types of models: a variable-density, layer ocean model (VLOM) and an ocean general circulation model (COCO), the former allowing for nearly analytic solutions and the latter for more accurate representation of processes.
Journal ArticleDOI

The role of mean ocean salinity in climate

TL;DR: In this paper, the role of mean ocean salinity in climate was investigated using a coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model, and a 100-year sensitivity experiment in which the global mean salinity is approximately doubled from its present observed value, by adding 35 psu everywhere in the ocean.
Journal ArticleDOI

Decadal oscillations in the Mediterranean Sea: a result of the overturning circulation variability in the eastern basin?

TL;DR: In this article, the decadal variability of Mediterranean overturning circulation, induced by freshwater flux forcing in an eddy-permitting oceanic general circulation model (OGCM), using a statistical approach was studied.
Journal ArticleDOI

The role of the North Atlantic overturning and deep ocean for multi-decadal global-mean-temperature variability

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated multi-decadal variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), Northern Hemisphere sea-ice extent and global mean temperature (GMT) in an ensemble of CMIP5 models under control conditions.
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An Adjoint Analysis of the Meridional Overturning Circulation in a Hybrid Coupled Model

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed multicentury sensitivities in a realistic geometry global ocean general circulation model using an adjoint technique and demonstrated the profound impact of boundary conditions in permitting or suppressing mechanisms within a realistic model of the contemporary ocean circulation.
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

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

Wallace Broeker
- 01 Jan 1991 - 
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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