Journal ArticleDOI
On the freshwater forcing and transport of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation
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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.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Transition Probabilities of Noise-induced Transitions of the Atlantic Ocean Circulation
TL;DR: It is found that there are two types of transitions, with a partial or full collapse of the AMOC, having different transition probabilities, and the transition probability of the partial collapse over the next 100 years is estimated to be about 15%, with a high sensitivity to the surface freshwater noise amplitude.
Journal ArticleDOI
Abrupt cold events in the North Atlantic Ocean in a transient Holocene simulation
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe two abrupt cold events that occurred during an orbitally-forced transient Holocene simulation using the Community Climate System Model version 3.0, and they were characterized by substantial surface cooling ( − 2.3 and − 1.8 ω ∘ C, respectively) and freshening ( − 0.6 and 0.5 ωPSU, respectively).
Journal ArticleDOI
Precise Calculations of the Existence of Multiple AMOC Equilibria in Coupled Climate Models. Part I: Equilibrium States
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined criteria for the existence of two stable states of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) using a combination of theory and simulations from a numerical coupled atmosphere-ocean climate model.
Journal ArticleDOI
Role of AMOC in Transient Climate Response to Greenhouse Gas Forcing in Two Coupled Models
TL;DR: In this paper, several internal climate processes can modulate the primary radiative warming response of the climate, which is expected as greenhouse gas concentrations increase, a warmer climate is expected.
Journal ArticleDOI
Stability of the global ocean circulation: The connection of equilibria within a hierarchy of models
Henk A. Dijkstra,Wilbert Weijer +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors address the problem of the multiple equilibria of the thermohaline circulation in a hierarchy of models, and explain why there is an asymmetric Atlantic circulation under a near equatorially-symmetric buoyancy forcing.
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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