|   | 
Details
   web
Records
Author Zou, S.; Lozier, M.S.; Xu, X.
Title Latitudinal Structure of the Meridional Overturning Circulation Variability on Interannual to Decadal Time Scales in the North Atlantic Ocean Type $loc['typeJournal Article']
Year 2020 Publication Journal of Climate Abbreviated Journal J. Climate
Volume 33 Issue 9 Pages 3845-3862
Keywords Deep convection; Ocean circulation; Thermocline circulation
Abstract The latitudinal structure of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) variability in the North Atlantic is investigated using numerical results from three ocean circulation simulations over the past four to five decades. We show that AMOC variability south of the Labrador Sea (53°N) to 25°N can be decomposed into a latitudinally coherent component and a gyre-opposing component. The latitudinally coherent component contains both decadal and interannual variabilities. The coherent decadal AMOC variability originates in the subpolar region and is reflected by the zonal density gradient in that basin. It is further shown to be linked to persistent North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) conditions in all three models. The interannual AMOC variability contained in the latitudinally coherent component is shown to be driven by westerlies in the transition region between the subpolar and the subtropical gyre (40°–50°N), through significant responses in Ekman transport. Finally, the gyre-opposing component principally varies on interannual time scales and responds to local wind variability related to the annual NAO. The contribution of these components to the total AMOC variability is latitude-dependent: 1) in the subpolar region, all models show that the latitudinally coherent component dominates AMOC variability on interannual to decadal time scales, with little contribution from the gyre-opposing component, and 2) in the subtropical region, the gyre-opposing component explains a majority of the interannual AMOC variability in two models, while in the other model, the contributions from the coherent and the gyre-opposing components are comparable. These results provide a quantitative decomposition of AMOC variability across latitudes and shed light on the linkage between different AMOC variability components and atmospheric forcing mechanisms.
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0894-8755 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Funding Approved $loc['no']
Call Number COAPS @ user @ Serial 1106
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Xu, X.; Rhines, P.B.; Chassignet, E.P.
Title On Mapping the Diapycnal Water Mass Transformation of the Upper North Atlantic Ocean Type $loc['typeJournal Article']
Year 2018 Publication Journal of Physical Oceanography Abbreviated Journal J. Phys. Oceanogr.
Volume 48 Issue 10 Pages 2233-2258
Keywords Atmosphere-ocean interaction; Boundary currents; Diapycnal mixing; Fronts; Thermocline circulation
Abstract Diapycnal water mass transformation is the essence behind the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and the associated heat/freshwater transports. Existing studies have mostly focused on the transformation that is forced by surface buoyancy fluxes, and the role of interior mixing is much less known. This study maps the three-dimensional structure of the diapycnal transformation, both surface forced and mixing induced, using results of a high-resolution numerical model that have been shown to represent the large-scale structure of the AMOC and the North Atlantic subpolar/subtropical gyres well. The analyses show that 1) annual mean transformation takes place seamlessly from the subtropical to the subpolar North Atlantic following the surface buoyancy loss along the northward-flowing upper AMOC limb; 2) mixing, including wintertime convection and warm-season restratification by mesoscale eddies in the mixed layer and submixed layer diapycnal mixing, drives transformations of (i) Subtropical Mode Water in the southern part of the subtropical gyre and (ii) Labrador Sea Water in the Labrador Sea and on its southward path in the western Newfoundland Basin; and 3) patterns of diapycnal transformations toward lighter and denser water do not align zonally�the net three-dimensional transformation is significantly stronger than the zonally integrated, two-dimensional AMOC streamfunction (50% in the southern subtropical North Atlantic and 60% in the western subpolar North Atlantic).
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Place of Publication Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0022-3670 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Funding Approved $loc['no']
Call Number COAPS @ user @ Serial 951
Permanent link to this record

2000 Levy Avenue
Building A, Suite 292
Tallahassee, FL 32306-2741
Phone: (850) 644-4581
Fax: (850) 644-4841
contact@coaps.fsu.edu

© 2024 Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS), Florida State University

Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS)