scholarly journals The GEOVIDE cruise in May–June 2014 reveals an intense Meridional Overturning Circulation over a cold and fresh subpolar North Atlantic

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Zunino ◽  
Pascale Lherminier ◽  
Herlé Mercier ◽  
Nathalie Daniault ◽  
Maria Isabel García-Ibáñez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Negative Temperature ◽  
Volume Transport ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic Current ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Freshwater Fluxes ◽  
Meridional Overturning

Abstract. The GEOVIDE cruise was carried out in the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA), along the OVIDE section and across the Labrador Sea, in May–June 2014. It was planned to clarify the distribution of the trace elements and their isotopes in the SPNA as part of the GEOTRACES international program. This paper focuses on the state of the circulation and distribution of thermohaline properties during the cruise. In terms of circulation, the comparison with the 2002–2012 mean state shows a more intense Irminger current and also a weaker North Atlantic Current, with a transfer of volume transport from its northern to its central branch. However, those anomalies are compatible with the variability already observed along the OVIDE section in the 2000s. In terms of properties, the surface waters of the eastern SPNA were much colder and fresher than the averages over 2002–2012. Remarkably, in spite of negative temperature anomalies in the surface waters, the heat transport across the OVIDE section, estimated at 0.56 ± 0.06 PW, was the largest measured since 2002. This relatively large value is related to the relatively strong Meridional Overturning Circulation measured across the OVIDE section during GEOVIDE (18.7 ± 3.0 Sv). Analyzing the air-sea heat and freshwater fluxes over the eastern SPNA in relation to the heat and freshwater content changes observed during 2013 and 2014, we concluded that these changes were mainly driven by air–sea heat and freshwater fluxes rather than by ocean circulation.

scholarly journals The GEOVIDE cruise in May–June 2014 reveals an intense Meridional Overturning Circulation over a cold and fresh subpolar North Atlantic

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 5323-5342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Zunino ◽  
Pascale Lherminier ◽  
Herlé Mercier ◽  
Nathalie Daniault ◽  
Maribel I. García-Ibáñez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Negative Temperature ◽  
Volume Transport ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic Current ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Freshwater Fluxes ◽  
Meridional Overturning

Abstract. The GEOVIDE cruise was carried out in the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) along the OVIDE section and across the Labrador Sea in May–June 2014. It was planned to clarify the distribution of the trace elements and their isotopes in the SPNA as part of the GEOTRACES international program. This paper focuses on the state of the circulation and distribution of thermohaline properties during the cruise. In terms of circulation, the comparison with the 2002–2012 mean state shows a more intense Irminger Current and also a weaker North Atlantic Current, with a transfer of volume transport from its northern to its central branch. However, those anomalies are compatible with the variability already observed along the OVIDE section in the 2000s. In terms of properties, the surface waters of the eastern SPNA were much colder and fresher than the averages over 2002–2012. In spite of negative temperature anomalies in the surface waters, the heat transport across the OVIDE section estimated at 0.56 ± 0.06 PW was the largest measured since 2002. This relatively large value is related to the relatively strong Meridional Overturning Circulation measured across the OVIDE section during GEOVIDE (18.7 ± 3.0 Sv). By analyzing the air–sea heat and freshwater fluxes over the eastern SPNA in relation to the heat and freshwater content changes observed during 2013 and 2014, we concluded that on a short timescale these changes were mainly driven by air–sea heat and freshwater fluxes rather than by ocean circulation.

scholarly journals Pending recovery in the strength of the meridional overturning circulation at 26° N

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben I. Moat ◽  
David A. Smeed ◽  
Eleanor Frajka-Williams ◽  
Damien G. Desbruyères ◽  
Claudie Beaulieu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ocean Reanalysis ◽  
Buoyancy Forcing ◽  
Modelling Studies ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
Lower Magnitude

Abstract. The strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) at 26° N has now been continuously measured by the RAPID array over the period Apr 2004–Sept 2018. This record provides unique insight into the variability of the large-scale ocean circulation, previously only measured by sporadic snapshots of basin-wide transports from hydrographic sections. The continuous measurements have unveiled striking variability on timescales of days to a decade, driven largely by wind-forcing, contrasting with previous expectations about a slowly-varying, buoyancy forced large-scale ocean circulation. However, these measurements were primarily observed during a warm state of the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV) which has been steadily declining since a peak in 2008–2010. In 2013–2015, a period of strong buoyancy-forcing by the atmosphere drove intense watermass transformation in the subpolar North Atlantic and provides a unique opportunity to investigate the response of the large-scale ocean circulation to buoyancy forcing. Modelling studies suggest that the AMOC in the subtropics responds to such events with an increase in overturning transport, after a lag of 3–9 years. At 45° N, observations suggest that the AMOC my already be increasing. We have therefore examined the record of transports at 26° N to see whether the AMOC in the subtropical North Atlantic is now recovering from a previously reported low period commencing in 2009. Comparing the two latitudes, the AMOC at 26° N is higher than its previous low. Extending the record at 26° N with ocean reanalysis from GloSea5, the transport fluctuations follow those at 45° N by 0–2 years, albeit with lower magnitude. Given the short span of time and anticipated delays in the signal from the subpolar to subtropical gyres, it is not yet possible to determine whether the subtropical AMOC strength is recovering.

scholarly journals Latitudinal Structure of the Meridional Overturning Circulation Variability on Interannual to Decadal Time Scales in the North Atlantic Ocean

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 3845-3862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sijia Zou ◽  
M. Susan Lozier ◽  
Xiaobiao Xu
Keyword(s):  
Time Scales ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ekman Transport ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Coherent Component ◽  
The North ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
The North Atlantic

AbstractThe 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.

Pending recovery in the strength of the meridional overturning circulation at 26°N

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Moat ◽  
David Smeed ◽  
Eleanor Frajka-Williams ◽  
Damien Desbruyeres ◽  
Claudie Beaulieu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ocean Reanalysis ◽  
Buoyancy Forcing ◽  
Modelling Studies ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
Lower Magnitude

<div> <div> <div> <p>The strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) at 26°N has now been continuously measured by the RAPID array over the period April 2004 - Sept 2018. This record provides unique insight into the variability of the large-scale ocean circulation, previously only measured by sporadic snapshots of basin-wide transports from hydrographic sections. The continuous measurements have unveiled striking variability on timescales of days to a decade, driven largely by wind-forcing, contrasting with previous expectations about a slowly-varying, buoyancy forced large-scale ocean circulation. However, these measurements were primarily observed during a warm state of the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV) which has been steadily declining since a peak in 2008-2010. In 2013-2015, a period of strong buoyancy- forcing by the atmosphere drove intense watermass transformation in the subpolar North Atlantic and provides a unique opportunity to investigate the response of the large-scale ocean circulation to buoyancy forcing.</p> <p>Modelling studies suggest that the AMOC in the subtropics responds to such events with an increase in overturning transport, after a lag of 3-9 years. At 45°N, observations suggest that the AMOC my already be increasing. We have therefore examined the record of transports at 26°N to see whether the AMOC in the subtropical North Atlantic is now recovering from a previously reported low period commencing in 2009. Comparing the two latitudes, the AMOC at 26°N is higher than its previous low. Extending the record at 26°N with ocean reanalysis from GloSea5, the transport fluctuations follow those at 45°N by 0-2 years, albeit with lower magnitude. Given the short span of time and anticipated delays in the signal from the subpolar to subtropical gyres, it is not yet possible to determine whether the subtropical AMOC strength is recovering.</p> </div> </div> </div>

scholarly journals Locally and Remotely Forced Subtropical AMOC Variability: A Matter of Time Scales

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 5155-5172
Author(s):  
Quentin Jamet ◽  
William K. Dewar ◽  
Nicolas Wienders ◽  
Bruno Deremble ◽  
Sally Close ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Open Boundary ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Decadal Scale ◽  
Meridional Overturning

AbstractMechanisms driving the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) variability at low frequency are of central interest for accurate climate predictions. Although the subpolar gyre region has been identified as a preferred place for generating climate time-scale signals, their southward propagation remains under consideration, complicating the interpretation of the observed time series provided by the Rapid Climate Change–Meridional Overturning Circulation and Heatflux Array–Western Boundary Time Series (RAPID–MOCHA–WBTS) program. In this study, we aim at disentangling the respective contribution of the local atmospheric forcing from signals of remote origin for the subtropical low-frequency AMOC variability. We analyze for this a set of four ensembles of a regional (20°S–55°N), eddy-resolving (1/12°) North Atlantic oceanic configuration, where surface forcing and open boundary conditions are alternatively permuted from fully varying (realistic) to yearly repeating signals. Their analysis reveals the predominance of local, atmospherically forced signal at interannual time scales (2–10 years), whereas signals imposed by the boundaries are responsible for the decadal (10–30 years) part of the spectrum. Due to this marked time-scale separation, we show that, although the intergyre region exhibits peculiarities, most of the subtropical AMOC variability can be understood as a linear superposition of these two signals. Finally, we find that the decadal-scale, boundary-forced AMOC variability has both northern and southern origins, although the former dominates over the latter, including at the site of the RAPID array (26.5°N).

scholarly journals A sea change in our view of overturning in the subpolar North Atlantic

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 363 (6426) ◽  
pp. 516-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Lozier ◽  
F. Li ◽  
S. Bacon ◽  
F. Bahr ◽  
A. S. Bower ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Labrador Sea ◽  
Climate Change Projections ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Freshwater Transport ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
Prevailing View

To provide an observational basis for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projections of a slowing Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) in the 21st century, the Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP) observing system was launched in the summer of 2014. The first 21-month record reveals a highly variable overturning circulation responsible for the majority of the heat and freshwater transport across the OSNAP line. In a departure from the prevailing view that changes in deep water formation in the Labrador Sea dominate MOC variability, these results suggest that the conversion of warm, salty, shallow Atlantic waters into colder, fresher, deep waters that move southward in the Irminger and Iceland basins is largely responsible for overturning and its variability in the subpolar basin.

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