Wind-driven Oscillations in the Meridional Overturning Circulation near the equator

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Blaker ◽  
Michael Bell ◽  
Joel Hirschi ◽  
Amy Bokota
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Equations Of Motion ◽  
Normal Modes ◽  
Ocean Basin ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Equatorial Region ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
Inertia Gravity Waves

<p>Numerical model studies have shown the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) to exhibit variability on near-inertial timescales, and also indicate a region of enhanced variability on the equator. We present an analysis of a set of integrations of a global configuration of a numerical ocean model, which show very large amplitude oscillations in the MOCs in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans confined to the equatorial region. The amplitude of these oscillations is proportional to the width of the ocean basin, typically about 100 (200) Sv in the Atlantic (Pacific). We show that these oscillations are driven by surface winds within 10°N/S of the equator, and their periods (typically 4-10 days) correspond to a small number of low mode equatorially trapped planetary waves. Furthermore, the oscillations can be well reproduced by idealised wind-driven simulations linearised about a state of rest. Zonally integrated linearised equations of motion are solved using vertical normal modes and equatorial meridional modes representing Yanai and inertia-gravity waves. Idealised simulations capture between 85% and 95% of the variance of matching time-series segments diagnosed from the NEMO integrations. Similar results are obtained for the corresponding modes in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Our results raise questions about the roles of inertia-gravity waves near the equator in the vertical transfer of heat and momentum and whether these transfers will be explicitly resolved by ocean models or need to be parametrised.</p>

scholarly journals Wind-driven Oscillations in the Meridional Overturning Circulation near the Equator. Part I: Numerical models

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam T. Blaker ◽  
Joël J.-M. Hirschi ◽  
Michael J. Bell ◽  
Amy Bokota
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Models ◽  
Ocean Basin ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Equatorial Region ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Model Studies ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
State Of Rest

AbstractThe great ocean conveyor presents a time-mean perspective on the interconnected network of major ocean currents. Zonally integrating the meridional velocities, either globally or across basin-scale domains reduces the conveyor to a 2D projection widely known as the meridional overturning circulation (MOC). Recent model studies have shown the MOC to exhibit variability on near-inertial timescales, and also indicate a region of enhanced variability on the Equator. We present an analysis of three integrations of a global configuration of a numerical ocean model, which show very large amplitude oscillations in the MOCs in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans confined to the equatorial region. The amplitude of these oscillations is proportional to the width of the ocean basin, typically about 100 (200) Sv in the Atlantic (Pacific). We show that these oscillations are driven by surface winds within 10°N/S of the Equator, and their periods (typically 4-10 days) correspond to a small number of low mode equatorially trapped planetary waves. Furthermore, the oscillations can be well reproduced by idealised wind-driven simulations linearised about a state of rest.

scholarly journals Arctic–North Atlantic Interactions and Multidecadal Variability of the Meridional Overturning Circulation

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (19) ◽  
pp. 4013-4031 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johann H. Jungclaus ◽  
Helmuth Haak ◽  
Mojib Latif ◽  
Uwe Mikolajewicz
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Deep Water Formation ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Multidecadal Variability ◽  
Water Formation ◽  
Meridional Overturning

Abstract Analyses of a 500-yr control integration with the non-flux-adjusted coupled atmosphere–sea ice–ocean model ECHAM5/Max-Planck-Institute Ocean Model (MPI-OM) show pronounced multidecadal fluctuations of the Atlantic overturning circulation and the associated meridional heat transport. The period of the oscillations is about 70–80 yr. The low-frequency variability of the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) contributes substantially to sea surface temperature and sea ice fluctuations in the North Atlantic. The strength of the overturning circulation is related to the convective activity in the deep-water formation regions, most notably the Labrador Sea, and the time-varying control on the freshwater export from the Arctic to the convection sites modulates the overturning circulation. The variability is sustained by an interplay between the storage and release of freshwater from the central Arctic and circulation changes in the Nordic Seas that are caused by variations in the Atlantic heat and salt transport. The relatively high resolution in the deep-water formation region and the Arctic Ocean suggests that a better representation of convective and frontal processes not only leads to an improvement in the mean state but also introduces new mechanisms determining multidecadal variability in large-scale ocean circulation.

scholarly journals A Decomposition of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation into Physical Components Using Its Sensitivity to Vertical Diffusivity

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 636-650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette Mignot ◽  
Anders Levermann ◽  
Alexa Griesel
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Scaling Law ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Small Range ◽  
Vertical Diffusion ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Vertical Diffusivity ◽  
Meridional Overturning

Abstract The sensitivity of the Atlantic Ocean meridional overturning circulation to the vertical diffusion coefficient κ in the global coupled atmosphere–ocean–sea ice model CLIMBER-3α is investigated. An important feature of the three-dimensional ocean model is its low-diffusive tracer advection scheme. The strength Mmax of the Atlantic overturning is decomposed into three components: 1) the flow MS exported southward at 30°S, 2) the large-scale upward flow that balances vertical diffusion in the Atlantic, and 3) a wind-dependent upwelling flux Wbound along the Atlantic boundaries that is not due to vertical diffusion. The export of water at 30°S varies only weakly with κ, but is strongly correlated with the strength of the overflow over the Greenland–Scotland ridge. The location of deep convection is found to be mixing dependent such that a shift from the Nordic seas to the Irminger Sea is detected for high values of κ. The ratio R = MS/Mmax gives a measure of the interhemispheric overturning efficiency and is found to decrease linearly with κ. The diffusion-induced upwelling in the Atlantic is mostly due to the uniform background value of κ while parameterization of enhanced mixing over rough topography and in stratified areas gives only a weak contribution to the overturning strength. It increases linearly with κ. This is consistent with the classic 2/3 scaling law only when taking the linear variation of the density difference to κ into account. The value of Wbound is roughly constant with κ but depends linearly on the wind stress strength in the North Atlantic. The pycnocline depth is not sensitive to changes in κ in the model used herein, and the results suggest that it is primarily set by the forcing of the Southern Ocean winds. The scaling of the total overturning strength with κ depends on the combined sensitivity of each of the terms to κ. In the range of background diffusivity values in which no switch in deep convection sites is detected, Mmax scales linearly with the vertical diffusivity. It is argued that scalings have, in general, to be interpreted with care because of the generally very small range of κ but also because of possible shifts in important physical processes such as deep convection location.

A Simple Linear Model of the Depth Dependence of the Wind-Driven Variability of the Meridional Overturning Circulation

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 492-502 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Killworth
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flux ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Return Flow ◽  
Vertical Position ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
East West

Abstract The part of the meridional overturning circulation driven by time-varying winds is usually assumed to be an Ekman flux within a mixed layer, and a depth- and laterally independent return flow beneath. For a simple linear frictional ocean model, the return flow is studied for a range of frequencies from several days to decades. It is shown that while the east–west integral of the return flow is usually, but not always, almost independent of depth, the spatial distribution of the return flow varies strongly with both horizontal and vertical position. This can have important consequences for calculations of the northward heat flux, which traditionally assumes a spatially uniform return flow.

scholarly journals Changes in extreme regional sea surface height due to an abrupt weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation

Ocean Science ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 881-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.-E. Brunnabend ◽  
H. A. Dijkstra ◽  
M. A. Kliphuis ◽  
B. van Werkhoven ◽  
H. E. Bal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Sea Surface Height ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
The North ◽  
Meridional Overturning

Abstract. As an extreme scenario of dynamical sea level changes, regional sea surface height (SSH) changes that occur in the North Atlantic due to an abrupt weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) are simulated. Two versions of the same ocean-only model are used to study the effect of ocean model resolution on these SSH changes: a high-resolution (HR) strongly eddying version and a low-resolution (LR) version in which the effect of eddies is parameterised. The weakening of the AMOC is induced in both model versions by applying strong freshwater perturbations around Greenland. A rapid decrease of the AMOC in the HR version induces much shorter return times of several specific regional and coastal extremes in North Atlantic SSH than in the LR version. This effect is caused by a change in main eddy pathways associated with a change in separation latitude of the Gulf Stream.

scholarly journals Millennial Variability in an Idealized Ocean Model: Predicting the AMOC Regime Shifts

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 3551-3564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Sévellec ◽  
Alexey V. Fedorov
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Salient Feature ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Small Perturbations ◽  
Ocean Stratification ◽  
The North ◽  
Chaotic Model ◽  
Meridional Overturning

Abstract A salient feature of paleorecords of the last glacial interval in the North Atlantic is pronounced millennial variability, commonly known as Dansgaard–Oeschger events. It is believed that these events are related to variations in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and heat transport. Here, the authors formulate a new low-order model, based on the Howard–Malkus loop representation of ocean circulation, capable of reproducing millennial variability and its chaotic dynamics realistically. It is shown that even in this chaotic model changes in the state of the meridional overturning circulation are predictable. Accordingly, the authors define two predictive indices which give accurate predictions for the time the circulation should remain in the on phase and then stay in the subsequent off phase. These indices depend mainly on ocean stratification and describe the linear growth of small perturbations in the system. Thus, monitoring particular indices of the ocean state could help predict a potential shutdown of the overturning circulation.

scholarly journals Fueling primary productivity: nutrient return pathways from the deep ocean and their dependence on the Meridional Overturning Circulation

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 4045-4088 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. Palter ◽  
J. L. Sarmiento ◽  
A. Gnanadesikan ◽  
J. Simeon ◽  
D. Slater
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
Surface Fluxes ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Nutrient Return ◽  
Mode Water ◽  
Meridional Overturning

Abstract. In the Southern Ocean, mixing and upwelling in the presence of heat and freshwater surface fluxes transform subpycnocline water to lighter densities as part of the upward branch of the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC). One hypothesized impact of this transformation is the restoration of nutrients to the global pycnocline, without which biological productivity at low latitudes would be catastrophically reduced. Here we use a novel set of modeling experiments to explore the causes and consequences of the Southern Ocean nutrient return pathway. Specifically, we quantify the contribution to global productivity of nutrients that rise from the ocean interior in the Southern Ocean, the northern high latitudes, and by mixing across the low latitude pycnocline. In addition, we evaluate how the strength of the Southern Ocean winds and the parameterizations of subgridscale processes change the dominant nutrient return pathways in the ocean. Our results suggest that nutrients upwelled from the deep ocean in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and subducted in Subantartic Mode Water support between 33 and 75% of global primary productivity between 30° S and 30° N. The high end of this range results from an ocean model in which the MOC is driven primarily by wind-induced Southern Ocean upwelling, a configuration favored due to its fidelity to tracer data, while the low end results from an MOC driven by high diapycnal diffusivity in the pycnocline. In all models, the high preformed nutrients subducted in the SAMW layer are converted rapidly (in less than 40 years) to remineralized nutrients, explaining previous modeling results that showed little influence of the drawdown of SAMW surface nutrients on atmospheric carbon concentrations.

Influence of the Meridional Overturning Circulation on Tropical Atlantic Climate and Variability

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1403-1416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reindert J. Haarsma ◽  
Edmo Campos ◽  
Wilco Hazeleger ◽  
Camiel Severijns
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Layer ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Ocean Model ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
The North ◽  
Meridional Overturning ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract The influence of the meridional overturning circulation on tropical Atlantic climate and variability has been investigated using the atmosphere–ocean coupled model Speedy-MICOM (Miami Isopycnic Coordinate Ocean Model). In the ocean model MICOM the strength of the meridional overturning cell can be regulated by specifying the lateral boundary conditions. In case of a collapse of the basinwide meridional overturning cell the SST response in the Atlantic is characterized by a dipole with a cooling in the North Atlantic and a warming in the tropical and South Atlantic. The cooling in the North Atlantic is due to the decrease in the strength of the western boundary currents, which reduces the northward advection of heat. The warming in the tropical Atlantic is caused by a reduced ventilation of water originating from the South Atlantic. This effect is most prominent in the eastern tropical Atlantic during boreal summer when the mixed layer attains its minimum depth. As a consequence the seasonal cycle as well as the interannual variability in SST is reduced. The characteristics of the cold tongue mode are changed: the variability in the eastern equatorial region is strongly reduced and the largest variability is now in the Benguela, Angola region. Because of the deepening of the equatorial thermocline, variations in the thermocline depth in the eastern tropical Atlantic no longer significantly affect the mixed layer temperature. The gradient mode remains unaltered. The warming of the tropical Atlantic enhances and shifts the Hadley circulation. Together with the cooling in the North Atlantic, this increases the strength of the subtropical jet and the baroclinicity over the North Atlantic.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document