Influence of the Atlantic Subpolar Gyre on the Thermohaline Circulation

During the past decade, record-high salinities have been observed in the Atlantic Inflow to the Nordic Seas and the Arctic Ocean, which feeds the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC). This may counteract the observed long-term increase in freshwater supply to the area and tend to stabilize...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Hátún, Hjálmar, Sandø, Anne Britt, Drange, Helge, Hansen, Bogi, Valdimarsson, Heðinn
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2005
Subjects:
Arctic
Arctic Ocean
Nordic Seas
North Atlantic
North atlantic Thermohaline circulation
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1114777
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.1114777
Description
Summary:During the past decade, record-high salinities have been observed in the Atlantic Inflow to the Nordic Seas and the Arctic Ocean, which feeds the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC). This may counteract the observed long-term increase in freshwater supply to the area and tend to stabilize the North Atlantic THC. Here we show that the salinity of the Atlantic Inflow is tightly linked to the dynamics of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre circulation. Therefore, when assessing the future of the North Atlantic THC, it is essential that the dynamics of the subpolar gyre and its influence on the salinity are taken into account.

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