Evaluation of a Finite-Element Sea-Ice ocean model (FESOM) setup to study the interannual to decadal variability in the deep-water formation rates.

• Published in: Ocean Dynamics
• Main Authors: Scholz, P., Lohmann, G., Wang, Q., Danilov, S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: SPRINGER HEIDELBERG 2013
• Subjects: Greenland; Greenland Sea; Labrador Sea; North Atlantic Deep Water; North Atlantic; Ross Sea; Sea ice; Weddell Sea
• Online Access: https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/32834/; https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/32834/1/pscholz_ocean_dynamics_2013.pdf; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.41357; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.41357.d001

The characteristics of a global set-up of the Finite-Element Sea-Ice Ocean Model under forcing of the period 1958–2004 are presented. The model set-up is designed to study the variability in the deep-water mass formation areas and was therefore regionally better resolved in the deep-water formation areas in the Labrador Sea, Greenland Sea, Weddell Sea and Ross Sea. The sea-ice model reproduces realistic sea-ice distributions and variabilities in the sea-ice extent of both hemispheres as well as sea-ice transport that compares well with observational data. Based on a comparison between model and ocean weather ship data in the North Atlantic, we observe that the vertical structure is well captured in areas with a high resolution. In our model set-up, we are able to simulate decadal ocean variability including several salinity anomaly events and corresponding fingerprint in the vertical hydrography. The ocean state of the model set-up features pronounced variability in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation as well as the associated mixed layer depth pattern in the North Atlantic deep-water formation areas.