LETTERS Implications of the Recent Trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation for the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation
Most projections of greenhouse gas–induced climate change indicate a weakening of the thermohaline circulation (THC) in the North Atlantic in response to increased freshening and warming in the subpolar region. These changes reduce high-latitude upper-ocean density and therefore weaken the THC. Usin...
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ftciteseerx:oai:CiteSeerX.psu:10.1.1.143.6415 2023-05-15T14:49:41+02:00 LETTERS Implications of the Recent Trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation for the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation Thomas L. Delworth Keith W. Dixon The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives 2000 application/pdf http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.143.6415 http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/reference/bibliography/2000/td0005.pdf en eng http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.143.6415 http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/reference/bibliography/2000/td0005.pdf Metadata may be used without restrictions as long as the oai identifier remains attached to it. http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/reference/bibliography/2000/td0005.pdf text 2000 ftciteseerx 2016-01-07T15:02:58Z Most projections of greenhouse gas–induced climate change indicate a weakening of the thermohaline circulation (THC) in the North Atlantic in response to increased freshening and warming in the subpolar region. These changes reduce high-latitude upper-ocean density and therefore weaken the THC. Using ensembles of numerical experiments with a coupled ocean–atmosphere model, it is found that this weakening could be delayed by several decades in response to a sustained upward trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic oscillation during winter, such as has been observed over the last 30 years. The stronger winds over the North Atlantic associated with this trend extract more heat from the ocean, thereby cooling and increasing the density of the upper ocean and thus opposing the previously described weakening of the THC. This result is of particular importance if the positive trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic oscillation is a response to increasing greenhouse gases, as has been recently suggested. 1. Text Arctic Climate change North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation North atlantic Thermohaline circulation Unknown Arctic |
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English |
description |
Most projections of greenhouse gas–induced climate change indicate a weakening of the thermohaline circulation (THC) in the North Atlantic in response to increased freshening and warming in the subpolar region. These changes reduce high-latitude upper-ocean density and therefore weaken the THC. Using ensembles of numerical experiments with a coupled ocean–atmosphere model, it is found that this weakening could be delayed by several decades in response to a sustained upward trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic oscillation during winter, such as has been observed over the last 30 years. The stronger winds over the North Atlantic associated with this trend extract more heat from the ocean, thereby cooling and increasing the density of the upper ocean and thus opposing the previously described weakening of the THC. This result is of particular importance if the positive trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic oscillation is a response to increasing greenhouse gases, as has been recently suggested. 1. |
author2 |
The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives |
format |
Text |
author |
Thomas L. Delworth Keith W. Dixon |
spellingShingle |
Thomas L. Delworth Keith W. Dixon LETTERS Implications of the Recent Trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation for the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
author_facet |
Thomas L. Delworth Keith W. Dixon |
author_sort |
Thomas L. Delworth |
title |
LETTERS Implications of the Recent Trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation for the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
title_short |
LETTERS Implications of the Recent Trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation for the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
title_full |
LETTERS Implications of the Recent Trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation for the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
title_fullStr |
LETTERS Implications of the Recent Trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation for the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
LETTERS Implications of the Recent Trend in the Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation for the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
title_sort |
letters implications of the recent trend in the arctic/north atlantic oscillation for the north atlantic thermohaline circulation |
publishDate |
2000 |
url |
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.143.6415 http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/reference/bibliography/2000/td0005.pdf |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Climate change North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation North atlantic Thermohaline circulation |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation North atlantic Thermohaline circulation |
op_source |
http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/reference/bibliography/2000/td0005.pdf |
op_relation |
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.143.6415 http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/reference/bibliography/2000/td0005.pdf |
op_rights |
Metadata may be used without restrictions as long as the oai identifier remains attached to it. |
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1766320756490240000 |