Asymmetric response of the Atlantic Meridional Ocean Circulation to freshwater anomalies in a strongly-eddying global ocean model

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) responds sensitively to density changes in regions of deepwater formation. In this paper, we investigate the nonlinear response of the AMOC to large amplitude freshwater changes around Greenland using a strongly-eddying global ocean model. Due t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tellus A: Dynamic Meteorology and Oceanography
Main Authors: Sandra-Esther Brunnabend, Henk A. Dijkstra
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Stockholm University Press 2017
Subjects:
AMOC
high-resolution ocean modeling
hosing
Parallel Ocean Program
Oceanography
GC1-1581
Meteorology. Climatology
QC851-999
Greenland
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1080/16000870.2017.1299283
https://doaj.org/article/6d386e3e8a344309ad3d657b7d8130b0
Description
Summary:The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) responds sensitively to density changes in regions of deepwater formation. In this paper, we investigate the nonlinear response of the AMOC to large amplitude freshwater changes around Greenland using a strongly-eddying global ocean model. Due to a 0.5 Sv freshwater input, the maximum AMOC at 35$ ^{\circ } $N decreases by about 50% over a 45 year period. The AMOC does not recover over a period of 50 years when the freshwater input is ceased at year 45. However, when reversing the sign of the freshwater input at year 45, the AMOC needs only about 10 years to fully recover. The mechanism that causes this asymmetric response in the AMOC is clarified using water mass transformation theory.

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