The Irminger Gyre as a Key Driver of the Subpolar North Atlantic Overturning
Abstract The lower limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is the equatorward flow of dense waters formed through the cooling and freshening of the poleward‐flowing upper limb. In the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA), upper limb variability is primarily set by the North Atlantic...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:b334a11282db45cb9ca0dac015fb9537 2024-09-09T19:54:16+00:00 The Irminger Gyre as a Key Driver of the Subpolar North Atlantic Overturning A. Sanchez‐Franks N. P. Holliday D. G. Evans N. Fried O. Tooth L. Chafik Y. Fu F. Li M. F. deJong H. L. Johnson 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108457 https://doaj.org/article/b334a11282db45cb9ca0dac015fb9537 EN eng Wiley https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108457 https://doaj.org/toc/0094-8276 https://doaj.org/toc/1944-8007 1944-8007 0094-8276 doi:10.1029/2024GL108457 https://doaj.org/article/b334a11282db45cb9ca0dac015fb9537 Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 51, Iss 8, Pp n/a-n/a (2024) Geophysics. Cosmic physics QC801-809 article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108457 2024-08-05T17:49:22Z Abstract The lower limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is the equatorward flow of dense waters formed through the cooling and freshening of the poleward‐flowing upper limb. In the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA), upper limb variability is primarily set by the North Atlantic Current, whereas lower limb variability is less well understood. Using observations from a SPNA mooring array, we show that variability of the AMOC's lower limb is connected to poleward flow in the interior Irminger Sea. We identify this poleward flow as the northward branch of the Irminger Gyre (IG), accounting for 55% of the AMOC's lower limb variability. Over 2014–2018, wind stress curl fluctuations over the Labrador and Irminger Seas drive this IG and AMOC variability. On longer (>annual) timescales, however, an increasing trend in the thickness of intermediate water, from 2014 to 2020, within the Irminger Sea coincides with a decreasing trend in IG strength. Article in Journal/Newspaper north atlantic current North Atlantic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Curl ENVELOPE(-63.071,-63.071,-70.797,-70.797) Irminger Sea ENVELOPE(-34.041,-34.041,63.054,63.054) Geophysical Research Letters 51 8 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Geophysics. Cosmic physics QC801-809 |
spellingShingle |
Geophysics. Cosmic physics QC801-809 A. Sanchez‐Franks N. P. Holliday D. G. Evans N. Fried O. Tooth L. Chafik Y. Fu F. Li M. F. deJong H. L. Johnson The Irminger Gyre as a Key Driver of the Subpolar North Atlantic Overturning |
topic_facet |
Geophysics. Cosmic physics QC801-809 |
description |
Abstract The lower limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is the equatorward flow of dense waters formed through the cooling and freshening of the poleward‐flowing upper limb. In the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA), upper limb variability is primarily set by the North Atlantic Current, whereas lower limb variability is less well understood. Using observations from a SPNA mooring array, we show that variability of the AMOC's lower limb is connected to poleward flow in the interior Irminger Sea. We identify this poleward flow as the northward branch of the Irminger Gyre (IG), accounting for 55% of the AMOC's lower limb variability. Over 2014–2018, wind stress curl fluctuations over the Labrador and Irminger Seas drive this IG and AMOC variability. On longer (>annual) timescales, however, an increasing trend in the thickness of intermediate water, from 2014 to 2020, within the Irminger Sea coincides with a decreasing trend in IG strength. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
A. Sanchez‐Franks N. P. Holliday D. G. Evans N. Fried O. Tooth L. Chafik Y. Fu F. Li M. F. deJong H. L. Johnson |
author_facet |
A. Sanchez‐Franks N. P. Holliday D. G. Evans N. Fried O. Tooth L. Chafik Y. Fu F. Li M. F. deJong H. L. Johnson |
author_sort |
A. Sanchez‐Franks |
title |
The Irminger Gyre as a Key Driver of the Subpolar North Atlantic Overturning |
title_short |
The Irminger Gyre as a Key Driver of the Subpolar North Atlantic Overturning |
title_full |
The Irminger Gyre as a Key Driver of the Subpolar North Atlantic Overturning |
title_fullStr |
The Irminger Gyre as a Key Driver of the Subpolar North Atlantic Overturning |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Irminger Gyre as a Key Driver of the Subpolar North Atlantic Overturning |
title_sort |
irminger gyre as a key driver of the subpolar north atlantic overturning |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108457 https://doaj.org/article/b334a11282db45cb9ca0dac015fb9537 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-63.071,-63.071,-70.797,-70.797) ENVELOPE(-34.041,-34.041,63.054,63.054) |
geographic |
Curl Irminger Sea |
geographic_facet |
Curl Irminger Sea |
genre |
north atlantic current North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
north atlantic current North Atlantic |
op_source |
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 51, Iss 8, Pp n/a-n/a (2024) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108457 https://doaj.org/toc/0094-8276 https://doaj.org/toc/1944-8007 1944-8007 0094-8276 doi:10.1029/2024GL108457 https://doaj.org/article/b334a11282db45cb9ca0dac015fb9537 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108457 |
container_title |
Geophysical Research Letters |
container_volume |
51 |
container_issue |
8 |
_version_ |
1809923685386027008 |