Labrador Sea subsurface density as a precursor of multidecadal variability in the North Atlantic: a multi-model study

• Published in: Earth System Dynamics
• Other Authors: Ortega, Pablo (author), Robson, Jon I. (author), Menary, Matthew (author), Sutton, Rowan T. (author), Blaker, Adam (author), Germe, Agathe (author), Hirschi, Jöel J.-M. (author), Sinha, Bablu (author), Hermanson, Leon (author), Yeager, Stephen (author)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Labrador Sea; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-12-419-2021

The subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) is a region with prominent decadal variability that has experienced remarkable warming and cooling trends in the last few decades. These observed trends have been preceded by slow-paced increases and decreases in the Labrador Sea density (LSD), which are thought to be a precursor of large-scale ocean circulation changes. This article analyses the interrelationships between the LSD and the wider North Atlantic across an ensemble of coupled climate model simulations. In particular, it analyses the link between subsurface density and the deep boundary density, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the subpolar gyre (SPG) circulation, and the upper-ocean temperature in the eastern SPNA.