Stabilization of dense Antarctic water supply to the Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation
The lower limb of the Atlantic overturning circulation is resupplied by the sinking of dense Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) that forms via intense air–sea–ice interactions next to Antarctica, especially in the Weddell Sea. In the last three decades, AABW has warmed, freshened and declined in volume a...
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/1/Main%20text%20and%20methods%20with%20figures.pdf https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/2/Supplementary%20information.pdf https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0561-2 |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:517264 2023-05-15T13:49:34+02:00 Stabilization of dense Antarctic water supply to the Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation Abrahamsen, E. Povl Meijers, Andrew J.S. Polzin, Kurt L. Naveira Garabato, Alberto C. King, Brian A. Firing, Yvonne L. Sallee, Jean-Baptiste Sheen, Katy L. Gordon, Arnold L. Huber, Bruce A. Meredith, Michael P. 2019-09-02 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/1/Main%20text%20and%20methods%20with%20figures.pdf https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/2/Supplementary%20information.pdf https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0561-2 en eng https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/1/Main%20text%20and%20methods%20with%20figures.pdf https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/2/Supplementary%20information.pdf Abrahamsen, E. Povl orcid:0000-0001-5924-5350 Meijers, Andrew J.S. orcid:0000-0003-3876-7736 Polzin, Kurt L.; Naveira Garabato, Alberto C.; King, Brian A. orcid:0000-0003-1338-3234 Firing, Yvonne L. orcid:0000-0002-3640-3974 Sallee, Jean-Baptiste; Sheen, Katy L.; Gordon, Arnold L.; Huber, Bruce A.; Meredith, Michael P. orcid:0000-0002-7342-7756 . 2019 Stabilization of dense Antarctic water supply to the Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation. Nature Climate Change, 9 (10). 742-746. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0561-2 <https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0561-2> Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2019 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0561-2 2023-02-04T19:45:02Z The lower limb of the Atlantic overturning circulation is resupplied by the sinking of dense Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) that forms via intense air–sea–ice interactions next to Antarctica, especially in the Weddell Sea. In the last three decades, AABW has warmed, freshened and declined in volume across the Atlantic Ocean and elsewhere, suggesting an ongoing major reorganization of oceanic overturning. However, the future contributions of AABW to the Atlantic overturning circulation are unclear. Here, using observations of AABW in the Scotia Sea, the most direct pathway from the Weddell Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, we show a recent cessation in the decline of the AABW supply to the Atlantic overturning circulation. The strongest decline was observed in the volume of the densest layers in the AABW throughflow from the early 1990s to 2014; since then, it has stabilized and partially recovered. We link these changes to variability in the densest classes of abyssal waters upstream. Our findings indicate that the previously observed decline in the supply of dense water to the Atlantic Ocean abyss may be stabilizing or reversing and thus call for a reassessment of Antarctic influences on overturning circulation, sea level, planetary-scale heat distribution and global climate. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Scotia Sea Sea ice Weddell Sea Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic Weddell Sea Scotia Sea Weddell Nature Climate Change 9 10 742 746 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
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ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
The lower limb of the Atlantic overturning circulation is resupplied by the sinking of dense Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) that forms via intense air–sea–ice interactions next to Antarctica, especially in the Weddell Sea. In the last three decades, AABW has warmed, freshened and declined in volume across the Atlantic Ocean and elsewhere, suggesting an ongoing major reorganization of oceanic overturning. However, the future contributions of AABW to the Atlantic overturning circulation are unclear. Here, using observations of AABW in the Scotia Sea, the most direct pathway from the Weddell Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, we show a recent cessation in the decline of the AABW supply to the Atlantic overturning circulation. The strongest decline was observed in the volume of the densest layers in the AABW throughflow from the early 1990s to 2014; since then, it has stabilized and partially recovered. We link these changes to variability in the densest classes of abyssal waters upstream. Our findings indicate that the previously observed decline in the supply of dense water to the Atlantic Ocean abyss may be stabilizing or reversing and thus call for a reassessment of Antarctic influences on overturning circulation, sea level, planetary-scale heat distribution and global climate. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Abrahamsen, E. Povl Meijers, Andrew J.S. Polzin, Kurt L. Naveira Garabato, Alberto C. King, Brian A. Firing, Yvonne L. Sallee, Jean-Baptiste Sheen, Katy L. Gordon, Arnold L. Huber, Bruce A. Meredith, Michael P. |
spellingShingle |
Abrahamsen, E. Povl Meijers, Andrew J.S. Polzin, Kurt L. Naveira Garabato, Alberto C. King, Brian A. Firing, Yvonne L. Sallee, Jean-Baptiste Sheen, Katy L. Gordon, Arnold L. Huber, Bruce A. Meredith, Michael P. Stabilization of dense Antarctic water supply to the Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
author_facet |
Abrahamsen, E. Povl Meijers, Andrew J.S. Polzin, Kurt L. Naveira Garabato, Alberto C. King, Brian A. Firing, Yvonne L. Sallee, Jean-Baptiste Sheen, Katy L. Gordon, Arnold L. Huber, Bruce A. Meredith, Michael P. |
author_sort |
Abrahamsen, E. Povl |
title |
Stabilization of dense Antarctic water supply to the Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
title_short |
Stabilization of dense Antarctic water supply to the Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
title_full |
Stabilization of dense Antarctic water supply to the Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
title_fullStr |
Stabilization of dense Antarctic water supply to the Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Stabilization of dense Antarctic water supply to the Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
title_sort |
stabilization of dense antarctic water supply to the atlantic ocean overturning circulation |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/1/Main%20text%20and%20methods%20with%20figures.pdf https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/2/Supplementary%20information.pdf https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0561-2 |
geographic |
Antarctic Weddell Sea Scotia Sea Weddell |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Weddell Sea Scotia Sea Weddell |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Scotia Sea Sea ice Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Scotia Sea Sea ice Weddell Sea |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/1/Main%20text%20and%20methods%20with%20figures.pdf https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517264/2/Supplementary%20information.pdf Abrahamsen, E. Povl orcid:0000-0001-5924-5350 Meijers, Andrew J.S. orcid:0000-0003-3876-7736 Polzin, Kurt L.; Naveira Garabato, Alberto C.; King, Brian A. orcid:0000-0003-1338-3234 Firing, Yvonne L. orcid:0000-0002-3640-3974 Sallee, Jean-Baptiste; Sheen, Katy L.; Gordon, Arnold L.; Huber, Bruce A.; Meredith, Michael P. orcid:0000-0002-7342-7756 . 2019 Stabilization of dense Antarctic water supply to the Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation. Nature Climate Change, 9 (10). 742-746. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0561-2 <https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0561-2> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0561-2 |
container_title |
Nature Climate Change |
container_volume |
9 |
container_issue |
10 |
container_start_page |
742 |
op_container_end_page |
746 |
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1766251665563844608 |