Rapid cooling and increased storminess triggered by freshwater in the North Atlantic

• Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
• Main Authors: Oltmanns, M., Karstensen, J., Moore, G. W. K., Josey, S. A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528179/; https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528179/1/SI.pdf; https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528179/2/freshwater.pdf; https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/528179/13/2020GL087207.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087207

Recent winters have been unique due to the rapid and extreme cooling of the subpolar North Atlantic. Here, we present a novel view on its causes and consequences. Combining in‐situ observations with remote sensing and atmospheric reanalysis data, we show that increased freshening of the subpolar region gives rise to a faster surface cooling in fall and winter. Large freshwater events, in particular, result in pronounced cold anomalies with sharp temperature gradients that promote an enhanced storminess. The storms reinforce the cooling by driving stronger heat losses and modulating the surface flow. Consistent with this mechanism, past freshwater events have been followed by cold anomalies in winter of ~‐2°C and increases in the North Atlantic Oscillation index of up to~0.6 within 3 years. We expect that future freshwater discharges into the North Atlantic will amplify the cold anomaly and trigger an enhanced wintertime storminess with far‐reaching climatic implications.