Observed mechanisms activating the recent subpolar North Atlantic Warming since 2016
The overturning circulation of the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) plays a fundamental role in Earth’s climate variability and change. Here, we show from observations that the recent warming period since about 2016 in the eastern SPNA involves increased western boundary density at the intergyre bound...
Published in: | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/536300/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/536300/1/chafik-et-al-2023-observed-mechanisms-activating-the-recent-subpolar-north-atlantic-warming-since-2016.pdf https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2022.0183 |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:536300 2023-12-24T10:22:52+01:00 Observed mechanisms activating the recent subpolar North Atlantic Warming since 2016 Chafik, Léon Holliday, Penny N. Bacon, Sheldon Baker, Jonathan A. Desbruyères, Damien Frajka-Williams, Eleanor Jackson, Laura C. 2023-12-11 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/536300/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/536300/1/chafik-et-al-2023-observed-mechanisms-activating-the-recent-subpolar-north-atlantic-warming-since-2016.pdf https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2022.0183 en eng https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/536300/1/chafik-et-al-2023-observed-mechanisms-activating-the-recent-subpolar-north-atlantic-warming-since-2016.pdf Chafik, Léon; Holliday, Penny N. orcid:0000-0002-9733-8002 Bacon, Sheldon orcid:0000-0002-2471-9373 Baker, Jonathan A.; Desbruyères, Damien; Frajka-Williams, Eleanor; Jackson, Laura C. 2023 Observed mechanisms activating the recent subpolar North Atlantic Warming since 2016. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 381 (2262). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2022.0183 <https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2022.0183> cc_by_4 Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2023 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2022.0183 2023-11-24T00:03:12Z The overturning circulation of the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) plays a fundamental role in Earth’s climate variability and change. Here, we show from observations that the recent warming period since about 2016 in the eastern SPNA involves increased western boundary density at the intergyre boundary, likely due to enhanced buoyancy forcing as a response to the strong increase in the North Atlantic Oscillation since the early 2010s. As these deep positive density anomalies spread southward along the western boundary, they enhance the North Atlantic Current and associated meridional heat transport at the intergyre region, leading to increased influx of subtropical heat into the eastern SPNA. Based on the timing of this chain of events, we conclude that this recent warming phase since about 2016 is primarily associated with this observed mechanism of changes in deep western boundary density, an essential element in these interactions. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Atlantic overturning: new observations and challenges’. Article in Journal/Newspaper north atlantic current North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 381 2262 |
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Open Polar |
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Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
The overturning circulation of the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) plays a fundamental role in Earth’s climate variability and change. Here, we show from observations that the recent warming period since about 2016 in the eastern SPNA involves increased western boundary density at the intergyre boundary, likely due to enhanced buoyancy forcing as a response to the strong increase in the North Atlantic Oscillation since the early 2010s. As these deep positive density anomalies spread southward along the western boundary, they enhance the North Atlantic Current and associated meridional heat transport at the intergyre region, leading to increased influx of subtropical heat into the eastern SPNA. Based on the timing of this chain of events, we conclude that this recent warming phase since about 2016 is primarily associated with this observed mechanism of changes in deep western boundary density, an essential element in these interactions. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Atlantic overturning: new observations and challenges’. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Chafik, Léon Holliday, Penny N. Bacon, Sheldon Baker, Jonathan A. Desbruyères, Damien Frajka-Williams, Eleanor Jackson, Laura C. |
spellingShingle |
Chafik, Léon Holliday, Penny N. Bacon, Sheldon Baker, Jonathan A. Desbruyères, Damien Frajka-Williams, Eleanor Jackson, Laura C. Observed mechanisms activating the recent subpolar North Atlantic Warming since 2016 |
author_facet |
Chafik, Léon Holliday, Penny N. Bacon, Sheldon Baker, Jonathan A. Desbruyères, Damien Frajka-Williams, Eleanor Jackson, Laura C. |
author_sort |
Chafik, Léon |
title |
Observed mechanisms activating the recent subpolar North Atlantic Warming since 2016 |
title_short |
Observed mechanisms activating the recent subpolar North Atlantic Warming since 2016 |
title_full |
Observed mechanisms activating the recent subpolar North Atlantic Warming since 2016 |
title_fullStr |
Observed mechanisms activating the recent subpolar North Atlantic Warming since 2016 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Observed mechanisms activating the recent subpolar North Atlantic Warming since 2016 |
title_sort |
observed mechanisms activating the recent subpolar north atlantic warming since 2016 |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/536300/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/536300/1/chafik-et-al-2023-observed-mechanisms-activating-the-recent-subpolar-north-atlantic-warming-since-2016.pdf https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2022.0183 |
genre |
north atlantic current North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation |
genre_facet |
north atlantic current North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/536300/1/chafik-et-al-2023-observed-mechanisms-activating-the-recent-subpolar-north-atlantic-warming-since-2016.pdf Chafik, Léon; Holliday, Penny N. orcid:0000-0002-9733-8002 Bacon, Sheldon orcid:0000-0002-2471-9373 Baker, Jonathan A.; Desbruyères, Damien; Frajka-Williams, Eleanor; Jackson, Laura C. 2023 Observed mechanisms activating the recent subpolar North Atlantic Warming since 2016. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 381 (2262). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2022.0183 <https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2022.0183> |
op_rights |
cc_by_4 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2022.0183 |
container_title |
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |
container_volume |
381 |
container_issue |
2262 |
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1786196410136264704 |