Observed fingerprint of a weakening Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation
The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) - a system of ocean currents in the North Atlantic - has a major impact on climate, yet its evolution during the industrial era is poorly known owing to a lack of direct current measurements. Here we provide evidence for a weakening of the AMOC...
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ftnkunivathens:oai:lib.uoa.gr:uoadl:3056600 2024-02-11T10:06:27+01:00 Observed fingerprint of a weakening Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation Caesar, L. Rahmstorf, S. Robinson, A. Feulner, G. Saba, V. 2018-01-01 https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/uoadl:3056600 Αγγλικά English eng uoadl:3056600 https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/uoadl:3056600 scientific_publication_article Επιστημονική δημοσίευση - Άρθρο Περιοδικού Scientific publication - Journal Article 2018 ftnkunivathens 2024-01-18T19:11:35Z The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) - a system of ocean currents in the North Atlantic - has a major impact on climate, yet its evolution during the industrial era is poorly known owing to a lack of direct current measurements. Here we provide evidence for a weakening of the AMOC by about 3 ± 1 sverdrups (around 15 per cent) since the mid-twentieth century. This weakening is revealed by a characteristic spatial and seasonal sea-surface temperature 'fingerprint' - consisting of a pattern of cooling in the subpolar Atlantic Ocean and warming in the Gulf Stream region - and is calibrated through an ensemble of model simulations from the CMIP5 project. We find this fingerprint both in a high-resolution climate model in response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and in the temperature trends observed since the late nineteenth century. The pattern can be explained by a slowdown in the AMOC and reduced northward heat transport, as well as an associated northward shift of the Gulf Stream. Comparisons with recent direct measurements from the RAPID project and several other studies provide a consistent depiction of record-low AMOC values in recent years. © 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd., part of Springer Nature. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Pergamos - Library and Information Center of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens |
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Open Polar |
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Pergamos - Library and Information Center of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens |
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ftnkunivathens |
language |
English |
description |
The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) - a system of ocean currents in the North Atlantic - has a major impact on climate, yet its evolution during the industrial era is poorly known owing to a lack of direct current measurements. Here we provide evidence for a weakening of the AMOC by about 3 ± 1 sverdrups (around 15 per cent) since the mid-twentieth century. This weakening is revealed by a characteristic spatial and seasonal sea-surface temperature 'fingerprint' - consisting of a pattern of cooling in the subpolar Atlantic Ocean and warming in the Gulf Stream region - and is calibrated through an ensemble of model simulations from the CMIP5 project. We find this fingerprint both in a high-resolution climate model in response to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and in the temperature trends observed since the late nineteenth century. The pattern can be explained by a slowdown in the AMOC and reduced northward heat transport, as well as an associated northward shift of the Gulf Stream. Comparisons with recent direct measurements from the RAPID project and several other studies provide a consistent depiction of record-low AMOC values in recent years. © 2018 Macmillan Publishers Ltd., part of Springer Nature. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Caesar, L. Rahmstorf, S. Robinson, A. Feulner, G. Saba, V. |
spellingShingle |
Caesar, L. Rahmstorf, S. Robinson, A. Feulner, G. Saba, V. Observed fingerprint of a weakening Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
author_facet |
Caesar, L. Rahmstorf, S. Robinson, A. Feulner, G. Saba, V. |
author_sort |
Caesar, L. |
title |
Observed fingerprint of a weakening Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
title_short |
Observed fingerprint of a weakening Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
title_full |
Observed fingerprint of a weakening Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
title_fullStr |
Observed fingerprint of a weakening Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Observed fingerprint of a weakening Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation |
title_sort |
observed fingerprint of a weakening atlantic ocean overturning circulation |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/uoadl:3056600 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
uoadl:3056600 https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/uoadl:3056600 |
_version_ |
1790604186253000704 |