Is the windstress essential for the global meridional overturning circulation

• Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
• Main Authors: Timmermann, Axel, Goosse, H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: AGU (American Geophysical Union) 2003
• Subjects: Sea ice
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/2398/; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/2398/1/Timmermann_et_al-2004-Geophysical_Research_Letters.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/2003GL018777

We use a global coupled atmosphere-ocean sea-ice model of intermediate complexity to demonstrate that wind-forcing is a crucial element to sustain meridional overturning flow in the Atlantic. Neglecting wind-stress in our multi-century-long simulations leads to a complete shutdown of the conveyor belt circulation. This result may have tremendous impacts for an assessment of the sensitivity of 2-d climate models which typically do not capture wind-driven gyres. It is argued that wind effects may be a key element in determining the fate and length of a collapsed THC state. Possible paleo implications will be discussed.