On the relationship between Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown and global surface warming
According to established understanding, deep-water formation in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean keeps the deep ocean cold, counter-acting the downward mixing of heat from the warmer surface waters in the bulk of the world ocean. Therefore, periods of strong Atlantic meridional overturning circ...
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ftpotsdamik:oai:publications.pik-potsdam.de:item_23600 2023-10-29T02:38:24+01:00 On the relationship between Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown and global surface warming Caesar, L. Rahmstorf, S. Feulner, G. 2020 application/pdf https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_23600 https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_23600_3/component/file_23601/8772oa.pdf unknown info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1088/1748-9326/ab63e3 https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_23600 https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_23600_3/component/file_23601/8772oa.pdf info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Environmental Research Letters info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2020 ftpotsdamik https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab63e3 2023-09-30T18:00:01Z According to established understanding, deep-water formation in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean keeps the deep ocean cold, counter-acting the downward mixing of heat from the warmer surface waters in the bulk of the world ocean. Therefore, periods of strong Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) are expected to coincide with cooling of the deep ocean and warming of the surface waters. It has recently been proposed that this relation may have reversed due to global warming, and that during the past decades a strong AMOC coincides with warming of the deep ocean and relative cooling of the surface, by transporting increasingly warmer waters downward. Here we present multiple lines of evidence, including a statistical evaluation of the observed global mean temperature, ocean heat content, and different AMOC proxies, that lead to the opposite conclusion: even during the current ongoing global temperature rise a strong AMOC warms the surface. The observed weakening of the AMOC has therefore delayed global surface warming rather than enhancing it. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Southern Ocean Publication Database PIK (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) Environmental Research Letters 15 2 024003 |
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Publication Database PIK (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) |
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ftpotsdamik |
language |
unknown |
description |
According to established understanding, deep-water formation in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean keeps the deep ocean cold, counter-acting the downward mixing of heat from the warmer surface waters in the bulk of the world ocean. Therefore, periods of strong Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) are expected to coincide with cooling of the deep ocean and warming of the surface waters. It has recently been proposed that this relation may have reversed due to global warming, and that during the past decades a strong AMOC coincides with warming of the deep ocean and relative cooling of the surface, by transporting increasingly warmer waters downward. Here we present multiple lines of evidence, including a statistical evaluation of the observed global mean temperature, ocean heat content, and different AMOC proxies, that lead to the opposite conclusion: even during the current ongoing global temperature rise a strong AMOC warms the surface. The observed weakening of the AMOC has therefore delayed global surface warming rather than enhancing it. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Caesar, L. Rahmstorf, S. Feulner, G. |
spellingShingle |
Caesar, L. Rahmstorf, S. Feulner, G. On the relationship between Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown and global surface warming |
author_facet |
Caesar, L. Rahmstorf, S. Feulner, G. |
author_sort |
Caesar, L. |
title |
On the relationship between Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown and global surface warming |
title_short |
On the relationship between Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown and global surface warming |
title_full |
On the relationship between Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown and global surface warming |
title_fullStr |
On the relationship between Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown and global surface warming |
title_full_unstemmed |
On the relationship between Atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown and global surface warming |
title_sort |
on the relationship between atlantic meridional overturning circulation slowdown and global surface warming |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_23600 https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_23600_3/component/file_23601/8772oa.pdf |
genre |
North Atlantic Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic Southern Ocean |
op_source |
Environmental Research Letters |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1088/1748-9326/ab63e3 https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_23600 https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_23600_3/component/file_23601/8772oa.pdf |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab63e3 |
container_title |
Environmental Research Letters |
container_volume |
15 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
024003 |
_version_ |
1781064408189894656 |