Effects of Mountains and Ice Sheets on Global Ocean Circulation
The impact of mountains and ice sheets on the large-scale circulation of the world's oceans is investigated in a series of simulations with a new coupled ocean atmosphere model [Oregon State University University of Victoria model (OSUVic)], in which the height of orography is scaled from 1.5 t...
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ftpubman:oai:pure.mpg.de:item_1920741 2024-05-19T07:32:28+00:00 Effects of Mountains and Ice Sheets on Global Ocean Circulation Schmittner, A. Silva, T. Fraedrich, K. Kirk, E. Lunkeit, F. 2011 http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0018-10D2-F eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1175/2010JCLI3982.1 http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0018-10D2-F JOURNAL OF CLIMATE info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2011 ftpubman https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JCLI3982.1 2024-04-24T23:44:03Z The impact of mountains and ice sheets on the large-scale circulation of the world's oceans is investigated in a series of simulations with a new coupled ocean atmosphere model [Oregon State University University of Victoria model (OSUVic)], in which the height of orography is scaled from 1.5 times the actual height (at T42 resolution) to 0 (no mountains). The results suggest that the effects of mountains and ice sheets on the buoyancy and momentum transfer from the atmosphere to the surface ocean determine the present pattern of deep ocean circulation. Higher mountains reduce water vapor transport from the Pacific and Indian Oceans into the Atlantic Ocean and contribute to increased (decreased) salinities and enhanced (reduced) deepwater formation and meridional overturning circulation in the Atlantic (Pacific). Orographic effects also lead to the observed interhemispheric asymmetry of midlatitude zonal wind stress. The presence of the Antarctic ice sheet cools winter air temperatures by more than 20 degrees C directly above the ice sheet and sets up a polar meridional overturning cell in the atmosphere. The resulting increased meridional temperature gradient strengthens midlatitude westerlies by similar to 25% and shifts them poleward by similar to 10 degrees. This leads to enhanced and poleward-shifted upwelling of deep waters in the Southern Ocean, a stronger Antarctic Circumpolar Current, increased poleward atmospheric moisture transport, and more advection of high-salinity Indian Ocean water into the South Atlantic. Thus, it is the current configuration of mountains and ice sheets on earth that determines the difference in deep-water formation between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Southern Ocean Max Planck Society: MPG.PuRe Journal of Climate 24 11 2814 2829 |
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Open Polar |
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Max Planck Society: MPG.PuRe |
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ftpubman |
language |
English |
description |
The impact of mountains and ice sheets on the large-scale circulation of the world's oceans is investigated in a series of simulations with a new coupled ocean atmosphere model [Oregon State University University of Victoria model (OSUVic)], in which the height of orography is scaled from 1.5 times the actual height (at T42 resolution) to 0 (no mountains). The results suggest that the effects of mountains and ice sheets on the buoyancy and momentum transfer from the atmosphere to the surface ocean determine the present pattern of deep ocean circulation. Higher mountains reduce water vapor transport from the Pacific and Indian Oceans into the Atlantic Ocean and contribute to increased (decreased) salinities and enhanced (reduced) deepwater formation and meridional overturning circulation in the Atlantic (Pacific). Orographic effects also lead to the observed interhemispheric asymmetry of midlatitude zonal wind stress. The presence of the Antarctic ice sheet cools winter air temperatures by more than 20 degrees C directly above the ice sheet and sets up a polar meridional overturning cell in the atmosphere. The resulting increased meridional temperature gradient strengthens midlatitude westerlies by similar to 25% and shifts them poleward by similar to 10 degrees. This leads to enhanced and poleward-shifted upwelling of deep waters in the Southern Ocean, a stronger Antarctic Circumpolar Current, increased poleward atmospheric moisture transport, and more advection of high-salinity Indian Ocean water into the South Atlantic. Thus, it is the current configuration of mountains and ice sheets on earth that determines the difference in deep-water formation between the Atlantic and the Pacific. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Schmittner, A. Silva, T. Fraedrich, K. Kirk, E. Lunkeit, F. |
spellingShingle |
Schmittner, A. Silva, T. Fraedrich, K. Kirk, E. Lunkeit, F. Effects of Mountains and Ice Sheets on Global Ocean Circulation |
author_facet |
Schmittner, A. Silva, T. Fraedrich, K. Kirk, E. Lunkeit, F. |
author_sort |
Schmittner, A. |
title |
Effects of Mountains and Ice Sheets on Global Ocean Circulation |
title_short |
Effects of Mountains and Ice Sheets on Global Ocean Circulation |
title_full |
Effects of Mountains and Ice Sheets on Global Ocean Circulation |
title_fullStr |
Effects of Mountains and Ice Sheets on Global Ocean Circulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of Mountains and Ice Sheets on Global Ocean Circulation |
title_sort |
effects of mountains and ice sheets on global ocean circulation |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0018-10D2-F |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Southern Ocean |
op_source |
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1175/2010JCLI3982.1 http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0018-10D2-F |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1175/2010JCLI3982.1 |
container_title |
Journal of Climate |
container_volume |
24 |
container_issue |
11 |
container_start_page |
2814 |
op_container_end_page |
2829 |
_version_ |
1799470513552097280 |