Tropical pacific influences on the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation
Most global climate models simulate a weakening of the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation (THC) in response to enhanced greenhouse warming. Both surface warming and freshening in high latitudes, the so-called sinking region, contribute to the weakening of the THC. Some models simulate even a co...
Published in: | Annals of Geophysics |
---|---|
Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2003
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0012-01C2-B http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0007-F882-E |
id |
ftpubman:oai:pure.mpg.de:item_995332 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftpubman:oai:pure.mpg.de:item_995332 2023-08-20T04:08:13+02:00 Tropical pacific influences on the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation Latif, M. 2003-02 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0012-01C2-B http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0007-F882-E eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.4401/ag-3392 http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0012-01C2-B http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0007-F882-E info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Annals of Geophysics info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2003 ftpubman https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-3392 2023-08-01T21:26:54Z Most global climate models simulate a weakening of the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation (THC) in response to enhanced greenhouse warming. Both surface warming and freshening in high latitudes, the so-called sinking region, contribute to the weakening of the THC. Some models simulate even a complete breakdown of the THC at sufficiently strong forcing. Here results from a state-of-the-art global climate model are presented that does not simulate a weakening of the THC in response to greenhouse warming. Large-scale air-sea interactions in the tropics, similar to those operating during present-day El Ninos, lead to anomalously high salinities in the tropical Atlantic. These are advected into the sinking region, thereby increasing the surface density and compensating the effects of the local warming and freshening. The results of the model study are corroborated by the analysis of observations. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic North atlantic Thermohaline circulation Max Planck Society: MPG.PuRe Pacific Annals of Geophysics 46 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Max Planck Society: MPG.PuRe |
op_collection_id |
ftpubman |
language |
English |
description |
Most global climate models simulate a weakening of the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation (THC) in response to enhanced greenhouse warming. Both surface warming and freshening in high latitudes, the so-called sinking region, contribute to the weakening of the THC. Some models simulate even a complete breakdown of the THC at sufficiently strong forcing. Here results from a state-of-the-art global climate model are presented that does not simulate a weakening of the THC in response to greenhouse warming. Large-scale air-sea interactions in the tropics, similar to those operating during present-day El Ninos, lead to anomalously high salinities in the tropical Atlantic. These are advected into the sinking region, thereby increasing the surface density and compensating the effects of the local warming and freshening. The results of the model study are corroborated by the analysis of observations. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Latif, M. |
spellingShingle |
Latif, M. Tropical pacific influences on the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
author_facet |
Latif, M. |
author_sort |
Latif, M. |
title |
Tropical pacific influences on the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
title_short |
Tropical pacific influences on the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
title_full |
Tropical pacific influences on the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
title_fullStr |
Tropical pacific influences on the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Tropical pacific influences on the North Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation |
title_sort |
tropical pacific influences on the north atlantic thermohaline circulation |
publishDate |
2003 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0012-01C2-B http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0007-F882-E |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
North Atlantic North atlantic Thermohaline circulation |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic North atlantic Thermohaline circulation |
op_source |
Annals of Geophysics |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.4401/ag-3392 http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-001M-0000-0012-01C2-B http://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0007-F882-E |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.4401/ag-3392 |
container_title |
Annals of Geophysics |
container_volume |
46 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1774720384150536192 |