Energetic overturning flows, dynamic interocean exchanges, and ocean warming observed in the South Atlantic

• Published in: Communications Earth & Environment
• Main Authors: Chidichimo, María Paz, Perez, Renellys C., Speich, Sabrina, Kersalé, Marion, Sprintall, Janet, Dong, Shenfu, Lamont, Tarron, Sato, Olga T., Chereskin, Teresa K., Hummels, Rebecca, Schmid, Claudia
• Other Authors: Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios de Clima y sus Impactos Buenos Aires (IFAECI), Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera (CIMA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Buenos Aires (CONICET)-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Buenos Aires (FCEyN), Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (UBA)-Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (UBA)-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Buenos Aires (CONICET)-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Buenos Aires (FCEyN), Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (UBA)-Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (UBA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS-PSL), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2023
• Subjects: [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]; South Atlantic Ocean
• Online Access: https://insu.hal.science/insu-03993940; https://insu.hal.science/insu-03993940/document; https://insu.hal.science/insu-03993940/file/s43247-022-00644-x.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00644-x

International audience Since the inception of the international South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation initiative in the 21st century, substantial advances have been made in observing and understanding the Southern Hemisphere component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Here we synthesize insights gained into overturning flows, interocean exchanges, and water mass distributions and pathways in the South Atlantic. The overturning circulation in the South Atlantic uniquely carries heat equatorward and exports freshwater poleward and consists of two strong overturning cells. Density and pressure gradients, winds, eddies, boundary currents, and interocean exchanges create an energetic circulation in the subtropical and tropical South Atlantic Ocean. The relative importance of these drivers varies with the observed latitude and time scale. AMOC, interocean exchanges, and climate changes drive ocean warming at all depths, upper ocean salinification, and freshening in the deep and abyssal ocean in the South Atlantic. Long-term sustained observations are critical to detect and understand these changes and their impacts.