Freshwater transport in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system: a passive ocean
Conservation of water demands that meridional ocean and atmosphere freshwater transports (FWT) are of equal magnitude but opposite in direction. This suggests that the atmospheric FWT and its associated latent heat (LH) transport could be thought of as a \textquotedblleft coupled ocean/atmosphere mo...
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ftunivreading:oai:centaur.reading.ac.uk:40161 2024-06-23T07:56:43+00:00 Freshwater transport in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system: a passive ocean Ferreira, David Marshall, John 2015-07 text https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/40161/ https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/40161/1/Ferreira_Marshall_15_accepted.pdf en eng Springer Verlag https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/40161/1/Ferreira_Marshall_15_accepted.pdf Ferreira, D. <https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/view/creators/90005370.html> orcid:0000-0003-3243-9774 and Marshall, J. (2015) Freshwater transport in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system: a passive ocean. Ocean Dynamics, 65 (7). pp. 1029-1036. ISSN 1616-7341 doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-015-0846-6 <https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-015-0846-6> Article PeerReviewed 2015 ftunivreading https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-015-0846-6 2024-06-11T15:04:44Z Conservation of water demands that meridional ocean and atmosphere freshwater transports (FWT) are of equal magnitude but opposite in direction. This suggests that the atmospheric FWT and its associated latent heat (LH) transport could be thought of as a \textquotedblleft coupled ocean/atmosphere mode\textquotedblright. But what is the true nature of this coupling? Is the ocean passive or active? Here we analyze a series of simulations with a coupled ocean-atmosphere-sea ice model employing highly idealized geometries but with markedly different coupled climates and patterns of ocean circulation. Exploiting streamfunctions in specific humidity coordinates for the atmosphere and salt coordinates for the ocean to represent FWT in their respective medium, we find that atmospheric FWT/LH transport is essentially independent of the ocean state. Ocean circulation and salinity distribution adjust to achieve a return freshwater pathway demanded of them by the atmosphere. So, although ocean and atmosphere FWTs are indeed coupled by mass conservation, the ocean is a passive component acting as a reservoir of freshwater. Article in Journal/Newspaper Sea ice CentAUR: Central Archive at the University of Reading Ocean Dynamics 65 7 1029 1036 |
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CentAUR: Central Archive at the University of Reading |
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ftunivreading |
language |
English |
description |
Conservation of water demands that meridional ocean and atmosphere freshwater transports (FWT) are of equal magnitude but opposite in direction. This suggests that the atmospheric FWT and its associated latent heat (LH) transport could be thought of as a \textquotedblleft coupled ocean/atmosphere mode\textquotedblright. But what is the true nature of this coupling? Is the ocean passive or active? Here we analyze a series of simulations with a coupled ocean-atmosphere-sea ice model employing highly idealized geometries but with markedly different coupled climates and patterns of ocean circulation. Exploiting streamfunctions in specific humidity coordinates for the atmosphere and salt coordinates for the ocean to represent FWT in their respective medium, we find that atmospheric FWT/LH transport is essentially independent of the ocean state. Ocean circulation and salinity distribution adjust to achieve a return freshwater pathway demanded of them by the atmosphere. So, although ocean and atmosphere FWTs are indeed coupled by mass conservation, the ocean is a passive component acting as a reservoir of freshwater. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ferreira, David Marshall, John |
spellingShingle |
Ferreira, David Marshall, John Freshwater transport in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system: a passive ocean |
author_facet |
Ferreira, David Marshall, John |
author_sort |
Ferreira, David |
title |
Freshwater transport in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system: a passive ocean |
title_short |
Freshwater transport in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system: a passive ocean |
title_full |
Freshwater transport in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system: a passive ocean |
title_fullStr |
Freshwater transport in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system: a passive ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Freshwater transport in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system: a passive ocean |
title_sort |
freshwater transport in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system: a passive ocean |
publisher |
Springer Verlag |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/40161/ https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/40161/1/Ferreira_Marshall_15_accepted.pdf |
genre |
Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Sea ice |
op_relation |
https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/40161/1/Ferreira_Marshall_15_accepted.pdf Ferreira, D. <https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/view/creators/90005370.html> orcid:0000-0003-3243-9774 and Marshall, J. (2015) Freshwater transport in the coupled ocean-atmosphere system: a passive ocean. Ocean Dynamics, 65 (7). pp. 1029-1036. ISSN 1616-7341 doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-015-0846-6 <https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-015-0846-6> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-015-0846-6 |
container_title |
Ocean Dynamics |
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65 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
1029 |
op_container_end_page |
1036 |
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1802650003840172032 |