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Impact of geothermal heating on the global ocean circulation

Impact of geothermal heating on the global ocean circulation
Impact of geothermal heating on the global ocean circulation
The response of a global circulation model to a uniform geothermal heat flux of 50 mW m-2 through the sea floor is examined. If the geothermal heat input were transported upward purely by diffusion, the deep ocean would warm by 1.2°C. However, geothermal heating induces a substantial change in the deep circulation which is larger than previously assumed and subsequently the warming of the deep ocean is only a quarter of that suggested by the diffusive limit. The numerical ocean model responds most strongly in the Indo-Pacific with an increase in meridional overturning of 1.8 Sv, enhancing the existing overturning by approximately 25%.
ocean circulation, heat flow
0094-8276
1735-1738
Adcroft, Alistair
6a3a5e37-a98b-4769-b1e7-e616f5970e7d
Scott, Jeffery R.
0a5b123f-280a-443e-b026-7a010bbe33b5
Marotzke, Jochem
b4b295a3-5568-4f63-94b6-6fa92ab27cf3
Adcroft, Alistair
6a3a5e37-a98b-4769-b1e7-e616f5970e7d
Scott, Jeffery R.
0a5b123f-280a-443e-b026-7a010bbe33b5
Marotzke, Jochem
b4b295a3-5568-4f63-94b6-6fa92ab27cf3

Adcroft, Alistair, Scott, Jeffery R. and Marotzke, Jochem (2001) Impact of geothermal heating on the global ocean circulation. Geophysical Research Letters, 28 (9), 1735-1738.

Record type: Article

Abstract

The response of a global circulation model to a uniform geothermal heat flux of 50 mW m-2 through the sea floor is examined. If the geothermal heat input were transported upward purely by diffusion, the deep ocean would warm by 1.2°C. However, geothermal heating induces a substantial change in the deep circulation which is larger than previously assumed and subsequently the warming of the deep ocean is only a quarter of that suggested by the diffusive limit. The numerical ocean model responds most strongly in the Indo-Pacific with an increase in meridional overturning of 1.8 Sv, enhancing the existing overturning by approximately 25%.

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Published date: 2001
Keywords: ocean circulation, heat flow
Organisations: Ocean and Earth Science

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 259
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/259
ISSN: 0094-8276
PURE UUID: b094aeb8-9827-4d55-9805-6f972a8cddf4

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Date deposited: 11 Dec 2003
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 04:38

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Contributors

Author: Alistair Adcroft
Author: Jeffery R. Scott
Author: Jochem Marotzke

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