The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program: a new international ocean observing system

Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program: a new international ocean observing system
Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program: a new international ocean observing system
A new ocean observing system has been launched in the North Atlantic in order to understand the linkage between the meridional overturning circulation and deep water formation.

For decades oceanographers have understood the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) to be primarily driven by changes in the production of deep water formation in the subpolar and subarctic North Atlantic. Indeed, current IPCC projections of an AMOC slowdown in the 21st century based on climate models are attributed to the inhibition of deep convection in the North Atlantic. However, observational evidence for this linkage has been elusive: there has been no clear demonstration of AMOC variability in response to changes in deep water formation. The motivation for understanding this linkage is compelling since the overturning circulation has been shown to sequester heat and anthropogenic carbon in the deep ocean. Furthermore, AMOC variability is expected to impact this sequestration as well as have consequences for regional and global climates through its effect on the poleward transport of warm water. Motivated by the need for a mechanistic understanding of the AMOC, an international community has assembled an observing system, Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic (OSNAP), to provide a continuous record of the trans-basin fluxes of heat, mass and freshwater and to link that record to convective activity and water mass transformation at high latitudes. OSNAP, in conjunction with the RAPID/MOCHA array at 26°N and other observational elements, will provide a comprehensive measure of the three-dimensional AMOC and an understanding of what drives its variability. The OSNAP observing system was fully deployed in the summer of 2014 and the first OSNAP data products are expected in the fall of 2017.
0003-0007
737-752
Lozier, M. Susan
44e429b7-efe8-471b-882f-662fc1a20b7f
Bacon, Sheldon
1e7aa6e3-4fb4-4230-8ba7-90837304a9a7
Bower, Amy S.
c157d85b-0006-4ecb-85da-ecb60bb524a7
Cunningham, Stuart A.
b7d3a27c-733f-4bd7-80ef-23825ee56bdf
de Jong, M. Femke
cac6fc64-acd5-4e56-a17a-61770a350a01
de Steur, Laura
6862d6f1-ee5c-4bde-84d4-882736d5a880
deYoung, Brad
dddbaac7-ee70-48ca-a64f-02e170530f9d
Fischer, Jürgen
97da086d-383c-4c67-a881-e637a11db48a
Gary, Stefan F
036242f7-84ec-4b5e-a363-6f8b142b282c
Greenan, Blair J.W.
e0e5d375-638a-498a-9750-5fe83f6510e7
Heimbach, Patrick
fdc4d9ad-812f-45bb-843b-1af000c40aa5
Holliday, Naomi P.
358b0b33-f30b-44fd-a193-88365bbf2c79
Houpert, Loïc
ef3a3c0f-8b4c-4555-a6c2-e107ca595412
Inall, Mark E.
c0126931-82eb-4c4c-8f7e-22fd6279a7bf
Johns, William E.
e09ba73d-f275-4ff3-a07c-dfb8f1622b21
Johnson, Helen L.
8ea55a43-deb3-42fd-83c5-9fa2c4233792
Karstensen, Johannes
1cadb6ff-33d9-4553-bf21-d005d3ab6c66
Li, Feili
c9787d87-bea6-4183-9e08-f3d7bd6452fe
Lin, Xiaopei
cfde1408-62ee-4d52-a6f8-c774f6e9920d
Mackay, Neill
04a0ec32-fec9-4876-a0c3-509177721555
Marshall, David P.
70dddf0a-46d1-404f-aa8f-5fb9902ab587
Mercier, Herlé
7239215f-8123-4d0e-a7ed-29949a209400
Myers, Paul G.
849cd52c-4d0d-4d61-9468-811fdd316af0
Pickart, Robert S.
b6de3ebc-eed2-478d-a367-69798bf3f504
Pillar, Helen R.
385d7d1b-8e40-4cbb-ab78-7da4a197a4bd
Straneo, Fiammetta
c3ec2adf-1428-4a0d-aac1-e4b8c8fa357a
Thierry, Virginie
b0b53c9e-aa61-45b2-9c0e-a36598c5a491
Weller, Robert A.
27c97c11-3d05-4ac2-88c9-3ceaec7f7d2c
Williams, Richard G.
2155309e-1c07-4365-b46a-04baeb2fb63c
Wilson, Chris
fadc83b7-f240-485b-8734-51099d02775a
Yang, Jiayan
506fcd35-56d0-480e-b86e-7edec4849e06
Zhao, Jian
5ef19b9f-bc56-4bfd-97ae-fdaa7327f14e
Zika, Jan D.
16ede49c-f859-4351-ad8d-33412e574dec
Lozier, M. Susan
44e429b7-efe8-471b-882f-662fc1a20b7f
Bacon, Sheldon
1e7aa6e3-4fb4-4230-8ba7-90837304a9a7
Bower, Amy S.
c157d85b-0006-4ecb-85da-ecb60bb524a7
Cunningham, Stuart A.
b7d3a27c-733f-4bd7-80ef-23825ee56bdf
de Jong, M. Femke
cac6fc64-acd5-4e56-a17a-61770a350a01
de Steur, Laura
6862d6f1-ee5c-4bde-84d4-882736d5a880
deYoung, Brad
dddbaac7-ee70-48ca-a64f-02e170530f9d
Fischer, Jürgen
97da086d-383c-4c67-a881-e637a11db48a
Gary, Stefan F
036242f7-84ec-4b5e-a363-6f8b142b282c
Greenan, Blair J.W.
e0e5d375-638a-498a-9750-5fe83f6510e7
Heimbach, Patrick
fdc4d9ad-812f-45bb-843b-1af000c40aa5
Holliday, Naomi P.
358b0b33-f30b-44fd-a193-88365bbf2c79
Houpert, Loïc
ef3a3c0f-8b4c-4555-a6c2-e107ca595412
Inall, Mark E.
c0126931-82eb-4c4c-8f7e-22fd6279a7bf
Johns, William E.
e09ba73d-f275-4ff3-a07c-dfb8f1622b21
Johnson, Helen L.
8ea55a43-deb3-42fd-83c5-9fa2c4233792
Karstensen, Johannes
1cadb6ff-33d9-4553-bf21-d005d3ab6c66
Li, Feili
c9787d87-bea6-4183-9e08-f3d7bd6452fe
Lin, Xiaopei
cfde1408-62ee-4d52-a6f8-c774f6e9920d
Mackay, Neill
04a0ec32-fec9-4876-a0c3-509177721555
Marshall, David P.
70dddf0a-46d1-404f-aa8f-5fb9902ab587
Mercier, Herlé
7239215f-8123-4d0e-a7ed-29949a209400
Myers, Paul G.
849cd52c-4d0d-4d61-9468-811fdd316af0
Pickart, Robert S.
b6de3ebc-eed2-478d-a367-69798bf3f504
Pillar, Helen R.
385d7d1b-8e40-4cbb-ab78-7da4a197a4bd
Straneo, Fiammetta
c3ec2adf-1428-4a0d-aac1-e4b8c8fa357a
Thierry, Virginie
b0b53c9e-aa61-45b2-9c0e-a36598c5a491
Weller, Robert A.
27c97c11-3d05-4ac2-88c9-3ceaec7f7d2c
Williams, Richard G.
2155309e-1c07-4365-b46a-04baeb2fb63c
Wilson, Chris
fadc83b7-f240-485b-8734-51099d02775a
Yang, Jiayan
506fcd35-56d0-480e-b86e-7edec4849e06
Zhao, Jian
5ef19b9f-bc56-4bfd-97ae-fdaa7327f14e
Zika, Jan D.
16ede49c-f859-4351-ad8d-33412e574dec

Lozier, M. Susan, Bacon, Sheldon, Bower, Amy S., Cunningham, Stuart A., de Jong, M. Femke, de Steur, Laura, deYoung, Brad, Fischer, Jürgen, Gary, Stefan F, Greenan, Blair J.W., Heimbach, Patrick, Holliday, Naomi P., Houpert, Loïc, Inall, Mark E., Johns, William E., Johnson, Helen L., Karstensen, Johannes, Li, Feili, Lin, Xiaopei, Mackay, Neill, Marshall, David P., Mercier, Herlé, Myers, Paul G., Pickart, Robert S., Pillar, Helen R., Straneo, Fiammetta, Thierry, Virginie, Weller, Robert A., Williams, Richard G., Wilson, Chris, Yang, Jiayan, Zhao, Jian and Zika, Jan D. (2017) Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program: a new international ocean observing system. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 98 (4), 737-752. (doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-16-0057.1).

Record type: Article

Abstract

A new ocean observing system has been launched in the North Atlantic in order to understand the linkage between the meridional overturning circulation and deep water formation.

For decades oceanographers have understood the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) to be primarily driven by changes in the production of deep water formation in the subpolar and subarctic North Atlantic. Indeed, current IPCC projections of an AMOC slowdown in the 21st century based on climate models are attributed to the inhibition of deep convection in the North Atlantic. However, observational evidence for this linkage has been elusive: there has been no clear demonstration of AMOC variability in response to changes in deep water formation. The motivation for understanding this linkage is compelling since the overturning circulation has been shown to sequester heat and anthropogenic carbon in the deep ocean. Furthermore, AMOC variability is expected to impact this sequestration as well as have consequences for regional and global climates through its effect on the poleward transport of warm water. Motivated by the need for a mechanistic understanding of the AMOC, an international community has assembled an observing system, Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic (OSNAP), to provide a continuous record of the trans-basin fluxes of heat, mass and freshwater and to link that record to convective activity and water mass transformation at high latitudes. OSNAP, in conjunction with the RAPID/MOCHA array at 26°N and other observational elements, will provide a comprehensive measure of the three-dimensional AMOC and an understanding of what drives its variability. The OSNAP observing system was fully deployed in the summer of 2014 and the first OSNAP data products are expected in the fall of 2017.

Text
Lozier_etal_2016_bams-d-16-0057%2E1.pdf - Accepted Manuscript
Download (22MB)

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 23 August 2016
Published date: 1 April 2017
Additional Information: Funded by NERC: The UK Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program (UK-OSNAP) (NE/K010875/1)
Organisations: National Oceanography Centre, Marine Physics and Ocean Climate

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 400286
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/400286
ISSN: 0003-0007
PURE UUID: 0e03a1e2-e728-420a-87e9-5aff0794ff0e

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 12 Sep 2016 14:28
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:13

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: M. Susan Lozier
Author: Sheldon Bacon
Author: Amy S. Bower
Author: Stuart A. Cunningham
Author: M. Femke de Jong
Author: Laura de Steur
Author: Brad deYoung
Author: Jürgen Fischer
Author: Stefan F Gary
Author: Blair J.W. Greenan
Author: Patrick Heimbach
Author: Naomi P. Holliday
Author: Loïc Houpert
Author: Mark E. Inall
Author: William E. Johns
Author: Helen L. Johnson
Author: Johannes Karstensen
Author: Feili Li
Author: Xiaopei Lin
Author: Neill Mackay
Author: David P. Marshall
Author: Herlé Mercier
Author: Paul G. Myers
Author: Robert S. Pickart
Author: Helen R. Pillar
Author: Fiammetta Straneo
Author: Virginie Thierry
Author: Robert A. Weller
Author: Richard G. Williams
Author: Chris Wilson
Author: Jiayan Yang
Author: Jian Zhao
Author: Jan D. Zika

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×