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Location of potential energy sources and the export of dense water from the Atlantic Ocean

Location of potential energy sources and the export of dense water from the Atlantic Ocean
Location of potential energy sources and the export of dense water from the Atlantic Ocean
The export of dense water from the Atlantic and into the Indo-Pacific oceans, and heat transport in the opposite direction, is traditionally attributed to the fact that dense water forms in the Atlantic but not the Pacific. Evidence from two models, presented here, suggests this is an incomplete explanation. It is found that dense water export from the Atlantic depends on a potential energy (PE) sink, associated with dense water downwelling in the Atlantic, that is not balanced by a PE source within the Atlantic. Therefore, increasing the Atlantic PE source reduces dense Atlantic water export. Tide models suggest that the Atlantic PE source may have been much higher at the last glacial maximum. This could have significantly reduced dense water export from the Atlantic Ocean, even if Atlantic overturning was stronger than it is today.
0094-8276
L22604
Oliver, K.I.C.
588b11c6-4d0c-4c59-94e2-255688474987
Edwards, N.R.
e41b719b-784e-4748-acc4-6ccbc4643c7d
Oliver, K.I.C.
588b11c6-4d0c-4c59-94e2-255688474987
Edwards, N.R.
e41b719b-784e-4748-acc4-6ccbc4643c7d

Oliver, K.I.C. and Edwards, N.R. (2008) Location of potential energy sources and the export of dense water from the Atlantic Ocean. Geophysical Research Letters, 35, L22604. (doi:10.1029/2008GL035537).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The export of dense water from the Atlantic and into the Indo-Pacific oceans, and heat transport in the opposite direction, is traditionally attributed to the fact that dense water forms in the Atlantic but not the Pacific. Evidence from two models, presented here, suggests this is an incomplete explanation. It is found that dense water export from the Atlantic depends on a potential energy (PE) sink, associated with dense water downwelling in the Atlantic, that is not balanced by a PE source within the Atlantic. Therefore, increasing the Atlantic PE source reduces dense Atlantic water export. Tide models suggest that the Atlantic PE source may have been much higher at the last glacial maximum. This could have significantly reduced dense water export from the Atlantic Ocean, even if Atlantic overturning was stronger than it is today.

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More information

Submitted date: August 2008
Published date: 22 November 2008
Organisations: Ocean and Earth Science

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 68798
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/68798
ISSN: 0094-8276
PURE UUID: 5f61bd90-b8a7-47a2-94f2-964d64d76d68

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Date deposited: 05 Oct 2009
Last modified: 13 Mar 2024 19:09

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Contributors

Author: K.I.C. Oliver
Author: N.R. Edwards

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