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Thermohaline circulation at three key sections in the North Atlantic over 1985-2002

Thermohaline circulation at three key sections in the North Atlantic over 1985-2002
Thermohaline circulation at three key sections in the North Atlantic over 1985-2002
Efforts are presently underway to monitor the Thermohaline Circulation (THC) in the North Atlantic. A measuring strategy has been designed to monitor both the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) in the subtropics and dense outflows at higher latitudes. To provide a historical context for these new observations, we diagnose an eddy-permitting ocean model simulation of the period 1985–2002. We present time series of the THC, MOC and heat transport, at key hydrographic sections in the subtropics, the northeast Atlantic and the Labrador Sea. The simulated THC compares well with observations. We find considerable variability in the THC on each section, most strikingly in the Labrador Sea during the early 1990's, consistent with observed changes. Overturning in the northeast Atlantic declines by ~20% over the 1990's, coincident with an increase in the subtropics. We speculate that MOC weakening may soon be detected in the subtropics, if the decline continues in mid-latitudes.
0094-8276
L10604-[4pp]
Marsh, Robert
702c2e7e-ac19-4019-abd9-a8614ab27717
de Cuevas, Beverly A.
01cc697c-2832-4de6-87bf-bf9f16c1f906
Coward, Andrew C.
53b78140-2e65-476a-b287-e8384a65224b
Bryden, Harry L.
7f823946-34e8-48a3-8bd4-a72d2d749184
Alvarez, Marta
e299e212-5f16-4c4f-b4da-4c02c4e9b590
Marsh, Robert
702c2e7e-ac19-4019-abd9-a8614ab27717
de Cuevas, Beverly A.
01cc697c-2832-4de6-87bf-bf9f16c1f906
Coward, Andrew C.
53b78140-2e65-476a-b287-e8384a65224b
Bryden, Harry L.
7f823946-34e8-48a3-8bd4-a72d2d749184
Alvarez, Marta
e299e212-5f16-4c4f-b4da-4c02c4e9b590

Marsh, Robert, de Cuevas, Beverly A., Coward, Andrew C., Bryden, Harry L. and Alvarez, Marta (2005) Thermohaline circulation at three key sections in the North Atlantic over 1985-2002. Geophysical Research Letters, 32 (10), L10604-[4pp]. (doi:10.1029/2004GL022281).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Efforts are presently underway to monitor the Thermohaline Circulation (THC) in the North Atlantic. A measuring strategy has been designed to monitor both the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) in the subtropics and dense outflows at higher latitudes. To provide a historical context for these new observations, we diagnose an eddy-permitting ocean model simulation of the period 1985–2002. We present time series of the THC, MOC and heat transport, at key hydrographic sections in the subtropics, the northeast Atlantic and the Labrador Sea. The simulated THC compares well with observations. We find considerable variability in the THC on each section, most strikingly in the Labrador Sea during the early 1990's, consistent with observed changes. Overturning in the northeast Atlantic declines by ~20% over the 1990's, coincident with an increase in the subtropics. We speculate that MOC weakening may soon be detected in the subtropics, if the decline continues in mid-latitudes.

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More information

Published date: May 2005
Organisations: Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre,Southampton

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 17382
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/17382
ISSN: 0094-8276
PURE UUID: b783f5f2-a444-42ec-8302-7dbe55640285
ORCID for Harry L. Bryden: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8216-6359

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 01 Sep 2005
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:53

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Contributors

Author: Robert Marsh
Author: Beverly A. de Cuevas
Author: Andrew C. Coward
Author: Harry L. Bryden ORCID iD
Author: Marta Alvarez

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