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Interdecadal variability in Labrador Sea precipitation minus evaporation and salinity

Interdecadal variability in Labrador Sea precipitation minus evaporation and salinity
Interdecadal variability in Labrador Sea precipitation minus evaporation and salinity
Changes in the air–sea freshwater flux (equivalently Precipitation minus Evaporation, P ? E) over the interior of the Labrador Sea have been examined using the NCEP/NCAR and ERA40 reanalyses. A major increase in the net precipitation, equivalent to 9 cm yr?1, is observed in the mid-1970s, consistent with a recent study that reported a similar change in the eastern sub-polar gyre. The increase in the Labrador Sea is primarily driven by changes in the P component which occur in spring (and to a lesser extent summer). The seasonality of the change is markedly different to that found for the eastern gyre which had a strong winter increase in precipitation. Potential links between the Labrador Sea P ? E increase and the NAO and other leading modes of atmospheric variability have been explored, but it has been found that the increase is not driven by long-term trends in these modes. The magnitudes of the increase in freshwater content for a range of depths (500, 1000, 1500, 2000 m) in the Labrador Sea are then calculated. Finally, it is suggested that the P ? E increase must have played some role in causing the observed freshening of the Labrador Sea and the wider North Atlantic sub-polar gyre region in recent decades, although the exact impact can not be quantified.
0079-6611
341-357
Myers, P.G.
d590aaa6-0931-4b55-9090-64d0430e21f3
Josey, S.A.
2252ab7f-5cd2-49fd-a951-aece44553d93
Wheler, B.
1471406e-08ae-4685-8a7b-ed98be7ba304
Kulan, N.
dbedf427-fd06-48c2-ab70-4d49a6dd2fc8
Myers, P.G.
d590aaa6-0931-4b55-9090-64d0430e21f3
Josey, S.A.
2252ab7f-5cd2-49fd-a951-aece44553d93
Wheler, B.
1471406e-08ae-4685-8a7b-ed98be7ba304
Kulan, N.
dbedf427-fd06-48c2-ab70-4d49a6dd2fc8

Myers, P.G., Josey, S.A., Wheler, B. and Kulan, N. (2007) Interdecadal variability in Labrador Sea precipitation minus evaporation and salinity. Progress in Oceanography, 73 (3-4), 341-357. (doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2006.06.003).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Changes in the air–sea freshwater flux (equivalently Precipitation minus Evaporation, P ? E) over the interior of the Labrador Sea have been examined using the NCEP/NCAR and ERA40 reanalyses. A major increase in the net precipitation, equivalent to 9 cm yr?1, is observed in the mid-1970s, consistent with a recent study that reported a similar change in the eastern sub-polar gyre. The increase in the Labrador Sea is primarily driven by changes in the P component which occur in spring (and to a lesser extent summer). The seasonality of the change is markedly different to that found for the eastern gyre which had a strong winter increase in precipitation. Potential links between the Labrador Sea P ? E increase and the NAO and other leading modes of atmospheric variability have been explored, but it has been found that the increase is not driven by long-term trends in these modes. The magnitudes of the increase in freshwater content for a range of depths (500, 1000, 1500, 2000 m) in the Labrador Sea are then calculated. Finally, it is suggested that the P ? E increase must have played some role in causing the observed freshening of the Labrador Sea and the wider North Atlantic sub-polar gyre region in recent decades, although the exact impact can not be quantified.

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Published date: 2007

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 44079
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/44079
ISSN: 0079-6611
PURE UUID: bf7c4210-3259-4487-9162-f9303a17172f

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Date deposited: 12 Feb 2007
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 09:00

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Contributors

Author: P.G. Myers
Author: S.A. Josey
Author: B. Wheler
Author: N. Kulan

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