A recent decline in North Atlantic subtropical mode water formation
A recent decline in North Atlantic subtropical mode water formation
As a manifestation of mixing dynamics in the upper ocean, interannual and decadal variability of subtropical mode water (STMW) properties in the North Atlantic Ocean provides a valuable insight into ocean–atmosphere interaction in a changing climate. Here, we use hydrographic data from the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study and Hydrostation S sites near Bermuda, as well as various ocean reanalysis products, to evaluate the modern variability of STMW properties. Our study finds an 86–93% loss of STMW thickness at these sites between 2010 and 2018 and a comparable loss throughout the western subtropical gyre, culminating in the weakest STMW pentad on record. We correlate this decline with a reduction in the annual outcropping volume and northward excursions of the formation region, suggesting a gyre-wide signal of weakening STMW generation. The outcropping volume of STMW is anti-correlated with surface ocean heat content, foreshadowing future STMW loss in the face of continued warming.
335-341
Stevens, Samuel W.
42034469-0d8c-4c81-8aa4-145100d7b12b
Johnson, Rodney J.
c6722f9c-3c6a-4d29-b025-1d9059526f78
Maze, Guillaume
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Bates, Nicholas R.
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1 April 2020
Stevens, Samuel W.
42034469-0d8c-4c81-8aa4-145100d7b12b
Johnson, Rodney J.
c6722f9c-3c6a-4d29-b025-1d9059526f78
Maze, Guillaume
4041197a-6569-4d0d-b43c-6666f9010274
Bates, Nicholas R.
954a83d6-8424-49e9-8acd-e606221c9c57
Stevens, Samuel W., Johnson, Rodney J., Maze, Guillaume and Bates, Nicholas R.
(2020)
A recent decline in North Atlantic subtropical mode water formation.
Nature Climate Change, 10 (4), .
(doi:10.1038/s41558-020-0722-3).
Abstract
As a manifestation of mixing dynamics in the upper ocean, interannual and decadal variability of subtropical mode water (STMW) properties in the North Atlantic Ocean provides a valuable insight into ocean–atmosphere interaction in a changing climate. Here, we use hydrographic data from the Bermuda Atlantic Time-Series Study and Hydrostation S sites near Bermuda, as well as various ocean reanalysis products, to evaluate the modern variability of STMW properties. Our study finds an 86–93% loss of STMW thickness at these sites between 2010 and 2018 and a comparable loss throughout the western subtropical gyre, culminating in the weakest STMW pentad on record. We correlate this decline with a reduction in the annual outcropping volume and northward excursions of the formation region, suggesting a gyre-wide signal of weakening STMW generation. The outcropping volume of STMW is anti-correlated with surface ocean heat content, foreshadowing future STMW loss in the face of continued warming.
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Accepted/In Press date: 6 February 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 23 March 2020
Published date: 1 April 2020
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
We acknowledge and thank the numerous principal investigators, researchers and technicians who have contributed to the BATS and Hydrostation S time-series projects since their inception. Additional thanks go to the officers and crew of the RV Weatherbird I, RV Weatherbird II and RV Atlantic Explorer. This work was funded by NSF grant OCE-1633215 and supported by the French National Program LEFE/INSU project SOMOVAR (North-Atlantic subtropical ocean: mechanisms of observed and projected low-frequency variability).
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© 2020, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 442005
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/442005
ISSN: 1758-678X
PURE UUID: 9cf3920f-7468-42ef-8e23-d1927b9d6e61
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Date deposited: 03 Jul 2020 16:38
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 07:39
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Author:
Samuel W. Stevens
Author:
Rodney J. Johnson
Author:
Guillaume Maze
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