Variability of Atlantic Ocean heat transport and its effects on the atmosphere
Main Article Content
Abstract
The variability of the Atlantic meridional Ocean Heat Transport (OHT) has been diagnosed from a simulation of
a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model, and the mechanisms responsible for this variability have
been elucidated. It has been demonstrated that the interannual variability in Atlantic OHT is dominated by
windstress-driven Ekman fluctuations. In contrast, the decadal and multidecadal variability is associated with the
fluctuations of the Thermohaline Circulation (THC), driven by the fluctuations in deep convection over the
Greenland-Iceland-Norwegian (GIN) Sea. The fluctuations of OHT induce Ocean Heat Content (OHC), and Sea
Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies over the tropical and subtropical North Atlantic. The SST anomalies, in
turn, have an impact on the atmosphere. The lead-lag relationships between the fluctuations of THC-related OHT
and those of OHC and SST raise the possibility that a knowledge of OHT fluctuations could be used to predict
variations in Atlantic Sea surface temperatures, and perhaps aspects of climate, several years in advance. A
comparison of results from a second, independent, coupled model simulation is also presented, and similar
conclusions reached.
a coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model, and the mechanisms responsible for this variability have
been elucidated. It has been demonstrated that the interannual variability in Atlantic OHT is dominated by
windstress-driven Ekman fluctuations. In contrast, the decadal and multidecadal variability is associated with the
fluctuations of the Thermohaline Circulation (THC), driven by the fluctuations in deep convection over the
Greenland-Iceland-Norwegian (GIN) Sea. The fluctuations of OHT induce Ocean Heat Content (OHC), and Sea
Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies over the tropical and subtropical North Atlantic. The SST anomalies, in
turn, have an impact on the atmosphere. The lead-lag relationships between the fluctuations of THC-related OHT
and those of OHC and SST raise the possibility that a knowledge of OHT fluctuations could be used to predict
variations in Atlantic Sea surface temperatures, and perhaps aspects of climate, several years in advance. A
comparison of results from a second, independent, coupled model simulation is also presented, and similar
conclusions reached.
Article Details
How to Cite
Dong, B. and Sutton, R. T. (2003) “Variability of Atlantic Ocean heat transport and its effects on the atmosphere”, Annals of Geophysics, 46(1). doi: 10.4401/ag-3391.
Issue
Section
OLD
Open-Access License
No Permission Required
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia applies the Creative Commons Attribution License (CCAL) to all works we publish.
Under the CCAL, authors retain ownership of the copyright for their article, but authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, so long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.
In most cases, appropriate attribution can be provided by simply citing the original article.
If the item you plan to reuse is not part of a published article (e.g., a featured issue image), then please indicate the originator of the work, and the volume, issue, and date of the journal in which the item appeared. For any reuse or redistribution of a work, you must also make clear the license terms under which the work was published.
This broad license was developed to facilitate open access to, and free use of, original works of all types. Applying this standard license to your own work will ensure your right to make your work freely and openly available. For queries about the license, please contact ann.geophys@ingv.it.