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| Titel |
Effects of Wind and Freshwater on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: Role of Sea Ice and Vertical Diffusion |
| VerfasserIn |
Kun Wang, Haijun Yang, Haijin Dai, Yuxing Wang, Qing Li |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2015
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 17 (2015) |
| Datensatznummer |
250101102
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 EGU/EGU2015-169.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Effects of wind and fresh water on the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC)
are investigated in a fully coupled climate model (CESM1.0). The AMOC can change
significantly when perturbing either the wind stress or fresh water flux in the northern
North Atlantic. This work pays special attention on the wind stress effect. Our
model results show that the wind forcing is a crucial element in maintaining the
AMOC. When the wind-stress is reduced, the vertical convection and diffusion are
weakened immediately, triggering a salt deficit in the northern North Atlantic that
prevents the deep water formation there. The salinity advection from the south,
however, plays a contrary role to salt the upper ocean. As the AMOC weakens, the sea
ice expends southward and melts, freshening the upper ocean that weakens the
AMOC further. There is a positive feedback between the sea ice melting and AMOC
strength, which eventually determines the AMOC strength in the reduced wind world. |
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