Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: Observed Transport and Variability
Type | Article | ||||||||||||
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Date | 2019-06 | ||||||||||||
Language | English | ||||||||||||
Author(s) | Frajka-Williams Eleanor1, Ansorge Isabelle J.2, Baehr Johanna3, Bryden Harry L.4, Chidichimo Maria Paz5, Cunningham Stuart A.6, Danabasoglu Gokhan7, Dong Shenfu8, Donohue Kathleen A.9, Elipot Shane10, Heimbach Patrick11, Holliday N. Penny1, Hummels Rebecca12, Jackson Laura C.13, Karstensen Johannes12, Lankhorst Matthias14, Le Bras Isabela A.14, Lozier M. Susan15, McDonagh Elaine L.1, Meinen Christopher S.8, Mercier Herle![]() |
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Affiliation(s) | 1 : National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, United Kingdom 2 : Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa 3 : Institute of Oceanography, CEN, Universitat Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany 4 : University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom 5 : Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) and Servicio de Hidrografía Naval and UMI-IFAECI/CNRS, Buenos Aires, Argentina 6 : Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Scotland 7 : National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, United States 8 : Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Miami, FL, United States 9 : University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI, United States 10 : Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, United States 11 : Jackson School of Geosciences, Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States 12 : GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany 13 : Met Office Hadley Centre, Exeter, United Kingdom 14 : Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States 15 : Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States 16 : Laboratoire d'Oceanographie Physique et Spatiale, CNRS, Plouzané, France 17 : Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States 18 : Center for Marine Environmental Sciences MARUM, Institute for Environmental Physics IUP, Bremen University, Bremen, Germany 19 : Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States 20 : Department of Environmental Affairs, Cape Town, South Africa 21 : ICARUS, Department of Geography, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland 22 : Laboratoire de Meteorologie Dynamique, UMR 8539 Ecole Polytechnique, ENS, CNRS, Paris, France 23 : National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool, United Kingdom |
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Source | Frontiers In Marine Science (2296-7745) (Frontiers Media SA), 2019-06 , Vol. 6 , N. 260 , P. 18p. | ||||||||||||
DOI | 10.3389/fmars.2019.00260 | ||||||||||||
WOS© Times Cited | 90 | ||||||||||||
Keyword(s) | meridional overturning circulation, thermohaline circulation, observing systems, ocean heat transport, carbon storage, moorings, circulation variability | ||||||||||||
Abstract | The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) extends from the Southern Ocean to the northern North Atlantic, transporting heat northwards throughout the South and North Atlantic, and sinking carbon and nutrients into the deep ocean. Climate models indicate that changes to the AMOC both herald and drive climate shifts. Intensive trans-basin AMOC observational systems have been put in place to continuously monitor meridional volume transport variability, and in some cases, heat, freshwater and carbon transport. These observational programs have been used to diagnose the magnitude and origins of transport variability, and to investigate impacts of variability on essential climate variables such as sea surface temperature, ocean heat content and coastal sea level. AMOC observing approaches vary between the different systems, ranging from trans-basin arrays (OSNAP, RAPID 26°N, 11°S, SAMBA 34.5°S) to arrays concentrating on western boundaries (e.g., RAPID WAVE, MOVE 16°N). In this paper, we outline the different approaches (aims, strengths and limitations) and summarize the key results to date. We also discuss alternate approaches for capturing AMOC variability including direct estimates (e.g., using sea level, bottom pressure, and hydrography from autonomous profiling floats), indirect estimates applying budgetary approaches, state estimates or ocean reanalyses, and proxies. Based on the existing observations and their results, and the potential of new observational and formal synthesis approaches, we make suggestions as to how to evaluate a comprehensive, future-proof observational network of the AMOC to deepen our understanding of the AMOC and its role in global climate. |
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