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Local and downstream relationships between labrador sea water volume and North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation variability

Publication ,  Journal Article
Li, F; Susan Lozier, M; Danabasoglu, G; Holliday, NP; Kwon, YO; Romanou, A; Yeager, SG; Zhang, AR
Published in: Journal of Climate
January 1, 2019

While it has generally been understood that the production of Labrador Sea Water (LSW) impacts the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC), this relationship has not been explored extensively or validated against observations. To explore this relationship, a suite of global ocean-sea ice models forced by the same interannually varying atmospheric dataset, varying in resolution from non-eddy-permitting to eddypermitting (1°-1/4°), is analyzed to investigate the local and downstream relationships between LSW formation and the MOC on interannual to decadal time scales. While all models display a strong relationship between changes in the LSW volume and the MOC in the Labrador Sea, this relationship degrades considerably downstream of the Labrador Sea. In particular, there is no consistent pattern among the models in the North Atlantic subtropical basin over interannual to decadal time scales. Furthermore, the strong response of the MOC in the Labrador Sea to LSW volume changes in that basin may be biased by the overproduction of LSW in many models compared to observations. This analysis shows that changes in LSW volume in the Labrador Sea cannot be clearly and consistently linked to a coherent MOC response across latitudes over interannual to decadal time scales in ocean hindcast simulations of the last half century. Similarly, no coherent relationships are identified between theMOCand the Labrador Sea mixed layer depth or the density of newly formed LSW across latitudes or across models over interannual to decadal time scales.

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Published In

Journal of Climate

DOI

ISSN

0894-8755

Publication Date

January 1, 2019

Volume

32

Issue

13

Start / End Page

3883 / 3898

Related Subject Headings

  • Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
  • 3708 Oceanography
  • 3702 Climate change science
  • 3701 Atmospheric sciences
  • 0909 Geomatic Engineering
  • 0405 Oceanography
  • 0401 Atmospheric Sciences
 

Citation

APA
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MLA
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Li, F., Susan Lozier, M., Danabasoglu, G., Holliday, N. P., Kwon, Y. O., Romanou, A., … Zhang, A. R. (2019). Local and downstream relationships between labrador sea water volume and North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation variability. Journal of Climate, 32(13), 3883–3898. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0735.1
Li, F., M. Susan Lozier, G. Danabasoglu, N. P. Holliday, Y. O. Kwon, A. Romanou, S. G. Yeager, and A. R. Zhang. “Local and downstream relationships between labrador sea water volume and North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation variability.” Journal of Climate 32, no. 13 (January 1, 2019): 3883–98. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0735.1.
Li F, Susan Lozier M, Danabasoglu G, Holliday NP, Kwon YO, Romanou A, et al. Local and downstream relationships between labrador sea water volume and North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation variability. Journal of Climate. 2019 Jan 1;32(13):3883–98.
Li, F., et al. “Local and downstream relationships between labrador sea water volume and North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation variability.” Journal of Climate, vol. 32, no. 13, Jan. 2019, pp. 3883–98. Scopus, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-18-0735.1.
Li F, Susan Lozier M, Danabasoglu G, Holliday NP, Kwon YO, Romanou A, Yeager SG, Zhang AR. Local and downstream relationships between labrador sea water volume and North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation variability. Journal of Climate. 2019 Jan 1;32(13):3883–3898.

Published In

Journal of Climate

DOI

ISSN

0894-8755

Publication Date

January 1, 2019

Volume

32

Issue

13

Start / End Page

3883 / 3898

Related Subject Headings

  • Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
  • 3708 Oceanography
  • 3702 Climate change science
  • 3701 Atmospheric sciences
  • 0909 Geomatic Engineering
  • 0405 Oceanography
  • 0401 Atmospheric Sciences