Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Large near-inertial oscillations of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation |
| Authors: |
Blaker, Adam T.1 atb299@noc.ac.uk, Hirschi, Joël J-M.1, Sinha, Bablu1, de Cuevas, Beverly1, Alderson, Steven1, Coward, Andrew1, Madec, Gurvan1,2 |
| Source: |
Ocean Modelling. Feb2012, Vol. 42, p50-56. 7p. |
| Subjects: |
Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, Oscillations, Time, Gravity waves, Wind pressure |
| Geographic Terms: |
Equator |
| Abstract: |
Abstract: The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is a key contributor to Europe’s mild climate. Both observations and models suggest that the AMOC strength varies on a wide range of timescales. Here we show the existence of previously unreported large near inertial AMOC oscillations in a high resolution ocean model. Peak-to-peak these oscillations can exceed 50Sv (50·106 m3 s−1) in one day. The AMOC oscillations are caused by equatorward propagating near-inertial gravity waves (NIGWs) which are forced by temporally changing wind forcing. The existence of NIGWs in the ocean is supported by observations, and a significant fraction of the ocean’s kinetic energy is associated with the near inertial frequencies. Our results also suggest that the NIGW-driven MOC variability would be near invisible to contemporary AMOC observing systems such as the RAPID MOC system at 26.5°N. [Copyright &y& Elsevier] |
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| Database: |
Engineering Source |
