No abstract

A global ocean data synthesis product at eddy‐permitting resolution from Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean, Phase II (ECCO2) project are used to estimate the oceanic eddy heat transport. We show that in a number of locations the time‐mean eddy heat transport constitutes a considerable portion of the total time‐mean heat transport, in particular, in the tropics, in the Southern Ocean and in the Kuroshio Current. This research demonstrates that the variability of the eddy heat transport is a significant contributor to the variability of the total heat transport and globally it explains about 1/3 of its variance. Eddies are also found to explain a significant portion of the seasonal‐interannual heat transport variance.

Accelerated sea level rise was observed along the U.S. eastern seaboard south of Cape Hatteras during 2010–2015 with rates 5 times larger than the global average for the same time period. Simultaneously, sea levels decreased rapidly north of Cape Hatteras. In this study, we show that accelerated sea level rise recorded between Key West and Cape Hatteras was predominantly caused by a ~1 °C (0.2 °C/year) warming of the Florida Current during 2010–2015 that was linked to large‐scale changes in the Atlantic Warm Pool. We also show that sea level decline north of Cape Hatteras was caused by an increase in atmospheric pressure combined with shifting wind patterns, with a small contribution from cooling of the water column over the continental shelf. Results presented here emphasize that planning and adaptation efforts may benefit from a more thorough assessment of sea level changes induced by regional processes.

The Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) is a primary mechanism driving oceanic heat redistribution on Earth, thereby affecting Earth’s climate and weather. However, the full-depth structure and variability of the MOC are still poorly understood, particularly in the South Atlantic. This study presents unique multiyear records of the oceanic volume transport of both the upper (<~3100 meters) and abyssal (>~3100 meters) overturning cells based on daily moored measurements in the South Atlantic at 34.5°S. The vertical structure of the time-mean flows is consistent with the limited historical observations. Both the upper and abyssal cells exhibit a high degree of variability relative to the temporal means at time scales, ranging from a few days to a few weeks. Observed variations in the abyssal flow appear to be largely independent of the flow in the overlying upper cell. No meaningful trends are detected in either cell.