A reversal of climatic trends in the North Atlantic since 2005

Robson, Jon; Ortega, Pablo; Sutton, Rowan

doi:10.1038/ngeo2727

Cited by 203 publications

(274 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The increase in the relatively cold LSW at the expense of the relatively warm SPMWs is a response to the cold and fresh anomalies in surface and intermediate waters in the 2014 with respect to (Zunino et al, 2017, which is in agreement with the long-term cooling of the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre that started in the mid-2000s (e.g. Robson et al, 2016;Piecuch et al, 2017). The long-term cooling of the subpolar gyre is also observed by a redistribution in between the different end-members of the Central Waters and SPMW, where the colder end-members (ENACW 12 and IrSPMW; Fig.…”

Section: Water Mass Volume Transports For 2014supporting

confidence: 68%

Water mass distributions and transports for the 2014 GEOVIDE cruise in the North Atlantic

et al. 2018

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Abstract. We present the distribution of water masses along the GEOTRACES-GA01 section during the GEO-VIDE cruise, which crossed the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea in the summer of 2014. The water mass structure resulting from an extended optimum multiparameter (eOMP) analysis provides the framework for interpreting the observed distributions of trace elements and their isotopes. Central Waters and Subpolar Mode Waters (SPMW) dominated the upper part of the GEOTRACES-GA01 section. At intermediate depths, the dominant water mass was Labrador Sea Water, while the deep parts of the section were filled by Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) and North-East Atlantic Deep Water. We also evaluate the water mass volume transports across the 2014 OVIDE line (Portugal to Greenland section) by combining the water mass fractions resulting from the eOMP analysis with the absolute geostrophic velocity field estimated through a box inverse model. This allowed us to assess the relative contribution of each water mass to the transport across the section. Finally, we discuss the changes in the distribution and transport of water masses between the 2014 OVIDE line and the 2002-2010 mean state. At the upper and intermediate water levels, colder end-members of the water masses replaced the warmer ones in 2014 with respect to

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Section: Water Mass Volume Transports For 2014supporting

confidence: 68%

Water mass distributions and transports for the 2014 GEOVIDE cruise in the North Atlantic

et al. 2018

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“…11). As shown by Robson et al (2016), the SPNA started a new long-term cooling period since the mid-2000s. By analyzing the outputs of coupled climate models, Robson et al (2017) Jan 2013 argued that this new cooling period is led by the reduced ocean heat transport convergence resulting from a long-term slowdown of the AMOC.…”

Section: Negative Anomalies Of θ and S In Surface Intermediate Layersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, Hermanson et al (2014) and Robson et al (2016Robson et al ( , 2017 analyzed the outputs of coupled climate models and identified a new cooling and freshening period from the mid-2000s. Their results coincide with observations: Johnson et al (2016) documented an SPNA region cooler in 2014 than in 1993-2014 climatology, and this cooling intensified in 2015 and 2016 Loder, 2016, 2017).…”

Section: Along With a Schematic View Of The Upper Intermediate And mentioning

confidence: 99%

The GEOVIDE cruise in May–June 2014 reveals an intense Meridional Overturning Circulation over a cold and fresh subpolar North Atlantic

et al. 2017

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Abstract. The GEOVIDE cruise was carried out in the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) along the OVIDE section and across the Labrador Sea in May-June 2014. It was planned to clarify the distribution of the trace elements and their isotopes in the SPNA as part of the GEOTRACES international program. This paper focuses on the state of the circulation and distribution of thermohaline properties during the cruise. In terms of circulation, the comparison with the 2002-2012 mean state shows a more intense Irminger Current and also a weaker North Atlantic Current, with a transfer of volume transport from its northern to its central branch. However, those anomalies are compatible with the variability already observed along the OVIDE section in the 2000s. In terms of properties, the surface waters of the eastern SPNA were much colder and fresher than the averages over 2002-2012. In spite of negative temperature anomalies in the surface waters, the heat transport across the OVIDE section estimated at 0.56 ± 0.06 PW was the largest measured since 2002. This relatively large value is related to the relatively strong Meridional Overturning Circulation measured across the OVIDE section during GEOVIDE (18.7 ± 3.0 Sv). By analyzing the air-sea heat and freshwater fluxes over the eastern SPNA in relation to the heat and freshwater content changes observed during 2013 and 2014, we concluded that on a short timescale these changes were mainly driven by air-sea heat and freshwater fluxes rather than by ocean circulation.

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“…The Atlantic cold blob was also suggested to affect downstream European climate (Duchez et al 2016). Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the generation of the Atlantic cold blob, including atmospheric forcing associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO; Delworth et al 2016;Yeager et al 2016), an ocean circulation change linked to the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC; Rahmstorf et al 2015;Robson et al 2016;Duchez et al 2016), and the melting of the Greenland ice sheet (Schmittner et al 2016). The general perspective of the scientific community at this point is to consider the Atlantic and Pacific blobs as two separate phenomena that are driven by different mechanisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This cooling event is referred to as the Atlantic cold blob (Henson 2016) or the Atlantic warming hole (Rahmstorf et al 2015) to emphasize the fact that this is the most prominent area in global oceans that has cooled in the face of a prevailing warming trend in global oceans (Henson 2016;Robson et al 2016). The Atlantic cold blob was also suggested to affect downstream European climate (Duchez et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking the Tropical Northern Hemisphere Pattern to the Pacific Warm Blob and Atlantic Cold Blob

Liang

Saltzman

et al. 2017

J. Climate

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During 2013-15, prolonged near-surface warming in the northeastern Pacific was observed and has been referred to as the Pacific warm blob. Here, statistical analyses are conducted to show that the generation of the Pacific blob is closely related to the tropical Northern Hemisphere (TNH) pattern in the atmosphere. When the TNH pattern stays in its positive phase for extended periods of time, it generates prolonged blob events primarily through anomalies in surface heat fluxes and secondarily through anomalies in wind-induced ocean advection. Five prolonged ($24 months) blob events are identified during the past six decades , and the TNH-blob relationship can be recognized in all of them. Although the Pacific decadal oscillation and El Niño can also induce an arc-shaped warming pattern near the Pacific blob region, they are not responsible for the generation of Pacific blob events. The essential feature of Pacific blob generation is the TNH-forced Gulf of Alaska warming pattern. This study also finds that the atmospheric circulation anomalies associated with the TNH pattern in the North Atlantic can induce SST variability akin to the so-called Atlantic cold blob, also through anomalies in surface heat fluxes and wind-induced ocean advection. As a result, the TNH pattern serves as an atmospheric conducting pattern that connects some of the Pacific warm blob and Atlantic cold blob events. This conducting mechanism has not previously been explored.

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A reversal of climatic trends in the North Atlantic since 2005

Abstract: In the mid-1990s the North Atlantic subpolar gyre warmed rapidly (1), which had important climate impacts, such as increased hurricane numbers (2), and changes to rainfall over Africa, Europe and North America (3; 4). Ev

Cited by 203 publications

References 35 publications

Water mass distributions and transports for the 2014 GEOVIDE cruise in the North Atlantic

Water mass distributions and transports for the 2014 GEOVIDE cruise in the North Atlantic

The GEOVIDE cruise in May–June 2014 reveals an intense Meridional Overturning Circulation over a cold and fresh subpolar North Atlantic

Linking the Tropical Northern Hemisphere Pattern to the Pacific Warm Blob and Atlantic Cold Blob

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