Intense warming and salinification of intermediate waters of southern origin in the eastern subpolar North Atlantic in the 1990s to mid‐2000s

Sarafanov, Artem; Falina, Anastasia; Sokov, A. V.; Демидов, А. В.

doi:10.1029/2008jc004975

Cited by 82 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Estimates based on data from the 60°N transatlantic section (Fig. 3a) show that the intermediate-deep water stratum became ~0.3°C warmer and 0.036 psu saltier in 1997-2006 [41]. The salinity increase (Fig.…”

Section: Fresh Water Balancementioning

confidence: 97%

“…The freshening reversed in the mid-1990s. Weakening of westerlies associated with the NAO decline in the mid1990s to mid-2000s caused a reduction of convection intensity in the Labrador Sea, a slowing and contraction of the subpolar gyre, and the northward advance of warm saline subtropical waters [37], [38], [39], [40] and [41]. Being rapidly transferred to deeper levels, the NAO-induced upper ocean changes led to increase in temperature and salinity of Labrador Sea Water (LSW) and the deep waters [42], [43] and [2].…”

Section: Fresh Water Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Progressing Towards Global Sustained Deep Ocean Observations

Garzoli¹

2010

Proceedings of OceanObs'09: Sustained Ocean Observations and Information for Society

147

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Section: Fresh Water Balancementioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Fresh Water Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

Progressing Towards Global Sustained Deep Ocean Observations

Garzoli¹

2010

Proceedings of OceanObs'09: Sustained Ocean Observations and Information for Society

147

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“…In one study, ensemble members initialized in the early 1990s that, by chance, simulated a more realistic NAO did tend to exhibit a more realistic mid-1990s warming, but to first order a skillful NAO prediction was not necessary to predict the shift [139]. The mid1990s warming has also been linked to a shrinking and weakening of the SPG [143][144][145]. Some systems have shown modest skill at predicting the SPG despite negligible skill at predicting the atmospheric forcing [146], suggesting the gyre changes may have been at least partly buoyancy-driven [89].…”

Section: Initialized Decadal Climate Predictionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Progress in Understanding and Predicting Atlantic Decadal Climate Variability

Yeager

Robson

2017

Curr Clim Change Rep

143

122

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Purpose of Review Recent Atlantic climate prediction studies are an exciting new contribution to an extensive body of research on Atlantic decadal variability and predictability that has long emphasized the unique role of the Atlantic Ocean in modulating the surface climate. We present a survey of the foundations and frontiers in our understanding of Atlantic variability mechanisms, the role of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and our present capacity for putting that understanding into practice in actual climate prediction systems. Recent Findings The AMOC-or more precisely, the buoyancy-forced thermohaline circulation (THC) that encompasses both overturning and gyre circulations-appears to underpin decadal timescale prediction skill in the subpolar North Atlantic in retrospective forecasts. Skill in predicting more wide-ranging climate variations, including those over land, is more limited, but there are indications this could improve with more advanced models. Summary Preliminary successes in the field of initialized Atlantic climate prediction confirm the climate relevance of low-frequency Atlantic Ocean dynamics and suggest that useful decadal climate prediction is a realizable goal.

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“…Concurrently, the subpolar gyre (SPG) started a cold phase that persisted up to the beginning of the 1990s. Later, from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, positive anomalies of temperature and salinity in the surface waters of the SPNA were observed, coinciding with the contraction and weakening of the SPG (e.g., Bersch, 2002Bersch, , 2007Sarafanov et al, 2008;Häkkinen et al, 2011). Many studies examined the causes of the observed decadal to multi-decadal variability in ocean heat content in the SPNA through the analysis of both observations and model outputs (e.g., Deshayes and Frankignoul, 2008;Lohmann et al, 2009;Robson et al, 2012Robson et al, , 2014Barrier et al, 2015).…”

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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Intense warming and salinification of intermediate waters of southern origin in the eastern subpolar North Atlantic in the 1990s to mid‐2000s

Cited by 82 publications

References 31 publications

Progressing Towards Global Sustained Deep Ocean Observations

Progressing Towards Global Sustained Deep Ocean Observations

Recent Progress in Understanding and Predicting Atlantic Decadal Climate Variability

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

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