Response of the Atlantic Ocean circulation to Greenland Ice Sheet melting in a strongly-eddying ocean model

Weijer, W.; Maltrud, M. E.; Hecht, M. W.; Dijkstra, H. A.; Kliphuis, M. A.

doi:10.1029/2012gl051611

Title: Response of the Atlantic Ocean circulation to Greenland Ice Sheet melting in a strongly-eddying ocean model

Journal Article · Fri May 11 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Geophysical Research Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2012gl051611· OSTI ID:1564838

Weijer, W. ^[1]; Maltrud, M. E. ^[2]; Hecht, M. W. ^[2]; Dijkstra, H. A. ^[3]; Kliphuis, M. A. ^[4]

Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Inst. for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht (Netherlands)
Inst. for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht (Netherlands)

The sensitivity of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) to high–latitude freshwater input is one of the key uncertainties in the climate system. Considering the importance of the AMOC for global heat transports, and the vulnerability of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) to global warming, assessing this sensitivity is critical for climate change projections. Here we present a unique set of computational experiments to investigate the adjustment of the AMOC to enhanced melt water from the GrIS under present–day conditions. For the first time, the response in a global, strongly–eddying ocean model is systematically compared to that of an ocean model typical of IPCC–class climate models. We find that the overall decline of the AMOC on decadal time scales is quantitatively similar (<10%) in the two configurations. Furthermore, the transient response is significantly different, as the AMOC decline and reduction in wintertime convection is markedly more gradual and persistent in the strongly–eddying configuration.

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Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396

OSTI ID:: 1564838

Journal Information:: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 39, Issue 9; ISSN 0094-8276

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 89 works

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