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Title: An overlooked problem in model simulations of the thermohaline circulation and heat transport in the Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

Many models of the large-scale thermohaline circulation in the ocean exhibit strong zonally integrated upwelling in the midlatitude North Atlantic that significantly decreases the amount of deep water that is carried from the formation regions in the subpolar North Atlantic toward low latitudes and across the equator. In an analysis of results from the Community Modeling Effort using a suite of models with different horizontal resolution, wind and thermohaline forcing, and mixing parameters, it is shown that the upwelling is always concentrated in the western boundary layer between roughly 30 deg and 40 deg N. The vertical transport across 1000 m appears to be controlled by local dynamics and strongly depends on the horizontal resolution and mixing parameters of the model. It is suggested that in models with a realistic deep-water formation rate in the subpolar North Atlantic, the excessive upwelling can be considered as the prime reason for the typically too low meridional overturning rates and northward heat transports in the subtropical North Atlantic. A new isopycnal advection and mixing parameterization of tracer transports by mesoscale eddies yield substantial improvements in these integral measures of the circulation.

Authors:
; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Institut fuer Meereskunde an der Universitat Kiel, Kiel (Germany)
Publication Date:
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
57460
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Climate
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 8; Journal Issue: 3; Other Information: PBD: Mar 1995
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; HEAT TRANSFER; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; EARTH ATMOSPHERE; ADVECTION; THERMAL ANALYSIS; SALINITY

Citation Formats

Boening, C W, Holland, W R, Bryan, F O, Danabasoglu, G, Mcwilliams, J C, and National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO. An overlooked problem in model simulations of the thermohaline circulation and heat transport in the Atlantic Ocean. United States: N. p., 1995. Web. doi:10.1175/1520-0442(1995)008<0515:AOPIMS>2.0.CO;2.
Boening, C W, Holland, W R, Bryan, F O, Danabasoglu, G, Mcwilliams, J C, & National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO. An overlooked problem in model simulations of the thermohaline circulation and heat transport in the Atlantic Ocean. United States. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1995)008<0515:AOPIMS>2.0.CO;2
Boening, C W, Holland, W R, Bryan, F O, Danabasoglu, G, Mcwilliams, J C, and National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO. 1995. "An overlooked problem in model simulations of the thermohaline circulation and heat transport in the Atlantic Ocean". United States. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1995)008<0515:AOPIMS>2.0.CO;2.
@article{osti_57460,
title = {An overlooked problem in model simulations of the thermohaline circulation and heat transport in the Atlantic Ocean},
author = {Boening, C W and Holland, W R and Bryan, F O and Danabasoglu, G and Mcwilliams, J C and National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO},
abstractNote = {Many models of the large-scale thermohaline circulation in the ocean exhibit strong zonally integrated upwelling in the midlatitude North Atlantic that significantly decreases the amount of deep water that is carried from the formation regions in the subpolar North Atlantic toward low latitudes and across the equator. In an analysis of results from the Community Modeling Effort using a suite of models with different horizontal resolution, wind and thermohaline forcing, and mixing parameters, it is shown that the upwelling is always concentrated in the western boundary layer between roughly 30 deg and 40 deg N. The vertical transport across 1000 m appears to be controlled by local dynamics and strongly depends on the horizontal resolution and mixing parameters of the model. It is suggested that in models with a realistic deep-water formation rate in the subpolar North Atlantic, the excessive upwelling can be considered as the prime reason for the typically too low meridional overturning rates and northward heat transports in the subtropical North Atlantic. A new isopycnal advection and mixing parameterization of tracer transports by mesoscale eddies yield substantial improvements in these integral measures of the circulation.},
doi = {10.1175/1520-0442(1995)008<0515:AOPIMS>2.0.CO;2},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/57460}, journal = {Journal of Climate},
number = 3,
volume = 8,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1995},
month = {Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1995}
}