A zonally averaged, coupled ocean-atmosphere model for paleoclimate studies
- McGill Univ., Montreal, Quebec (Canada)
- Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (Canada)
A zonally averaged ocean model for the thermohaline circulation is coupled to a zonally averaged, one-layer energy balance model of the atmosphere to form a climate model for paleoclimate studies. The emphasis of the coupled model is on the ocean's thermohaline circulation in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans. Under present-day conditions, the global conveyor belt is simulated. Latitude-depth structures of modeled temperature and salinity fields, as well as depth-integrated meridional transports of heat and freshwater, compare well with estimates from observations when wind stress is included. Ekman cells are present in the upper ocean and contribute substantially to the meridional fluxes at low latitudes.The atmospheric component of the coupled climate model consists of a classical balance model. When the two components are coupled after being spun up individually, the system remains steady. If intermittent convection is operating, the coupled model shows systematic deviations of the surface salinity, which may result in reversals of the thermohaline circulation. This climate drift can be inhibited by removing intermittent convection prior to coupling. The climate model is applied to investigate the effect of excess freshwater discharge into the North Atlantic, and the influence of the parameterization of precipitation is tested. The Atlantic thermohalinc flow is sensitive to anomalous freshwater input. Reversals of the deep circulation can occur in the Atlantic, leading to a state where deep water is formed only in the Southern Ocean. A feedback mechanism is identified that may also trigger the reversal of the Pacific thermobaline circulation yielding the inverse conveyor bell as an additional steady state. In total, four different stable equilibria of the coupled model were realized.
- OSTI ID:
- 6883898
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Climate; (United States), Vol. 5:8; ISSN 0894-8755
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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