scholarly journals Nutrient supply to the surface waters of the North Atlantic: A model study

2002 ◽  
Vol 107 (C5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Oschlies
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
The North ◽  
Model Study ◽  
The North Atlantic

scholarly journals The circulation of the surface waters of the North Atlantic Ocean

1900 ◽  
Vol 66 (424-433) ◽  
pp. 484-485
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

In this paper an attempt is made to investigate the normal circulation of the surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean north of 40° N. lat., and its changes, by means of a series of synoptic charts showing the distribution of temperature and salinity over the area for each month of the two years 1896 and 1897.

Climate Response to External Sources of Freshwater: North Atlantic versus the Southern Ocean

2007 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald J. Stouffer ◽  
Dan Seidov ◽  
Bernd J. Haupt
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Real World ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract The response of an atmosphere–ocean general circulation model (AOGCM) to perturbations of freshwater fluxes across the sea surface in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean is investigated. The purpose of this study is to investigate aspects of the so-called bipolar seesaw where one hemisphere warms and the other cools and vice versa due to changes in the ocean meridional overturning. The experimental design is idealized where 1 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) of freshwater is added to the ocean surface for 100 model years and then removed. In one case, the freshwater perturbation is located in the Atlantic Ocean from 50° to 70°N. In the second case, it is located south of 60°S in the Southern Ocean. In the case where the North Atlantic surface waters are freshened, the Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC) and associated northward oceanic heat transport weaken. In the Antarctic surface freshening case, the Atlantic THC is mainly unchanged with a slight weakening toward the end of the integration. This weakening is associated with the spreading of the fresh sea surface anomaly from the Southern Ocean into the rest of the World Ocean. There are two mechanisms that may be responsible for such weakening of the Atlantic THC. First is that the sea surface salinity (SSS) contrast between the North Atlantic and North Pacific is reduced. And, second, when freshwater from the Southern Ocean reaches the high latitudes of the North Atlantic Ocean, it hinders the sinking of the surface waters, leading to the weakening of the THC. The spreading of the fresh SSS anomaly from the Southern Ocean into the surface waters worldwide was not seen in earlier experiments. Given the geography and climatology of the Southern Hemisphere where the climatological surface winds push the surface waters northward away from the Antarctic continent, it seems likely that the spreading of the fresh surface water anomaly could occur in the real world. A remarkable symmetry between the two freshwater perturbation experiments in the surface air temperature (SAT) response can be seen. In both cases, the hemisphere with the freshwater perturbation cools, while the opposite hemisphere warms slightly. In the zonally averaged SAT figures, both the magnitude and the pattern of the anomalies look similar between the two cases. The oceanic response, on the other hand, is very different for the two freshwater cases, as noted above for the spreading of the SSS anomaly and the associated THC response. If the differences between the atmospheric and oceanic responses apply to the real world, then the interpretation of paleodata may need to be revisited. To arrive at a correct interpretation, it matters whether or not the evidence is mainly of atmospheric or oceanic origin. Also, given the sensitivity of the results to the exact details of the freshwater perturbation locations, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, a more realistic scenario must be constructed to explore these questions.

Efficient carbon drawdown allows for a high future carbon uptake in the North Atlantic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Goris ◽  
Jerry Tjiputra ◽  
Are Ohlsen ◽  
Jörg Schwinger ◽  
Siv Lauvset ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Nutrient Supply ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Carbon Uptake ◽  
Model Ensemble ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

<p>As one of the major carbon sinks in the global ocean, the North Atlantic is a key player in mediating and ameliorating the ongoing global warming. Projections of the North Atlantic carbon sink in a high-CO<sub>2</sub> future vary greatly among models, with some showing that a slowdown in carbon uptake has already begun and others predicting that this slowdown will not occur until nearly 2100.</p><p>Discrepancies among models largely originate because of differences in the efficiency of the high-latitude transport of carbon from the surface to the deep ocean. This transport occurs through biological production, deep convection and subsequent transport via the deep western boundary current. For an ensemble of 11 CMIP5-models, we studied the efficiency of this transport and identified two indicators of contemporary model behavior that are highly correlated with a model´s projected future carbon-uptake. The first indicator is the high latitude summer pCO<sub>2</sub><sup>sea</sup>-anomaly of a model, which is tightly linked to winter mixing and nutrient supply, but also to deep convection. The second indicator is the fraction of the anthropogenic carbon-inventory stored below 1000-m depth, indicating how efficient carbon is transported into the deep ocean. By comparing to the observational database, these indicators allow us to better constrain the model ensemble, and demonstrate that the models with more efficient surface to deep transport are best aligned with current observations. These models also show the largest future North Atlantic carbon uptake, which we then conclude is the more plausible future evolution. We further study if the high correlations between our contemporary indicators and a model´s future North Atlantic carbon uptake is also upheld for the next model generation, CMIP6. We hypothesize that this is the case and that our indicators can not only help us to constrain the CMIP6 model ensemble but also inform us about progress made between CMIP5 and CMIP6 in terms of North Atlantic carbon uptake, winter mixing, nutrient supply, deep convection and transport of carbon into the deep ocean.</p>

An Isopycnic Model Study of the North Atlantic. Part I: Model Experiment

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 2667-2699 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. New ◽  
R. Bleck ◽  
Y. Jia ◽  
R. Marsh ◽  
M. Huddleston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Model Experiment ◽  
The North ◽  
Model Study ◽  
The North Atlantic

NAPTRAM - Plastiktransportmechanismen, Senken und Interaktionen mit Biota im Nordatlantik / NAPTRAM - North Atlantic plastic transport mechanisms, sinks, and interactions with biota, Cruise No. SO279, Emden (Germany) – Emden (Germany), 04.12.2020 – 05.01.2021

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Beck
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Open Ocean ◽  
Transport Pathways ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Vertical Export ◽  
Core Questions ◽  
Ocean Gyre

The coastal and open oceans represent a major, but yet unconstrained, sink for plastics. It is likely that plastic-biota interactions are a key driver for the fragmentation, aggregation, and vertical transport of plastic litter from surface waters to sedimentary sinks. Cruise SO279 conducted sampling to address core questions of microplastic distribution in the open ocean water column, biota, and sediments. Seven stations were sampled between the outer Bay of Biscay and the primary working area south of the Azores. Additional samples were collected from surface waters along the cruise track to link European coastal and shelf waters with the open ocean gyre. Microplastic samples coupled with geochemical tracer analyses will build a mechanistic understanding of MP transport and its biological impact reaching from coastal seas to the central gyre water column and sinks at the seabed. Furthermore, floating plastics were sampled for microbial community and genetic analyses to investigate potential enzymatic degradation pathways. Cruise SO279 served as the third cruise of a number of connected research cruises to build an understanding of the transport pathways of plastic and microplastic debris in the North Atlantic from the input through rivers and air across coastal seas into the accumulation spots in the North Atlantic gyre and the vertical export to its sink at the seabed. The cruise was an international effort as part of the JPI Oceans project HOTMIC (“HOrizontal and vertical oceanic distribution, Transport, and impact of MICroplastics”) and the BMBF funded project PLASTISEA (‘Harvesting the marine Plastisphere for novel cleaning concepts’), and formed a joint effort of HOTMIC and PLASTISEA researchers from a range of countries and institutes.

Enrichment of microbial populations in macroaggregates (marine snow) from surface waters of the North Atlantic

1986 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 543-565 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Caron ◽  
Paul G. Davis ◽  
Laurence P. Madin ◽  
John McN. Sieburth
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Microbial Populations ◽  
Marine Snow ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

scholarly journals Observed acidification trends in North Atlantic water masses

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 5217-5230 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Vázquez-Rodríguez ◽  
F. F. Pérez ◽  
A. Velo ◽  
A. F. Ríos ◽  
H. Mercier
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Atlantic Water ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Emission Rates ◽  
The North ◽  
Iceland Basin ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. The lack of observational pH data has made it difficult to assess recent rates of ocean acidification, particularly in the high latitudes. Here we present a time series that spans over 27 yr (1981–2008) of high-quality carbon system measurements in the North Atlantic, which comprises fourteen cruises and covers the important water mass formation areas of the Irminger and Iceland Basins. We provide direct quantification of acidification rates in upper and intermediate North Atlantic waters. The highest rates were associated with surface waters and with Labrador Sea Water (LSW). The Subarctic Intermediate and Subpolar Mode Waters (SAIW and SPMW) showed acidification rates of −0.0019 ± 0.0001 and −0.0012 ± 0.0002 yr−1, respectively. The deep convection activity in the North Atlantic Subpolar Gyre injects surface waters loaded with anthropogenic CO2 into lower layers, provoking the remarkable acidification rate observed for LSW in the Iceland Basin (−0.0016 ± 0.0002 yr−1). An extrapolation of the observed linear acidification trends suggests that the pH of LSW could drop 0.45 units with respect to pre-industrial levels by the time atmospheric CO2 concentrations reach ~775 ppm. Under circulation conditions and evolution of CO2 emission rates similar to those of the last three decades, by the time atmospheric CO2 reaches 550 ppm, an aragonite undersaturation state could be reached in the cLSW of the Iceland Basin, earlier than surface SPMW.

scholarly journals Persistent influence of ice sheet melting on high northern latitude climate during the early Last Interglacial

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 483-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Govin ◽  
P. Braconnot ◽  
E. Capron ◽  
E. Cortijo ◽  
J.-C. Duplessy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
High Northern Latitude ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract. Although the Last Interglacial (LIG) is often considered as a possible analogue for future climate in high latitudes, its precise climate evolution and associated causes remain uncertain. Here we compile high-resolution marine sediment records from the North Atlantic, Labrador Sea, Norwegian Sea and the Southern Ocean. We document a delay in the establishment of peak interglacial conditions in the North Atlantic, Labrador and Norwegian Seas as compared to the Southern Ocean. In particular, we observe a persistent iceberg melting at high northern latitudes at the beginning of the LIG. It is associated with (1) colder and fresher surface-water conditions in the North Atlantic, Labrador and Norwegian Seas, and (2) a weaker ventilation of North Atlantic deep waters during the early LIG (129–125 ka) compared to the late LIG. Results from an ocean-atmosphere coupled model with insolation as a sole forcing for three key periods of the LIG show warmer North Atlantic surface waters and stronger Atlantic overturning during the early LIG (126 ka) than the late LIG (122 ka). Hence, insolation variations alone do not explain the delay in peak interglacial conditions observed at high northern latitudes. Additionally, we consider an idealized meltwater scenario at 126 ka where the freshwater input is interactively computed in response to the high boreal summer insolation. The model simulates colder, fresher North Atlantic surface waters and weaker Atlantic overturning during the early LIG (126 ka) compared to the late LIG (122 ka). This result suggests that both insolation and ice sheet melting have to be considered to reproduce the climatic pattern that we identify during the early LIG. Our model-data comparison also reveals a number of limitations and reinforces the need for further detailed investigations using coupled climate-ice sheet models and transient simulations.

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