Eddy-Driven Stratification Initiates North Atlantic Spring Phytoplankton Blooms

Science ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 337 (6090) ◽  
pp. 54-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amala Mahadevan ◽  
Eric D’Asaro ◽  
Craig Lee ◽  
Mary Jane Perry
Keyword(s):  
Density Gradient ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Light Exposure ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Biophysical Model ◽  
Phytoplankton Blooms ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Basin Scale

Springtime phytoplankton blooms photosynthetically fix carbon and export it from the surface ocean at globally important rates. These blooms are triggered by increased light exposure of the phytoplankton due to both seasonal light increase and the development of a near-surface vertical density gradient (stratification) that inhibits vertical mixing of the phytoplankton. Classically and in current climate models, that stratification is ascribed to a springtime warming of the sea surface. Here, using observations from the subpolar North Atlantic and a three-dimensional biophysical model, we show that the initial stratification and resulting bloom are instead caused by eddy-driven slumping of the basin-scale north-south density gradient, resulting in a patchy bloom beginning 20 to 30 days earlier than would occur by warming.

Observed seasonal regimes of North-South Atlantic Ocean interbasin exchange

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamed D. Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Volume Flux ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Interbasin Exchange ◽  
North And South

North and South Atlantic lateral volume exchange is a key component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) embedded in Earth’s climate. Northward AMOC heat transport within this exchange mitigates the large heat loss to the atmosphere in the northern North Atlantic. Because of inadequate climate data, observational basin-scale studies of net interbasin exchange between the North and South Atlantic have been limited. Here ten independent climate datasets, five satellite-derived and five analyses, are synthesized to show that North and South Atlantic climatological net lateral volume exchange is partitioned into two seasonal regimes. From late-May to late-November, net lateral volume flux is from the North to the South Atlantic; whereas from late-November to late-May, net lateral volume flux is from the South to the North Atlantic. This climatological characterization offers a framework for assessing seasonal variations in these basins and provides a constraint for climate models that simulate AMOC dynamics.

scholarly journals Projected Changes in European and North Atlantic Seasonal Wind Climate Derived from CMIP5 Simulations

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (19) ◽  
pp. 6467-6490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimmo Ruosteenoja ◽  
Timo Vihma ◽  
Ari Venäläinen
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Wind Speeds ◽  
The North ◽  
Seasonal Wind ◽  
Projected Changes

Abstract Future changes in geostrophic winds over Europe and the North Atlantic region were studied utilizing output data from 21 CMIP5 global climate models (GCMs). Changes in temporal means, extremes, and the joint distribution of speed and direction were considered. In concordance with previous research, the time mean and extreme scalar wind speeds do not change pronouncedly in response to the projected climate change; some degree of weakening occurs in the majority of the domain. Nevertheless, substantial changes in high wind speeds are identified when studying the geostrophic winds from different directions separately. In particular, in northern Europe in autumn and in parts of northwestern Europe in winter, the frequency of strong westerly winds is projected to increase by up to 50%. Concurrently, easterly winds become less common. In addition, we evaluated the potential of the GCMs to simulate changes in the near-surface true wind speeds. In ocean areas, changes in the true and geostrophic winds are mainly consistent and the emerging differences can be explained (e.g., by the retreat of Arctic sea ice). Conversely, in several GCMs the continental wind speed response proved to be predominantly determined by fairly arbitrary changes in the surface properties rather than by changes in the atmospheric circulation. Accordingly, true wind projections derived directly from the model output should be treated with caution since they do not necessarily reflect the actual atmospheric response to global warming.

scholarly journals DYNAMICS OF A LONGITUDINALLY STRATIFIED ESTUARY

1976 ◽  
Vol 1 (15) ◽  
pp. 177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorg Imberger
Keyword(s):  
Density Gradient ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
First Order ◽  
Vertical Density ◽  
Stratified Estuary ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Australian Estuary

Introduction. A partially stratified estuary is defined as one which possesses a quite definite longitudinal salinity gradient from the mouth to the head of the estuary, but only a very weak vertical or transverse salinity structure. For an estuary to exhibit such characteristics it must possess a source of fresh water near the head of the estuary, sufficient vertical mixing to overcome the potential energy associated with such a fresh water inflow and be very much longer than its width to reduce transverse variations. If the estuary is very shallow (a few meters) then wind generated turbulence is often sufficient to eliminate most or all the vertical structure. Deeper, or very sheltered, estuaries require additional strong tidal shears to break up the vertical density gradients. However, in both cases the mixing is usually not sufficient to completely homogenize the estuary longitudinally and it is found that these estuaries display a near linear salinity gradient along the principle axis of the estuary throughout most of the spring and summer months. Such a density gradient drives a gravitational circulation within the estuary which leads to a net transport of salt from the sea mouth to the head of the estuary. Two dimensional theories (see for instance Rat tray and Mitsuda (1974)) have been established, but In general these greatly underestimate the longitudinal transport found in such estuaries and three dimensional circulation effects must be considered. Fischer (1972) was the first to recognise this fact and he carried out a first order analysis which pointed to a greatly increased longitudinal dispersion. However, Fischer (1972) carried out his analysis only to first order, not explaining how the transverse pressure field, set up by the first order velocity field convecting the longitudinal density gradient, is balanced. It is the purpose of this paper to give a rigorous foundation to Fischer's (1972) hypothesis that it is the transverse variations in velocity which yield the greatest contribution to any longitudinal transport of the density or any passive pollutant. Furthermore, the presented theory is applied to a local Western Australian estuary which is ideally suited for such a comparison complying strictly to the assumptions of the theory.

scholarly journals Subsurface iron accumulation and rapid aluminum removal in the Mediterranean following African dust deposition

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 6435-6453
Author(s):  
Matthieu Bressac ◽  
Thibaut Wagener ◽  
Nathalie Leblond ◽  
Antonio Tovar-Sánchez ◽  
Céline Ridame ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Comprehensive Evaluation ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Surface Mixed Layer ◽  
Dust Deposition ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Surface Ocean ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The Mediterranean

Abstract. Mineral dust deposition is an important supply mechanism for trace elements in the low-latitude ocean. Our understanding of the controls of such inputs has been mostly built on laboratory and surface ocean studies. The lack of direct observations and the tendency to focus on near-surface waters prevent a comprehensive evaluation of the role of dust in oceanic biogeochemical cycles. In the frame of the PEACETIME project (ProcEss studies at the Air-sEa Interface after dust deposition in the MEditerranean sea), the responses of the aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) cycles to two dust wet deposition events over the central and western Mediterranean Sea were investigated at a timescale of hours to days using a comprehensive dataset gathering dissolved and suspended particulate concentrations, along with sinking fluxes. Dissolved Al (dAl) removal was dominant over dAl released from dust. The Fe / Al ratio of suspended and sinking particles revealed that biogenic particles, and in particular diatoms, were key in accumulating and exporting Al relative to Fe. By combining these observations with published Al / Si ratios of diatoms, we show that adsorption onto biogenic particles, rather than active uptake, represents the main sink for dAl in Mediterranean waters. In contrast, systematic dissolved Fe (dFe) accumulation occurred in subsurface waters (∼ 100–1000 m), while dFe input from dust was only transient in the surface mixed layer. The rapid transfer of dust to depth, the Fe-binding ligand pool in excess to dFe in subsurface (while nearly saturated in surface), and low scavenging rates in this particle-poor depth horizon are all important drivers of this subsurface dFe enrichment. At the annual scale, this previously overlooked mechanism may represent an additional pathway of dFe supply for the surface ocean through diapycnal diffusion and vertical mixing. However, low subsurface dFe concentrations observed at the basin scale (

Sensitivity of the Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation and Its Stability to Basin-Scale Variations in Vertical Mixing

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (21) ◽  
pp. 5467-5478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem P. Sijp ◽  
Matthew H. England
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Multiple Equilibria ◽  
Thermohaline Circulation ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Intermediate Water ◽  
Stable States ◽  
Atlantic Basin ◽  
Interhemispheric Competition ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The Stability

Abstract This study shows that a reduction in vertical mixing applied inside the Atlantic basin can drastically increase North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) stability with respect to freshwater perturbations applied to the North Atlantic. This is contrary to the notion that the stability of the ocean’s thermohaline circulation simply scales with vertical mixing rates. An Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) reverse cell, reliant upon upwelling of cold AAIW into the Atlantic thermocline, is found to be associated with stable states where NADW is collapsed. Transitions between NADW “on” and “off” states are characterized by interhemispheric competition between this AAIW cell and the NADW cell. In contrast to the AAIW reverse cell, NADW eventually upwells outside the Atlantic basin and is thus not as sensitive to changes in vertical mixing within the Atlantic. A reduction in vertical mixing in the Atlantic weakens the AAIW reverse cell, resulting in an enhanced stability of NADW formation. The results also suggest that the AAIW reverse cell is responsible for the stability of NADW collapsed states, and thereby plays a key role in maintaining multiple equilibria in the climate system. A global increase of vertical mixing in the model results in significantly enhanced NADW stability, as found in previous studies. However, an enhancement of vertical mixing applied only inside the Atlantic Ocean results in a reduction of NADW stability. It is concluded that the stability of NADW formation to freshwater perturbations depends critically on the basin-scale distribution of vertical mixing in the world’s oceans.

scholarly journals The North Atlantic Jet Stream under Climate Change and Its Relation to the NAO and EA Patterns

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 886-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Woollings ◽  
Mike Blackburn
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Polar Coordinate System ◽  
Jet Stream ◽  
Wind Maximum ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Anthropogenic Forcing ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The North Atlantic Oscillation

Abstract This paper describes recent variations of the North Atlantic eddy-driven jet stream and analyzes the mean response of the jet to anthropogenic forcing in climate models. Jet stream changes are analyzed both using a direct measure of the near-surface westerly wind maximum and using an EOF-based approach. This allows jet stream changes to be related to the widely used leading patterns of variability: the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and East Atlantic (EA) pattern. Viewed in NAO–EA state space, isolines of jet latitude and speed resemble a distorted polar coordinate system, highlighting the dependence of the jet stream quantities on both spatial patterns. Some differences in the results of the two methods are discussed, but both approaches agree on the general characteristics of the climate models. While there is some agreement between models on a poleward shift of the jet stream in response to anthropogenic forcing, there is still considerable spread between different model projections, especially in winter. Furthermore, the model responses to forcing are often weaker than their biases when compared to a reanalysis. Diagnoses of jet stream changes can be sensitive to the methodologies used, and several aspects of this are also discussed.

scholarly journals North Atlantic climate variability in coupled models and data

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Kravtsov ◽  
W. K. Dewar ◽  
M. Ghil ◽  
P. S. Berloff ◽  
J. C. McWilliams
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Coupled Models ◽  
Ocean Atmosphere

Abstract. We show that the observed zonally averaged jet in the Northern Hemisphere atmosphere exhibits two spatial patterns with broadband variability in the decadal and inter-decadal range; these patterns are consistent with an important role of local, mid-latitude ocean–atmosphere coupling. A key aspect of this behaviour is the fundamentally nonlinear bi-stability of the atmospheric jet's latitudinal position, which enables relatively small sea-surface temperature anomalies associated with ocean processes to affect the large-scale atmospheric winds. The wind anomalies induce, in turn, complex three-dimensional anomalies in the ocean's main thermocline; in particular, they may be responsible for recently reported cooling of the upper ocean. Both observed modes of variability, decadal and inter-decadal, have been found in our intermediate climate models. One mode resembles North Atlantic tri-polar sea-surface temperature (SST) patterns described elsewhere. The other mode, with mono-polar SST pattern, is novel; its key aspects include interaction of oceanic turbulence with the large-scale oceanic flow. To the extent these anomalies exist, the interpretation of observed climate variability in terms of natural and human-induced changes will be affected. Coupled mid-latitude ocean-atmosphere modes do, however, suggest some degree of predictability is possible.

scholarly journals Seasonal phytoplankton blooms in the North Atlantic linked to the overwintering strategies of copepods

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin D. Friedland ◽  
Nicholas R. Record ◽  
Rebecca G. Asch ◽  
Trond Kristiansen ◽  
Vincent S. Saba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Correlation ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Calanus Finmarchicus ◽  
Calanoid Copepods ◽  
Phytoplankton Blooms ◽  
Concentration Data ◽  
Spring Phenology ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract The North Atlantic Ocean contains diverse patterns of seasonal phytoplankton blooms with distinct internal dynamics. We analyzed blooms using remotely-sensed chlorophyll a concentration data and change point statistics. The first bloom of the year began during spring at low latitudes and later in summer at higher latitudes. In regions where spring blooms occurred at high frequency (i.e., proportion of years that a bloom was detected), there was a negative correlation between bloom timing and duration, indicating that early blooms last longer. In much of the Northeast Atlantic, bloom development extended over multiple seasons resulting in peak chlorophyll concentrations in summer. Spring bloom start day was found to be positively correlated with a spring phenology index and showed both positive and negative correlations to sea surface temperature and the North Atlantic Oscillation in different regions. Based on the characteristics of spring and summer blooms, the North Atlantic can be classified into two regions: a seasonal bloom region, with a well-defined bloom limited to a single season; and a multi-seasonal bloom region, with blooms extending over multiple seasons. These regions differed in the correlation between bloom start and duration with only the seasonal bloom region showing a significant, negative correlation. We tested the hypothesis that the near-surface springtime distribution of copepods that undergo diapause (Calanus finmarchicus, C. helgolandicus, C. glacialis, and C. hyperboreus) may contribute to the contrast in bloom development between the two regions. Peak near-surface spring abundance of the late stages of these Calanoid copepods was generally associated with areas having a well-defined seasonal bloom, implying a link between bloom shape and their abundance. We suggest that either grazing is a factor in shaping the seasonal bloom or bloom shape determines whether a habitat is conducive to diapause, while recognizing that both factors can re-enforce each other.

scholarly journals Challenges for implementing the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in a climate of macroecological change

2012 ◽  
Vol 370 (1980) ◽  
pp. 5636-5655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail McQuatters-Gollop
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Marine Strategy Framework Directive ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
The North ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
European Seas

Unprecedented basin-scale ecological changes are occurring in our seas. As temperature and carbon dioxide concentrations increase, the extent of sea ice is decreasing, stratification and nutrient regimes are changing and pH is decreasing. These unparalleled changes present new challenges for managing our seas, as we are only just beginning to understand the ecological manifestations of these climate alterations. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive requires all European Member States to achieve good environmental status (GES) in their seas by 2020; this means management towards GES will take place against a background of climate-driven macroecological change. Each Member State must set environmental targets to achieve GES; however, in order to do so, an understanding of large-scale ecological change in the marine ecosystem is necessary. Much of our knowledge of macroecological change in the North Atlantic is a result of research using data gathered by the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey, a near-surface plankton monitoring programme that has been sampling in the North Atlantic since 1931. CPR data indicate that North Atlantic and North Sea plankton dynamics are responding to both climate and human-induced changes, presenting challenges to the development of pelagic targets for achievement of GES in European Seas. Thus, the continuation of long-term ecological time series such as the CPR survey is crucial for informing and supporting the sustainable management of European seas through policy mechanisms.

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