Jan D. Zika

Sea Level Expression of Intrinsic and Forced Ocean Variabilities at Interannual Time Scales

AbstractThis paper evaluates in a realistic context the local contributions of direct atmospheric forcing and intrinsic oceanic processes on interannual sea level anomalies (SLAs). A ¼° global ocean–sea ice general circulation model, driven over 47 yr by the full range of atmospheric time scales, is quantitatively assessed against altimetry and shown to reproduce most observed features of the interannual SLA variability from 1993 to 2004. Comparing this simulation with a second driven only by the climatological annual cycle reveals that the intrinsic part of the total interannual SLA variance exceeds 40% over half of the open-ocean area and exceeds 80% over one-fifth of it. This intrinsic contribution is particularly strong in eddy-active regions (more than 70%–80% in the Southern Ocean and western boundary current extensions) as predicted by idealized studies, as well as within the 20°–35° latitude bands. The atmosphere directly forces most of the interannual SLA variance at low latitudes and in most mid...

Standing and Transient Eddies in the Response of the Southern Ocean Meridional Overturning to the Southern Annular Mode

AbstractTo refine the understanding of how the Southern Ocean responds to recent intensification of the southern annular mode (SAM), a regional ocean model at two eddy-permitting resolutions was forced with two synthetic interannual forcings. The first forcing corresponds to homogeneously intensified winds, while the second concerns their poleward intensification, consistent with positive phases of the SAM. Resulting wind-driven responses differ greatly between the nearly insensitive Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and the more sensitive meridional overturning circulation (MOC). As expected, eddies mitigate the response of the ACC and MOC to poleward-intensified winds. However, transient eddies do not necessarily play an increasing role in meridional transport with increasing resolution. As winds and resolution increase, meridional transport from standing eddies becomes more efficient at balancing wind-enhanced overturning. These results question the current paradigms on the role of eddies and present...

Tasman leakage in a fine-resolution ocean model

Tasman leakage, the westward flow of thermocline waters south of Australia from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, is one of the lesser-studied of the inter-ocean exchanges. Here, some of the properties of the Tasman leakage are inferred from Lagrangian particles integrated using the three-dimensional velocity fields of the 1/10 degree resolution OFES model. The mean Tasman leakage in this model is 4.2 Sv, with a standard deviation of 4.3 Sv. The heat flux associated with this leakage lies in the range 0.08–0.18 PW. There is large variability in the Tasman leakage on both sub-weekly and inter-annual scales, but no trend over the 1983–1997 period. Despite the large weekly variability, with peaks of more than 20 Sv, it appears that less than half of the Tasman leakage is carried within eddies.

The Ocean Circulation in Thermohaline Coordinates

AbstractThe thermohaline streamfunction is presented. The thermohaline streamfunction is the integral of transport in temperature–salinity space and represents the net pathway of oceanic water parcels in that space. The thermohaline streamfunction is proposed as a diagnostic to understand the global oceanic circulation and its role in the global movement of heat and freshwater. The coordinate system used filters out adiabatic fluctuations. Physical pathways and ventilation time scales are naturally diagnosed, as are the roles of the mean flow and turbulent fluctuations. Because potential density is a function of temperature and salinity, the framework is naturally isopycnal and is ideal for the diagnosis of water-mass transformations and advective diapycnal heat and freshwater transports. Crucially, the thermohaline streamfunction is computationally and practically trivial to implement as a diagnostic for ocean models. Here, the thermohaline streamfunction is computed using the output of an equilibrated i...

Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic Program: A New International Ocean Observing System

A new ocean observing system has been launched in the North Atlantic in order to understand the linkage between the meridional overturning circulation and deep water formation. For decades oceanographers have understood the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) to be primarily driven by changes in the production of deep water formation in the subpolar and subarctic North Atlantic. Indeed, current IPCC projections of an AMOC slowdown in the 21st century based on climate models are attributed to the inhibition of deep convection in the North Atlantic. However, observational evidence for this linkage has been elusive: there has been no clear demonstration of AMOC variability in response to changes in deep water formation. The motivation for understanding this linkage is compelling since the overturning circulation has been shown to sequester heat and anthropogenic carbon in the deep ocean. Furthermore, AMOC variability is expected to impact this sequestration as well as have consequences for regional and global climates through its effect on the poleward transport of warm water. Motivated by the need for a mechanistic understanding of the AMOC, an international community has assembled an observing system, Overturning in the Subpolar North Atlantic (OSNAP), to provide a continuous record of the trans-basin fluxes of heat, mass and freshwater and to link that record to convective activity and water mass transformation at high latitudes. OSNAP, in conjunction with the RAPID/MOCHA array at 26°N and other observational elements, will provide a comprehensive measure of the three-dimensional AMOC and an understanding of what drives its variability. The OSNAP observing system was fully deployed in the summer of 2014 and the first OSNAP data products are expected in the fall of 2017.

Diagnosing the Southern Ocean Overturning from Tracer Fields

Abstract The strength and structure of the Southern Hemisphere meridional overturning circulation (SMOC) is related to the along-isopycnal and vertical mixing coefficients by analyzing tracer and density fields from a hydrographic climatology. The meridional transport of Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW) across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is expressed in terms of the along-isopycnal (K) and diapycnal (D) tracer diffusivities and in terms of the along-isopycnal potential vorticity mixing coefficient (KPV). Uniform along-isopycnal (<600 m2 s−1) and low vertical mixing (10−5 m2 s−1) can maintain a southward transport of less than 60 Sv (Sv = 106 m2 s−1) of UCDW across the ACC, which is distributed largely across the South Pacific and east Indian Ocean basins. For vertical mixing rates of O(10−4 m2 s−1) or greater, the inferred transport is significantly enhanced. The transports inferred from both tracer and density distributions suggest a ratio K to D of O(2 × 106) particularly on deeper layers...

Constrained work output of the moist atmospheric heat engine in a warming climate

Because the rain falls and the wind blows Global warming is expected to intensify the hydrological cycle, but it might also make the atmosphere less energetic. Laliberté et al. modeled the atmosphere as a classical heat engine in order to evaluate how much energy it contains and how much work it can do (see the Perspective by Pauluis). They then used a global climate model to project how that might change as climate warms. Although the hydrological cycle may increase in intensity, it does so at the expense of its ability to do work, such as powering large-scale atmospheric circulation or fueling more very intense storms. Science, this issue p. 540; see also p. 475 A more intense hydrological cycle in a warmer world might make atmospheric circulation less energetic. [Also see Perspective by Pauluis] Incoming and outgoing solar radiation couple with heat exchange at Earth’s surface to drive weather patterns that redistribute heat and moisture around the globe, creating an atmospheric heat engine. Here, we investigate the engine’s work output using thermodynamic diagrams computed from reanalyzed observations and from a climate model simulation with anthropogenic forcing. We show that the work output is always less than that of an equivalent Carnot cycle and that it is constrained by the power necessary to maintain the hydrological cycle. In the climate simulation, the hydrological cycle increases more rapidly than the equivalent Carnot cycle. We conclude that the intensification of the hydrological cycle in warmer climates might limit the heat engine’s ability to generate work.

Vertical Eddy Fluxes in the Southern Ocean

The overturning circulation of the Southern Ocean has been investigated using eddying coupled ocean–sea ice models. The circulation is diagnosed in both density–latitude coordinates and in depth–density coordinates. Depth–density coordinates follow streamlines where the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is equivalent barotropic, capture the descent of Antarctic Bottom Water, follow density outcrops at the surface, and can be interpreted energetically. In density–latitude coordinates, wind-driven northward transport of light water and southward transport of dense water are compensated by standing meanders and to a lesser degree by transient eddies, consistent with previous results. In depth–density coordinates, however, wind-driven upwelling of dense water and downwelling of light water are compensated more strongly by transient eddy fluxes than fluxes because of standing meanders. Model realizations are discussed where the wind pattern of the southern annular mode is amplified. In density–latitude coordinates, meridional fluxes because of transient eddies can increase to counter changes in Ekman transport and decrease in response to changes in the standing meanders. In depth–density coordinates, vertical fluxes because of transient eddies directly counter changes in Ekman pumping.

Sensitivity of Antarctic Circumpolar Current Transport and Eddy Activity to Wind Patterns in the Southern Ocean

AbstractThe Southern Hemisphere westerly winds have intensified in recent decades associated with a positive trend in the southern annular mode (SAM). However, the response of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) transport and eddy field to wind forcing remains a topic of debate. This study uses global eddy-permitting ocean circulation models driven with both idealized and realistic wind forcing to explore the response to interannual wind strengthening. The response of the barotropic and baroclinic transports and eddy field of the ACC is found to depend on the spatial pattern of the changes in wind forcing. In isolation, an enhancement of the westerlies over the ACC belt leads to an increase of both barotropic and baroclinic transport within the ACC envelope, with lagged enhancement of the eddy kinetic energy (EKE). In contrast, an increase in wind forcing near Antarctica drives a largely barotropic change in transport along closed f/H contours (“free mode”), with little change in eddy activity. Under ...

The representation of ocean circulation and variability in thermodynamic coordinates

The ocean’s circulation is analyzed in Absolute Salinity SA and Conservative Temperature Q coordinates. It is separated into 1) an advective component related to geographical displacements in the direction normal to SA and Q isosurfaces and 2) into a local component, related to local changes in SA–Q values, without a geographical displacement. In this decomposition, the sum of the advective and local components of the circulation is equivalent to the material derivative of SA and Q. The sum is directly related to sources and sinks of salt and heat. The advective component is represented by the advective thermohaline streamfunction C advAQ. After removing a trend, the local component can be represented by the local thermohaline streamfunction C locAQ. Here, C locAQ can be diagnosed using a monthly averaged time series of SA and Q from an observational dataset. In addition, C advAQ and C locAQ are determined from a coupled climate model. The diathermohaline streamfunction C diaAQ is the sum of C advAQ and C locAQ and represents the nondivergent diathermohaline circulation in SA–Q coordinates. The diathermohaline trend, resulting from the trend in the local changes of SA and Q, quantifies the redistribution of the ocean’s volume in SA–Q coordinates over time. It is argued that the diathermohaline streamfunction provides a powerful tool for the analysis of and comparison among ocean models and observation-based gridded climatologies.