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dc.contributor.authorMauritzen, C.eng
dc.contributor.authorHjøllo, Solfrid Sætreeng
dc.contributor.authorSandø, Anne Britteng
dc.date.accessioned2007-02-16T10:48:29Z
dc.date.available2007-02-16T10:48:29Z
dc.date.issued2006-08eng
dc.PublishedJournal of Geophysical Research 111(C8)
dc.identifier.issn0148-0227
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1956/2106
dc.description.abstractA long-standing problem in oceanography has been to understand the relationship between what can be measured in the ocean, such as hydrography, and what cannot, such as the strength and structure of the complete Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) of the world oceans, commonly considered the main oceanic long-term modifier of Earth’s climate. With the aid of a 50 year simulation from a numerical ice-ocean model we have investigated this relationship in the area of the northernmost extension of the MOC, in the Subpolar and Nordic Seas, on interannual timescales. We find that variability in the northward flux of salt and temperature in this region is controlled almost entirely by the volume flux, confirming that a knowledge of the variability of the circulation strength proper is necessary. The simulated hydrographic anomalies are within the range observed in the 20th century, thus fundamental changes to the circulation were not expected nor found. It is seen that variability in either temperature or salinity does contain some information about the variability in current strength, because hydrography and circulation generally respond to the same atmospheric forcing in the North Atlantic sector. Whether it is temperature or salinity that contains the information is related to the parameter range of the equation of state at the location in question: if density depends primarily on temperature then a salinity anomaly will tend to survive and vice versa. The oceanic response involves hydrographic changes and propagation of these, gyre strength changes, and changes in the MOC.en_US
dc.format.extent919318 byteseng
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfeng
dc.language.isoengeng
dc.publisherAmerican Geophysical Unioneng
dc.titlePassive tracers and active dynamics - a model study of hydrography and circulation in the northern North Atlanticeng
dc.typeJournal articleeng
dc.typePeer reviewedeng
dc.description.versionacceptedVersion
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1029/2005jc003252
dc.source.journalJournal of Geophysical Research
dc.source.40111
dc.source.14C8
dc.subject.nsiVDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400nob
dc.subject.nsiVDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Geofag: 450::Oseanografi: 452nob


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