Abstract
AbstractSince the beginning of the 1980s, deep convection has ceased in the Greenland Sea. The effects of this halt on the intense warming and salinification of Greenland Sea deep waters and on the “dome collapse” (sinking of the dome) have been intensively studied. However, their causes and the potential outflow of Greenland Sea deep and bottom waters toward southern adjacent basins have remained less investigated and are the focus of this work. Combining oceanic and atmospheric in situ data, together with satellite and reanalysis data, it is found that there is not a unique factor responsible for the halt of deep convection in the Greenland Sea. Changes in the Ekman pumping seem to only explain one tenth of the observed deepening of isopycnals of 1,300 m in the central Greenland Sea (dome collapse). Since the early 1980s, in addition, a decrease in the mean net heat loss from the ocean to the atmosphere and in the intensity and number of intense heat loss events would have contributed to the decrease in both the intensity of convective mixing and the generation of dense deep waters. The generation of waters not sufficiently dense to contribute to the reservoir of water below the Greenland Sea dome would have led to its emptying and sinking. More importantly, it is found that in situ evidence of a sustained bottom‐water upwelling driven by a secondary circulation cell whose major role in ventilating and draining the Greenland Sea deep and bottom waters has been largely underestimated.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.