Influence of assimilating transports and in situ data from the Rapid-MOCHA array into the GECCO2 ocean synthesis

Abstract

By assimilating information required for the estimation of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) by the Rapid-MOCHA array, we investigate how transports should be constrained. For the period 2004–2011, we find that even the large adjustments in Florida Strait transport (FST) imposed by assimilating FST data do not impact the AMOC strength at 26.5°N while the AMOC away from this section changes due to the baroclinic response. Moreover, the high correlation between the FST and AMOC previously reported cannot be confirmed for this longer period. When assimilating FST and AMOC transports in conjunction, simulated transports can both be brought easily into consistency with the Rapid estimates while the representation of the hydrographic data at the mooring locations improves mainly at the eastern boundary. The dynamical constraint through the equations of motion conditions that the errors of the components are correlated and the total AMOC error is a much smaller than the sum of its components. Although Ekman and mid-ocean transports improve when AMOC is assimilated, the excellent AMOC representation relies on error compensation through adjustments of mainly the Ekman component. Assimilating the mooring data together with FST does not improve the representation of the AMOC. Density information is difficult to extract via assimilating temperature and salinity because of the strong density compensation in the subtropical gyre. Alternatively assimilating density from the mooring data directly was of limited success.