Loop Current Variability—Its Relation to Meridional Overturning Circulation and the Impact of Mississippi Discharge

Abstract

The dynamics of the Loop Current (LC) in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) during transient climates and interglacials, and its interaction with changes in sea level, atmospheric circulation, and Mississippi River (MR) discharge were studied. Geochemical proxy records and numerical modeling indicate that LC eddy shedding and its related heat transport into the GoM increased during the deglaciation. The model simulations imply decreased LC eddy shedding at lowered sea levels, while transports through Yucatan and Florida straits increased due to the southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and increased wind-driven transport in the North Atlantic. Consistent with the model, (isotope) geochemical proxy records from the northern GoM show glacial/interglacial amplitudes significantly larger than in the Caribbean and extreme cooling during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) due to the vanishing LC eddy shedding. Prominent deglacial melt water releases observed south and west of the MR delta are neither present in the northeastern GoM, nor in sea-surface salinity-records in the subtropical North Atlantic. The freshwater signals were either a regionally restricted phenomenon or due to changes in the isotopic composition of the discharged water. Our results question the impact of MR megadischarges on the large-scale overturning circulation.