Denmark Strait Overflow Research Articles

Enhanced turbulence driven by mesoscale motions and flow‐topography interaction in the Denmark Strait Overflow plume

AbstractThe Denmark Strait Overflow (DSO) contributes roughly half to the total volume transport of the Nordic overflows. The overflow increases its volume by entraining ambient water as it descends into the subpolar North Atlantic, feeding into the deep branch of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. In June 2012, a multiplatform experiment was carried out in the DSO plume on the continental slope off Greenland (180 km downstream of the sill in Denmark Strait), to observe the variability associated with the entrainment of ambient waters into the DSO plume. In this study, we report on two high‐dissipation events captured by an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) by horizontal profiling in the interfacial layer between the DSO plume and the ambient water. Strong dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy of O( ) W kg−1 was associated with enhanced small‐scale temperature variance at wavelengths between 0.05 and 500 m as deduced from a fast‐response thermistor. Isotherm displacement slope spectra reveal a wave number‐dependence characteristic of turbulence in the inertial‐convective subrange ( ) at wavelengths between 0.14 and 100 m. The first event captured by the AUV was transient, and occurred near the edge of a bottom‐intensified energetic eddy. Our observations imply that both horizontal advection of warm water and vertical mixing of it into the plume are eddy‐driven and go hand in hand in entraining ambient water into the DSO plume. The second event was found to be a stationary feature on the upstream side of a topographic elevation located in the plume pathway. Flow‐topography interaction is suggested to drive the intense mixing at this site.

Upstream sources of the Denmark Strait Overflow: Observations from a high-resolution mooring array

We present the first results from a densely instrumented mooring array upstream of the Denmark Strait sill, extending from the Iceland shelfbreak to the Greenland shelf. The array was deployed from September 2011 to July 2012, and captured the vast majority of overflow water denser than 27.8kgm−3 approaching the sill. The mean transport of overflow water over the length of the deployment was 3.54±0.16Sv. Of this, 0.58Sv originated from below sill depth, revealing that aspiration takes place in Denmark Strait. We confirm the presence of two main sources of overflow water: one approaching the sill in the East Greenland Current and the other via the North Icelandic Jet. Using an objective technique based on the hydrographic properties of the water, the transports of these two sources are found to be 2.54±0.17Sv and 1.00±0.17Sv, respectively. We further partition the East Greenland Current source into that carried by the shelfbreak jet (1.50±0.16Sv) versus that transported by a separated branch of the current on the Iceland slope (1.04±0.15Sv). Over the course of the year the total overflow transport is more consistent than the transport in either branch; compensation takes place among the pathways that maintains a stable total overflow transport. This is especially true for the two East Greenland Current branches whose transports vary out of phase with each other on weekly and longer time scales. We argue that wind forcing plays a role in this partitioning.

Estimates of entrainment in the Denmark Strait overflow plume from CTD/LADCP data

The data of the CTD survey conducted in the Denmark Strait and Irminger Sea in May–June 2009 are used to calculate the vertical profiles of the turbulent overturning scale, which are then used to estimate the dissipation and entrainment rates in the overflow plume. The resulting estimates of the entrainment rate varied widely from 2 × 10–7 to 7 × 10–3 m/s. It is shown that such a wide range of entrainment rates is caused by the intermittency of turbulence. Large turbulent overturning at the interface of the Denmark Strait overflow plume is detected on the vertical temperature, salinity, and potential density profiles.

Stirring by deep cyclones and the evolution of Denmark strait overflow water observed at line W

Shipboard velocity and water property data from 18 transects across the North Atlantic Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) near 40 °N are examined to study the evolution of the Denmark Strait Overflow Water (DSOW) component of the DWBC and mixing between DSOW and the interior. The examined transects along Line W – which stretches from the continental shelf south of New England to Bermuda – were made between 1994 and 2014. The shipboard data comprise measurements at regular stations of velocity from lowered acoustic Doppler current profilers, CTD profiles and trace gas chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) concentrations from bottle samples at discrete depths. Comparison of the Line W velocity sections with concurrent sea surface height maps from satellite altimetry indicates that large cyclones in the deep ocean accompany intermittent quasi-stationary meander troughs in the Gulf Stream path at Line W. A composite of 5 velocity sections along Line W suggests that a typical cyclone reaches swirl speeds of greater than 30cms−1 at 3400-m depth and has a radius (distance between the center and the maximum velocity) of 75km. Tracer data suggest that these cyclones affect not only the deep velocity structure along Line W, but also provide a mechanism for water exchange between the DWBC's DSOW and the interior. Vigorous exchange is corroborated by a mismatch in the CFC-11:CFC-12 and CFC-113:CFC-12 ratio ages calculated for DSOW at Line W. During the most recent 5-year period (2010–2014), a decrease in DSOW density has been driven by warming (increasing by almost 0.1°C) as salinity has increased only slightly (by 0.003, which is close to the 0.002 uncertainty of the measurements). The abyssal ocean offshore of the DWBC and Gulf Stream and deeper than 3000-m depth has freshened at a rate of 6×10−4yr−1 since at least 2003. Density here remains nearly unchanged over this period, due to temperature compensation, though a linear cooling trend in the abyssal ocean (to compensate the freshening) is not statistically significant.

Spreading of Denmark Strait Overflow Water in the Western Subpolar North Atlantic: Insights from Eddy-Resolving Simulations with a Passive Tracer

AbstractThe oceanic deep circulation is shared between concentrated deep western boundary currents (DWBCs) and broader interior pathways, a process that is sensitive to seafloor topography. This study investigates the spreading and deepening of Denmark Strait overflow water (DSOW) in the western subpolar North Atlantic using two ° eddy-resolving Atlantic simulations, including a passive tracer injected into the DSOW. The deepest layers of DSOW transit from a narrow DWBC in the southern Irminger Sea into widespread westward flow across the central Labrador Sea, which remerges along the Labrador coast. This abyssal circulation, in contrast to the upper levels of overflow water that remain as a boundary current, blankets the deep Labrador Sea with DSOW. Farther downstream after being steered around the abrupt topography of Orphan Knoll, DSOW again leaves the boundary, forming cyclonic recirculation cells in the deep Newfoundland basin. The deep recirculation, mostly driven by the meandering pathway of the upper North Atlantic Current, leads to accumulation of tracer offshore of Orphan Knoll, precisely where a local maximum of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) inventory is observed. At Flemish Cap, eddy fluxes carry ~20% of the tracer transport from the boundary current into the interior. Potential vorticity is conserved as the flow of DSOW broadens at the transition from steep to less steep continental rise into the Labrador Sea, while around the abrupt topography of Orphan Knoll, potential vorticity is not conserved and the DSOW deepens significantly.

Photobleaching of fluorescent dissolved organic matter in Beaufort Sea and North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre

Fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) samples collected from water masses of Beaufort Sea (n = 12) and the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre (NASG; n = 6) were assessed based on susceptibilities of its parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) modeled fluorescent components to photobleaching over 72 hours of simulated solar irradiation. 315 excitation–emission matrix spectra (EEMs) were PARAFAC modeled yielding 4 humic-like (C1–3 and C5) and 1 protein-like (C4) fluorescent components. Protein-like C4 and humic-like C5 did not adhere to first order kinetics and did not yield decay rate constant (k) or half-life (t1/2) values as part of this study. Humic-like C1 was found to be most resilient to photodegradation with lowest k values. Principal component analysis (PCA) illustrated a shift towards C1% with photo-exposure in addition to distinguishing compositions of C1–5% in Beaufort Sea halocline and Atlantic layer as well as NASG deep water masses. When Beaufort Sea water masses were considered, k of C2 was found to be lower in upper (UH) and mid (MH) halocline layers when compared to lower halocline (LH) and underlying Atlantic layer (AL; p < 0.10). This suggested that C2 in Pacific-derived seawater was less photoreactive than C2 in Atlantic-derived seawater in Beaufort Sea, likely as a result of distinct formation pathways of these water masses. Similarly, C2 in upper Labrador Seawater (ULSW) and ‘classical’ Labrador seawater (LSW) was less photolabile than in deeper NASG layers (Iceland-Scotland and Denmark Strait overflow waters; ISOW and DSOW). Interestingly, despite similar formation pathways of AL in Beaufort Sea and deeper waters sampled from NASG (ISOW + DSOW), lower k for C1 was found in NASG.

Changes in the strength of the Nordic Seas Overflows over the past 3000 years

The Nordic Seas Overflows constitute the densest component of the deep limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Changes in the vigour of the overflows may have had important climatic effects in the past and may also have in the future. Yet, evidence for multidecadal to millennial changes in the deep limb of the AMOC and their potential relationship to North Atlantic climate variability during the Holocene remains weakly constrained. Here we present grain size data, as a proxy for near-bottom current speed, from sub-decadal to decadally resolved sediment cores located in the direct pathway of the two Nordic Overflows east and west of Iceland, the Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW) and the Denmark Strait Overflow Water (DSOW), respectively. The results show no clear relationship between reconstructed changes in the vigour of the Nordic Overflows and the well-known periods of centennial-scale climate variability recorded in the North Atlantic region. However, well-defined millennial-scale trends are found in both of the overflow strength records over the last 3000 years, which were possibly related to hydrographic reorganizations in the Nordic Seas, driven by the decrease in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation over the Neoglacial period. A comparison between the near-bottom flow speed reconstructions from ISOW and DSOW suggests an anti-phased relationship between the Nordic Seas Overflows east and west of Iceland over the last 3000 years. This feature has been observed in climate models potentially as a result of shifts in the deep water formation sites as a response to changes in atmospheric patterns over the Nordic Seas.

Decreasing intensity of open-ocean convection in the Greenland and Iceland seas

A combination of retreating sea ice and different rates of warming in the Greenland and Iceland seas is reducing winter air–sea heat fluxes. These fluxes drive ocean convection and are projected to decrease further. The air–sea transfer of heat and fresh water plays a critical role in the global climate system1. This is particularly true for the Greenland and Iceland seas, where these fluxes drive ocean convection that contributes to Denmark Strait overflow water, the densest component of the lower limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC; ref. 2). Here we show that the wintertime retreat of sea ice in the region, combined with different rates of warming for the atmosphere and sea surface of the Greenland and Iceland seas, has resulted in statistically significant reductions of approximately 20% in the magnitude of the winter air–sea heat fluxes since 1979. We also show that modes of climate variability other than the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO; refs 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) are required to fully characterize the regional air–sea interaction. Mixed-layer model simulations imply that further decreases in atmospheric forcing will exceed a threshold for the Greenland Sea whereby convection will become depth limited, reducing the ventilation of mid-depth waters in the Nordic seas. In the Iceland Sea, further reductions have the potential to decrease the supply of the densest overflow waters to the AMOC (ref. 8).

Using seismic reflection data to reveal high-resolution structure and pathway of the upper Western Boundary Undercurrent core at Eirik Drift

The method of seismic oceanography was applied to identify fine structure and pathways of the Western Boundary Undercurrent (WBUC) at Eirik Drift, 200 km south of Greenland. Three high-velocity cores of the WBUC were distinguished: a deep core in depths >2600 m which carries Denmark Strait Overflow Water, an upper core in depths between ~1900 and 3000 m transporting Iceland–Scotland Overflow Water, and a split-off of this upper core, which crosses the main crest of Eirik Drift at depths between ~1900 and 2400 m. For the upper WBUC core a detailed analysis of the structure was conducted. The WBUC core has as a domed structure, which changes in style, width and height above seafloor along the lines of the changing topography. We proved not only the influence of the topography on pathway and structure of the WBUC core but also that this information cannot be gained by measuring the overflow waters with discrete CTD stations.

On the origin and propagation of Denmark Strait overflow water anomalies in the Irminger Basin

On the origin and propagation of Denmark Strait overflow water anomalies in the Irminger Basin

Water mass analysis for the U.S. GEOTRACES (GA03) North Atlantic sections

We present the distributions of hydrographic properties (potential temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and micromolar level inorganic macronutrients) along two sections occupied in the subtropical North Atlantic as part of the first U.S. GEOTRACES (GA03) survey during 2010 and 2011. The purpose of this work is to place subsequent papers in this special issue in a general context and to provide a framework in which the observed distributions of Trace Elements and Isotopes can be interpreted. Using these hydrographic properties we use a modified Optimum Multiparameter water mass analysis method to diagnose the relative contributions of various water types along the sections and rationalize their distributions. The water mass compositions appear largely consistent with what is understood from previous studies about the large scale circulation and ventilation of the North Atlantic, with perhaps one exception. We found that the North Atlantic Deep water both east and west of the Mid Atlantic Ridge is more strongly influenced by Iceland Scotland Overflow Water relative to Denmark Straits Overflow Water (about 3:1) than inferred from other tracer studies (typically 2:1). It remains unclear whether this is an artifact of our calculation or a real change in deep water composition in the decades between the determinations.

Some Dynamical Constraints on Upstream Pathways of the Denmark Strait Overflow

Abstract The East Greenland Current (EGC) had long been considered the main pathway for the Denmark Strait overflow (DSO). Recent observations, however, indicate that the north Icelandic jet (NIJ), which flows westward along the north coast of Iceland, is a major separate pathway for the DSO. In this study a two-layer numerical model and complementary integral constraints are used to examine various pathways that lead to the DSO and to explore plausible mechanisms for the NIJ’s existence. In these simulations, a westward and NIJ-like current emerges as a robust feature and a main pathway for the Denmark Strait overflow. Its existence can be explained through circulation integrals around advantageous contours. One such constraint spells out the consequences of overflow water as a source of low potential vorticity. A stronger constraint can be added when the outflow occurs through two outlets: it takes the form of a circulation integral around the Iceland–Faroe Ridge. In either case, the direction of overall circulation about the contour can be deduced from the required frictional torques. Some effects of wind stress forcing are also examined. The overall positive curl of the wind forces cyclonic gyres in both layers, enhancing the East Greenland Current. The wind stress forcing weakens but does not eliminate the NIJ. It also modifies the sign of the deep circulation in various subbasins and alters the path by which overflow water is brought to the Faroe Bank Channel, all in ways that bring the idealized model more in line with observations. The sequence of numerical experiments separates the effects of wind and buoyancy forcing and shows how each is important.

The East Greenland Spill Jet as an important component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

The recently discovered East Greenland Spill Jet is a bottom-intensified current on the upper continental slope south of Denmark Strait, transporting intermediate density water equatorward. Until now the Spill Jet has only been observed with limited summertime measurements from ships. Here we present the first year-round mooring observations demonstrating that the current is a ubiquitous feature with a volume transport similar to the well-known plume of Denmark Strait overflow water farther downslope. Using reverse particle tracking in a high-resolution numerical model, we investigate the upstream sources feeding the Spill Jet. Three main pathways are identified: particles flowing directly into the Spill Jet from the Denmark Strait sill; particles progressing southward on the East Greenland shelf that subsequently spill over the shelfbreak into the current; and ambient water from the Irminger Sea that gets entrained into the flow. The two Spill Jet pathways emanating from Denmark Strait are newly resolved, and long-term hydrographic data from the strait verifies that dense water is present far onto the Greenland shelf. Additional measurements near the southern tip of Greenland suggest that the Spill Jet ultimately merges with the deep portion of the shelfbreak current, originally thought to be a lateral circulation associated with the sub-polar gyre. Our study thus reveals a previously unrecognized significant component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation that needs to be considered to understand fully the ocean׳s role in climate.

The role of subpolar deep water formation and Nordic Seas overflows in simulated multidecadal variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation

Abstract. We investigate the respective role of variations in subpolar deep water formation and Nordic Seas overflows for the decadal to multidecadal variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). This is partly done by analysing long (order of 1000 years) control simulations with five coupled climate models. For all models, the maximum influence of variations in subpolar deep water formation is found at about 45° N, while the maximum influence of variations in Nordic Seas overflows is rather found at 55 to 60° N. Regarding the two overflow branches, the influence of variations in the Denmark Strait overflow is, for all models, substantially larger than that of variations in the overflow across the Iceland–Scotland Ridge. The latter might, however, be underestimated, as the models in general do not realistically simulate the flow path of the Iceland–Scotland overflow water south of the Iceland–Scotland Ridge. The influence of variations in subpolar deep water formation is, on multimodel average, larger than that of variations in the Denmark Strait overflow. This is true both at 45° N, where the maximum standard deviation of decadal to multidecadal AMOC variability is located for all but one model, and at the more classical latitude of 30° N. At 30° N, variations in subpolar deep water formation and Denmark Strait overflow explain, on multimodel average, about half and one-third respectively of the decadal to multidecadal AMOC variance. Apart from analysing multimodel control simulations, we have performed sensitivity experiments with one of the models, in which we suppress the variability of either subpolar deep water formation or Nordic Seas overflows. The sensitivity experiments indicate that variations in subpolar deep water formation and Nordic Seas overflows are not completely independent. We further conclude from these experiments that the decadal to multidecadal AMOC variability north of about 50° N is mainly related to variations in Nordic Seas overflows. At 45° N and south of this latitude, variations in both subpolar deep water formation and Nordic Seas overflows contribute to the AMOC variability, with neither of the processes being very dominant compared to the other.

Evaluation of the GECCO2 ocean synthesis: transports of volume, heat and freshwater in the Atlantic

We present results from a new synthesis (GECCO2) which covers the years 1948 to 2011 employing a similar configuration of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model as the previous 50‐year (1952 to 2001) GECCO synthesis. In GECCO2, the resolution was increased; it now includes the Arctic Ocean and a dynamic/thermodynamic sea ice model. The synthesis uses the adjoint method to bring the model into consistency with available hydrographic and satellite data as well as prior estimates of surface fluxes. In comparison to GECCO, GECCO2 provides a better agreement with the assimilated data, however the estimated flux adjustments remain similar to GECCO. Global heat content changes are in agreement with recent observational estimates and the estimate of the global heat flux is close to a radiative forcing estimate. Both show a clear effect of the radiative forcing from volcanic eruptions and a weak relation to ENSO events. In contrast to GECCO, the importance of the Denmark Strait overflow for the variability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is replaced in GECCO2 by water mass transformation in the subpolar gyre, which is shown to be part of the thermohaline circulation if the overturning is defined as a function of density. Heat and freshwater transport estimates in the Atlantic are more consistent with previous estimates than the unconstrained run. Decomposing heat and freshwater transports into overturning and gyre components by averaging on density coordinates demonstrates that in these coordinates the contribution from the gyre circulation largely disappears for heat transport and is reduced for the freshwater transport.

Improvements of simulated Western North Atlantic current system and impacts on the AMOC

Previous studies have shown that low horizontal resolution (of the order of 1°) ocean models, hence climate models, are not able to adequately represent boundary currents nor mesoscale processes which affect the dynamics and thermohaline circulation of the ocean. While the effect of mesoscale eddies can be parameterized in low resolution models, boundary currents require relatively high horizontal resolution. We clarify the impact of increasing the resolution on the North Atlantic circulation, with emphasis on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), by embedding a 1/8° nest covering the North Atlantic into a global 1/2° model.Increasing the resolution in the nest leads to regional improvements of the circulation and thermohaline properties in the Gulf Stream area, for the North Atlantic Current, in the subpolar gyre and the Nordic Seas, consistent with those of previous studies. In addition, we show that the Deep Western Boundary Current dense water transport increases with the nest, from the overflows down to Flemish Cap, due to an increase in the Denmark Strait overflow as well as dense water formation in the subpolar gyre. This increases the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in density space by about 8Sv in the subpolar gyre in the nested configuration. When exiting the Labrador Sea around 53°N we illustrate that the Deep Western Boundary Current successively interacts with the upper ocean circulation composed with the North Atlantic Current in the intergyre region, the Northern Recirculation Gyre, and the Gulf Stream near Cape Hatteras. This surface/deep current interaction seems to induce an increase of the AMOC intensity in depth-space, giving rise to an AMOC maximum near 35°N. This process is missing in the configuration without nesting. At 26.5°N, the AMOC is 4Sv larger in the nested configuration and is in good agreement with observations. Finally, beyond the nest imprint (i.e. in the low resolution area) in the South Atlantic the AMOC maximum at 40°S is 3Sv larger at the end of the simulation meaning that information is able to propagate outside the nest without being fully damped. This underlines the benefit of using the nest for a reasonable computing time compared to a fully global higher resolution configuration.

Fates and Travel Times of Denmark Strait Overflow Water in the Irminger Basin*

Abstract The Denmark Strait Overflow (DSO) supplies about one-third of the North Atlantic Deep Water and is critical to global thermohaline circulation. Knowledge of the pathways of DSO through the Irminger Basin and its transformation there is still incomplete, however. The authors deploy over 10 000 Lagrangian particles at the Denmark Strait in a high-resolution ocean model to study these issues. First, the particle trajectories show that the mean position and potential density of dense waters cascading over the Denmark Strait sill evolve consistently with hydrographic observations. These sill particles transit the Irminger Basin to the Spill Jet section (65.25°N) in 5–7 days and to the Angmagssalik section (63.5°N) in 2–3 weeks. Second, the dense water pathways on the continental shelf are consistent with observations and particles released on the shelf in the strait constitute a significant fraction of the dense water particles recorded at the Angmagssalik section within 60 days (~25%). Some particles circulate on the shelf for several weeks before they spill off the shelf break and join the overflow from the sill. Third, there are two places where the water density following particle trajectories decreases rapidly due to intense mixing: to the southwest of the sill and southwest of the Kangerdlugssuaq Trough on the continental slope. After transformation in these places, the overflow particles exhibit a wide range of densities.

Microstructure measurements and estimates of entrainment in the Denmark Strait overflow plume

Abstract. To examine processes controlling the entrainment of ambient water into the Denmark Strait overflow (DSO) plume/gravity current, measurements of turbulent dissipation rate were carried out by a quasi-free-falling (tethered) microstructure profiler (MSP). The MSP was specifically designed to collect data on dissipation-scale turbulence and fine thermohaline stratification in an ocean layer located as deep as 3500 m. The task was to perform microstructure measurements in the DSO plume in the lower 300 m depth interval including the bottom mixed layer and the interfacial layer below the non-turbulent ambient water. The MSP was attached to a Rosette water sampler rack equipped with a SeaBird CTDO and an RD Instruments lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP). At a chosen depth, the MSP was remotely released from the rack to perform measurements in a quasi-free-falling mode. Using the measured vertical profiles of dissipation, the entrainment rate as well as the bottom and interfacial stresses in the DSO plume were estimated at a location 200 km downstream of the sill at depths up to 1771 m. Dissipation-derived estimates of entrainment were found to be much smaller than bulk estimates of entrainment calculated from the downstream change of the mean properties in the plume, suggesting the lateral stirring due to mesoscale eddies rather than diapycnal mixing as the main contributor to entrainment. Dissipation-derived bottom stress estimates are argued to be roughly one third the magnitude of those derived from log velocity profiles. In the interfacial layer, the Ozmidov scale calculated from turbulence dissipation rate and buoyancy frequency was found to be linearly proportional to the overturning scale extracted from conventional CTD data (the Thorpe scale), with a proportionality constant of 0.76, and a correlation coefficient of 0.77.

Water column structure and statistics of Denmark Strait Overflow Water cyclones

Data from seven moorings deployed across the East Greenland shelfbreak and slope 280km downstream of Denmark Strait are used to investigate the characteristics and dynamics of Denmark Strait Overflow Water (DSOW) cyclones. On average, a cyclone passes the mooring array every other day near the 900m isobath, dominating the variability of the boundary current system. There is considerable variation in both the frequency and location of the cyclones on the slope, but no apparent seasonality. Using the year-long data set from September 2007 to October 2008, we construct a composite DSOW cyclone that reveals the average scales of the features. The composite cyclone consists of a lens of dense overflow water on the bottom, up to 300m thick, with cyclonic flow above the lens. The azimuthal flow is intensified in the middle and upper part of the water column and has the shape of a Gaussian eddy with a peak depth-mean speed of 0.22m/s at a radius of 7.8km. The lens is advected by the mean flow of 0.27m/s and self propagates at 0.45m/s, consistent with the topographic Rossby wave speed and the Nof speed. The total translation velocity along the East Greenland slope is 0.72m/s. The self-propagation speed exceeds the cyclonic swirl speed, indicating that the azimuthal flow cannot kinematically trap fluid in the water column above the lens. This implies that the dense water anomaly and the cyclonic swirl velocity are dynamically linked, in line with previous theory. Satellite sea surface temperature (SST) data are investigated to study the surface expression of the cyclones. Disturbances to the SST field are found to propagate less quickly than the in situ DSOW cyclones, raising the possibility that the propagation of the SST signatures is not directly associated with the cyclones.

Spurious AMOC trends in global ocean sea-ice models related to subarctic freshwater forcing

Global ocean sea-ice models with an atmospheric forcing based on bulk formulations of the air-sea fluxes exhibit spurious trends in key flow indices like the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), constraining their use in investigations of multi-decadal ocean variability. To identify the critical model factors affecting the temporal evolution of the AMOC on time scales of up to 60years, a series of experiments with both eddy-permitting (0.25°) and non-eddying (0.5°) ocean-ice models has been performed, focusing on the influence of artificial choices for the freshwater forcing, in particular the restoring of sea surface salinity towards climatological values. The atmospheric forcing builds on the proposal for Coordinated Ocean-ice Reference Experiments (CORE), utilizing the refined atmospheric reanalysis products for 1948–2006 compiled by Large and Yeager. Sensitivity experiments with small variations in precipitation (within the observational uncertainty) and sea surface salinity restoring in the subarctic Atlantic produce a wide range of AMOC transports, between upward drifts to more than 22Sv and nearly-collapsed states with less than 7Sv, reflecting the excessive role of the salinity feedback in such simulations. In all cases the AMOC is tightly related to the density of the Denmark Strait overflow; changes in that density are governed by the salinity in the Nordic Seas; and in turn, that salinity is strongly affected by the properties of the inflowing North Atlantic water.