Nonlocal Fluxes Research Articles

General boundary conditions for a Boussinesq model with varying bathymetry

AbstractThis paper is devoted to the theoretical and numerical investigation of the initial boundary value problem for a system of equations used for the description of waves in coastal areas, namely, the Boussinesq–Abbott system in the presence of topography. We propose a procedure that allows one to handle very general linear or nonlinear boundary conditions. It consists in reducing the problem to a system of conservation laws with nonlocal fluxes and coupled to an ordinary differential equation. This reformulation is used to propose two hybrid finite volumes/finite differences schemes of first and second order, respectively. The possibility to use many kinds of boundary conditions is used to investigate numerically the asymptotic stability of the boundary conditions, which is an issue of practical relevance in coastal oceanography since asymptotically stable boundary conditions would allow one to reconstruct a wave field from the knowledge of the boundary data only, even if the initial data are not known.

Parameterizations of Boundary Layer Mass Fluxes in High-Wind Conditions for Tropical Cyclone Simulations

Abstract Development of accurate planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterizations in high-wind conditions is crucial for improving tropical cyclone (TC) forecasts. Given that eddy-diffusivity mass-flux (EDMF)-type PBL schemes are designed for nonhurricane boundary layers, this study examines the uncertainty of MF parameterizations in hurricane conditions by performing three-dimensional idealized simulations. Results show that the surface-driven MF plays a dominant role in the nonlocal turbulent fluxes and is comparable to the magnitude of downgradient momentum fluxes in the middle portion of TC boundary layers outside the radius of maximum wind (RMW); in contrast, the stratocumulus-top-driven MF is comparably negligible and exerts a marginal impact on TC simulations. To represent the impact of vertical wind shear on damping rising thermal plumes, a new approach of tapering surface-driven MF based on the surface stability parameter is proposed, aiming to retain the surface-driven MF only in unstable boundary layers. Compared to a traditional approach of MF tapering based on 10-m wind speeds, the new approach is physically more appealing as both shear and buoyancy forcings are considered and the width of the effective zone responds to diurnal variations of surface buoyancy forcing. Compared to the experiments retaining the original MF components, using either approach of MF tapering can lead to a stronger and more compact inner core due to enhanced boundary layer inflow outside the RMW; nevertheless, the radius of gale-force wind and inflow layer depth are only notably reduced using the new approach. Comparison to observations and further discussions on MF parameterizations in high-wind conditions are provided.

Landau-fluid simulations of edge-SOL turbulence with GRILLIX

The Landau-fluid closure for parallel heat fluxes is implemented in the edge turbulence fluid code GRILLIX, replacing the previously used collisional Braginskii closure (with limiters). This extends the validity of the model toward lower collisionality, introduces non-local effects, and leads to a more realistic and self-consistent limiting of heat fluxes. Turbulence simulations comparing the Landau-fluid with the Braginskii closure in realistic divertor geometry are carried out. Clear differences between the simulations are observed, most pronounced a spurious up-down ion temperature asymmetry emerges for a strongly limited Braginskii case. For the Landau-fluid case, we demonstrate the presence and relevance of non-local heat fluxes in full-scale turbulence simulations and show that this behavior could only hardly be reproduced with simple flux-limited models. The implementation of the Landau-fluid closure within the flux-coordinate independent approach employed by GRILLIX results in a set of 3D elliptic problems, where magnetic flutter can be incorporated naturally. On reusing the existing solver in GRILLIX, only a moderate additional computational effort is necessary for the higher fidelity Landau-fluid closure.

Central finite volume schemes for non-local traffic flow models with Arrhenius-type look-ahead rules

We present a central finite volume method and apply it to a new class of nonlocal traffic flow models with an Arrhenius-type look-ahead interaction. These models can be stated as scalar conservation laws with nonlocal fluxes. The suggested scheme is a development of the Nessyah–Tadmor non-oscillatory central scheme. We conduct several numerical experiments in which we carry out the following actions: i) we show the robustness and high resolution of the suggested method; ii) we compare the equations' solutions with local and nonlocal fluxes; iii) we examine how the look-ahead distance affects the numerical solution.

Evaluation and Improvement of a TKE-Based Eddy-Diffusivity Mass-Flux (EDMF) Planetary Boundary Layer Scheme in Hurricane Conditions

Abstract Accurately representing boundary layer turbulent processes in numerical models is critical to improve tropical cyclone forecasts. A new turbulence kinetic energy (TKE)-based moist eddy-diffusivity mass-flux (EDMF-TKE) planetary boundary layer scheme has been implemented in NOAA’s Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System (HAFS). This study evaluates EDMF-TKE in hurricane conditions based on a recently developed framework using large-eddy simulation (LES). Single-column modeling tests indicate that EDMF-TKE produces much greater TKE values below 500-m height than LES benchmark runs in different high-wind conditions. To improve these results, two parameters in the TKE scheme were modified to ensure a match between the PBL and surface-layer parameterizations. Additional improvements were made by reducing the maximum allowable mixing length to 40 m based on LES and observations, by adopting a different definition of boundary layer height, and by reducing nonlocal mass fluxes in high-wind conditions. With these modifications, the profiles of TKE, eddy viscosity, and winds compare much better with LES results. Three-dimensional idealized simulations and an ensemble of HAFS forecasts of Hurricane Michael (2018) consistently show that the modified EDMF-TKE tends to produce a stronger vortex with a smaller radius of maximum wind than the original EDMF-TKE, while the radius of gale-force wind is unaffected. The modified EDMF-TKE code produces smaller eddy viscosity within the boundary layer compared to the original code, which contributes to stronger inflow, especially within the annulus of 1–3 times the radius of maximum wind. The modified EDMF-TKE shows promise to improve forecast skill of rapid intensification in sheared environments.

Detectability of COVID-19 global emissions reductions in local CO2 concentration measurements

It is estimated that global anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduced by up to 12% at the start of 2020 compared to recent years due to the COVID-19 related downturn in economic activity. Despite the large decrease in CO2 emissions, no reduction in the trend in background atmospheric CO2 concentrations has been detected. So, how long would it take for sustained COVID-19 CO2 emission reductions to be detected in daily and monthly averaged local CO2 concentration measurements? CO2 concentration measurements for five measurement sites in the UK and Ireland are combined with meteorological numerical weather prediction data to build statistical models that can predict future CO2 concentrations. It is found that of the observed daily variability can be explained by these simple models. Emission reduction scenario experiments using these simple models illustrate that large daily and seasonal variability in local CO2 concentrations precludes the rapid emergence of a detectable signal. COVID-19 magnitude emissions reductions would only be detectable in the daily CO2 concentrations after at least 38 months and in monthly CO2 concentrations after 11 months of sustained reductions. For monthly CO2 concentrations the time of emergence is similar for all sites since the seasonal variability is largely driven by non-local fluxes of CO2 between the terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere. The COVID-19 CO2 anthropogenic emissions reductions are similar in magnitude to those that are required to meet the Paris Agreement target of keeping global temperatures below C. This study demonstrates that, using measurements alone, there will be a considerable lag between changes in global anthropogenic emissions and a detected signal in local CO2 concentration trends. Thus, there is likely to be a delay of several years between changes in policy designed to meet CO2 anthropogenic emissions targets and our ability to detect the impact of these policies on CO2 concentrations using atmospheric measurements alone.

Effect of Scale-Aware Planetary Boundary Layer Schemes on Tropical Cyclone Intensification and Structural Changes in the Gray Zone

AbstractHorizontal grid spacings of numerical weather prediction models are rapidly approaching O (1 km) and have become comparable with the dominant length scales of flows in the boundary layer; within such “gray-zone”, conventional planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterization schemes start to violate basic design assumptions. Scale-aware PBL schemes have been developed recently to address the gray-zone issue. By performing WRF simulations of Hurricane Earl (2010) at sub-kilometer grid spacings, this study investigates the effect of the scale-aware Shin-Hong (SH) scheme on the tropical cyclone (TC) intensification and structural changes in comparison to the non-scale-aware YSU scheme it is built upon. Results indicate that SH tends to produce a stronger TC with a more compact inner core than YSU. At early stages, the scale-aware coefficients in SH gradually decrease as the diagnosed boundary layer height exceeds the horizontal grid spacing. This scale-aware effect is most prominent for the nonlocal subgrid-scale vertical turbulent fluxes, in the non-precipitation regions radially outside of the convective rainband, and from the early stage through the middle of rapid intensification (RI) phase. Both the scale awareness and different parameterization of the nonlocal turbulent heat flux in SH reduce the parameterized vertical turbulent mixing, which further induces stronger radial inflows and helps retain more water vapor in the boundary layer. The resulting stronger moisture convergence and diabatic heating near the TC center account for the faster inner-core contraction before RI onset and the higher intensification rate during the RI period. Potential issues of applying these two PBL schemes in TC simulations and suggestions for improvements are discussed.

Nonlocal Transport and Implied Viscosity and Diffusivity throughout the Boundary Layer in LES of the Southern Ocean with Surface Waves

AbstractObservations from the Southern Ocean Flux Station provide a wide range of wind, buoyancy, and wave (Stokes) forcing for large-eddy simulation (LES) of deep Southern Ocean boundary layers. Almost everywhere there is a nonzero angle Ω between the shear and the stress vectors. Also, with unstable forcing there is usually a depth where there is stable stratification, but zero buoyancy flux and often a number of depths above where there is positive flux, but neutral stratification. These features allow nonlocal transports of buoyancy and of momentum to be diagnosed, using either the Eulerian or Lagrangian shear. The resulting profiles of nonlocal diffusivity and viscosity are quite similar when scaled according to Monin–Obukhov similarity theory in the surface layer, provided the Eulerian shear is used. Therefore, a composite shape function is constructed that may be generally applicable. In contrast, the deeper boundary layer appears to be too decoupled from the Stokes component of the Lagrangian shear. The nonlocal transports can be dominant. The diagnosed across-shear momentum flux is entirely nonlocal and is highly negatively correlated with the across-shear component of the wind stress, just as nonlocal and surface buoyancy fluxes are related. Furthermore, in the convective limit the scaling coefficients become essentially identical, with some consistency with atmospheric experience. The nonlocal contribution to the along-shear momentum flux is proportional to (1 − cosΩ) and is always countergradient, but is unrelated to the aligned wind stress component.

On the Singular Local Limit for Conservation Laws with Nonlocal Fluxes

We give an answer to a question posed in Amorim et al. (ESAIM Math Model Numer Anal 49(1):19–37, 2015), which can loosely speaking, be formulated as follows: consider a family of continuity equations where the velocity depends on the solution via the convolution by a regular kernel. In the singular limit where the convolution kernel is replaced by a Dirac delta, one formally recovers a conservation law. Can we rigorously justify this formal limit? We exhibit counterexamples showing that, despite numerical evidence suggesting a positive answer, one does not in general have convergence of the solutions. We also show that the answer is positive if we consider viscous perturbations of the nonlocal equations. In this case, in the singular local limit the solutions converge to the solution of the viscous conservation law.

Reexamining the Gradient and Countergradient Representation of the Local and Nonlocal Heat Fluxes in the Convective Boundary Layer

Abstract Turbulent mixing in the daytime convective boundary layer (CBL) is carried out by organized nonlocal updrafts and smaller local eddies. In the upper mixed layer of the CBL, heat fluxes associated with nonlocal updrafts are directed up the local potential temperature gradient. To reproduce such countergradient behavior in parameterizations, a class of planetary boundary layer schemes adopts a countergradient correction term in addition to the classic downgradient eddy-diffusion term. Such schemes are popular because of their simple formulation and effective performance. This study reexamines those schemes to investigate the physical representations of the gradient and countergradient (GCG) terms, and to rebut the often-implied association of the GCG terms with heat fluxes due to local and nonlocal (LNL) eddies. To do so, large-eddy simulations (LESs) of six idealized CBL cases are performed. The GCG fluxes are computed a priori with horizontally averaged LES data, while the LNL fluxes are diagnosed through conditional sampling and Fourier decomposition of the LES flow field. It is found that in the upper mixed layer, the gradient term predicts downward fluxes in the presence of positive mean potential temperature gradient but is compensated by the upward countergradient correction flux, which is larger than the total heat flux. However, neither downward local fluxes nor larger-than-total nonlocal fluxes are diagnosed from LES. The difference reflects reduced turbulence efficiency for GCG fluxes and, in terms of physics, conceptual deficiencies in the GCG representation of CBL heat fluxes.

Local and Remote Influences on the Heat Content of the Labrador Sea: An Adjoint Sensitivity Study

AbstractThe Labrador Sea is one of the few regions on the planet where the interior ocean can exchange heat directly with the atmosphere via strong, localized, wintertime convection, with possible implications for the state of North Atlantic climate and global surface warming. Using an observationally constrained ocean adjoint model, we find that annual‐mean Labrador Sea heat content is sensitive to temperature/salinity changes (1) along potential source water pathways (e.g., the subpolar gyre, the North Atlantic Current, the Gulf Stream) and (2) along the West African and European shelves, which are not significant source water regions for the Labrador Sea. The West African coastal/shelf adjustment mechanism, which may be excited by changes in along‐shelf wind stress, involves pressure anomalies that propagate along a coastal waveguide toward Greenland, changing the across‐shelf pressure gradient in the North Atlantic and altering heat convergence in the Labrador Sea. We also find that nonlocal (in space and time) heat fluxes (e.g., in the Irminger Sea, the seas south of Iceland) can have a strong impact on Labrador Sea heat content. Understanding and predicting the state of the Labrador Sea and its potential impacts on North Atlantic climate and global surface warming will require monitoring of oceanic and atmospheric properties at remote sites in the Irminger Sea, the subpolar gyre, and along the West African and European shelf/coast system, among others.

A one-dimensional stochastic model of turbulence within and above plant canopies

The suitability of Kerstein's One-Dimensional Turbulence (ODT) model in the representation of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) flows within and above plant canopies is investigated. The ODT model was adapted to represent a filtered version of flow and scalar fields, equipped with a Smagorinsky-like sub-grid scale model, a wall model, and a parameterization of the canopy effects on the flow. In the filtered ODT, the entire vertical extension of the ABL is modeled and the “resolved” vertical turbulent transport is represented by stochastic eddies that effectively mix fluid parcels across a path length, representing non-local turbulent fluxes that are a critical feature of the canopy roughness sublayer. Simulations for different canopies and stability conditions are performed and vertical profiles of turbulence and scalar statistics are compared with observational and large-eddy simulation data. This new filtered version of the ODT model yields grid-independent results. Model performance for plant canopies is consistent with previous results from ODT for all cases tested without any case-specific parameter adjustment, generating reasonable agreement in profiles of mean velocity, temperature and water vapor mixing ratio, as well as vertical fluxes of momentum and sensible and latent heat, despite the underestimation of all velocity variances. Non-local transport is intrinsic to the formulation of ODT, which represents a significant advantage compared to other reduced-model approaches employed for canopy flows.

Discontinuous Galerkin finite element methods for the gyrokinetic-waterbag equations

In this article, we design and analyse discontinuous Galerkin methods for approximating the gyrokinetic-waterbag equations in a cylindrical geometry. This model, which attempts to describe turbulent flows in magnetically confined fusion plasmas, results from special but exact weak solutions of the gyrokinetic-Vlasov equations. Actually, using geometric Liouville invariants, the waterbag reduction concept reduces exactly Vlasov kinetic equations into multi-fluid systems of conservation laws, with nonlocal fluxes, for level lines (called contours) of the phase space. The schemes are constructed by coupling a discontinuous Galerkin approximation, with different numerical fluxes, for the contour equations representing the particle distribution of the plasma, together with a discontinuous or a continuous Galerkin finite element method for the quasi-neutrality equation giving self-consistent electrical potential from the particle distribution. In the case of smooth compactly supported solutions, we show high-order error estimates in the $L^2$ -norm of order $\min(k,k')$ for the approximation of contours and of order $\min(k,k')+1$ for the electrical potential approximation, where $k\geq 5/2$ (respectively $k'\geq5/2$ ) is the degree of polynomial reconstructions for contours (respectively electrical potential). We also prove that the total energy of the approximate solution is nonincreasing for the drift-kinetic case and asymptotically nonincreasing for the gyrokinetic case.

Source‐receptor relationships of column‐average CO2 and implications for the impact of observations on flux inversions

AbstractSource‐receptor relationships are the fundamental quantities used in atmosphere CO2 flux inversions. In this study, we systematically investigate the global source‐receptor relationships of column CO2 (XCO2) in 12 continental‐scale receptors in terms of transport and local versus nonlocal flux contributions using the GEOS‐Chem adjoint model. Using simulated Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) XCO2, we quantify the impact of inclusion (add‐on) or exclusion of observations (data‐denial) within a receptor region on flux inversion. We discuss the connections between the observation impact and the underlying source‐receptor relationships. The strong sensitivity of XCO2 to nonlocal fluxes makes the XCO2 observations have strong impact on nonlocal flux estimation. On an annual mean, the impact of GOSAT XCO2 over Europe on North America flux estimation is 10%–39% of the full observation impact. Because the Southern Hemisphere midlatitude XCO2 are most sensitive to local and tropical fluxes, the mean impact of GOSAT XCO2 over Southern South America on Northern South America (N‐S‐America) flux estimation is 30%–59% of the full observation impact. Because of the strong sensitivity of the XCO2 over N‐S‐America to Central Africa (C‐Africa) fluxes, the mean impact on C‐Africa flux estimation is between 14% and 31% of the full observation impact in spite of the sparse observation coverage. The results also show that XCO2 have similar sensitivity to local and nonlocal fluxes occurring 3 months before, which indicates that XCO2 observations cannot differentiate any fluxes occurring beyond 3 months.

Fractional Governing Equations of Diffusion Wave and Kinematic Wave Open-Channel Flow in Fractional Time-Space. I. Development of the Equations

AbstractIn this study the fractional governing equations for diffusion wave and kinematic wave approximations to unsteady open-channel flow in prismatic channels in fractional time-space were developed. The governing fractional equations were developed from the mass and motion conservation equations in order to provide a physical basis to these equations. A fractional form of the resistance formula for open-channel flow was also developed. Detailed dimensional analyses of the derived equations were then performed in order to ensure dimensional consistency of the derivations. It is shown that these fractional equations of unsteady open-channel flow are fundamentally nonlocal in terms of nonlocal fluxes. The derived fractional governing equations of diffusion wave and kinematic wave open-channel flow can accommodate both the long-memory nonlocal behavior of open-channel flow as well as its local, finite memory behavior, as is numerically demonstrated in the accompanying paper by the authors.

Derivation of Turbulent Kinetic Energy from a First-Order Nonlocal Planetary Boundary Layer Parameterization

Abstract Turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) is derived from a first-order planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterization for convective boundary layers: the nonlocal K-profile Yonsei University (YSU) PBL. A parameterization for the TKE equation is developed to calculate TKE based on meteorological profiles given by the YSU PBL model. For this purpose buoyancy- and shear-generation terms are formulated consistently with the YSU scheme—that is, the combination of local, nonlocal, and explicit entrainment fluxes. The vertical transport term is also formulated in a similar fashion. A length scale consistent with the K profile is suggested for parameterization of dissipation. Single-column model (SCM) simulations are conducted for a period in the second Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) Atmospheric Boundary Layer Study (GABLS2) intercomparison case. Results from the SCM simulations are compared with large-eddy simulation (LES) results. The daytime evolution of the vertical structure of TKE matches well with mixed-layer development. The TKE profile is shaped like a typical vertical velocity (w) variance, and its maximum is comparable to that from the LES. By varying the dissipation length from −23% to +13% the TKE maximum is changed from about −15% to +7%. After normalization, the change does not exceed the variability among previous studies. The location of TKE maximum is too low without the effects of the nonlocal TKE transport.

The inorganic geochemistry of a peat deposit on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and insights into changing atmospheric circulation in central Asia during the Holocene

Peat records enable the reconstruction of changes in the global biogeochemical mineral dust cycle and the detection of variations in atmospheric circulation patterns during the Holocene. They can therefore provide a key tool for understanding the relationship between the geochemical dust cycle and past climate change. Here, we present the first detailed study of the inorganic geochemistry of a peat core collected at an altitude of 3500m from the Hongyuan peatland, on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and test its potential as an archive of atmospheric dust deposition. We find that the low accumulation rates of the peat and the presence of the extensive dust sources of northern China in the vicinity of the study site lead to approximately five times higher concentrations of mineral matter compared to temperate ombrotrophic peats. A detailed geochemical assessment of the core and surface samples from local and non-local dust sources, as well as of the hydrology and hydrochemistry of the surrounding waters, suggests that external and internal post-depositional processes have not affected the record of lithogenic elements, including the rare earth elements (REE), Sc, Y and Th.Changes in Ti-normalized major element profiles, La/Yb, Y/Tb and the Eu anomaly identify seven major shifts among the dominant dust sources and therefore potential changes in atmospheric circulation patterns. Bivariate plots using the REE-based tracers La/Yb, Y/Tb, La/Th, Y/Er, Sc/La, Th/Sc and Th/ΣREE suggest that the Taklamakan desert and the Chinese loess plateau in northern China were the dominant non-local dust sources to the peat. Local dust input dominated throughout the early Holocene until 4.9kyr BP. Increased dust input from the non-local sources thereafter suggests an enhanced influence of winds associated with the East Asian winter monsoon and the Westerly jet throughout most of the late Holocene. Sharp increases in non-local dust fluxes between 3.1–2.7 and between 1.3–0.9kyr BP suggest a particular strengthening of these wind systems during these times, in agreement with the organic characteristics of the core.Our results show that the Hongyuan peat is a reliable archive to study dust deposition in central Asia and allows the identification of changes in atmospheric circulation patterns and in the larger climatic arrangements of the monsoon system in this region during the Holocene.

Dissipation in non-equilibrium spacetime thermodynamics

It has been recently realized [1, 2] that the thermodynamical derivation of the Einstein equation introduced by Jacobson [3] needs a generalization to a non-equilibrium thermodynamical setting. Here we show that the non-equilibrium character of spacetime thermodynamics – both in GR as well as in f(R) gravity – is generally related to non-local heat fluxes associated with the purely gravitational/internal degrees of freedom of the theory. In particular, we show that the allowed gravitational degrees of freedom can be fixed by the kinematics of the local spacetime causal structure, through the specific Equivalence Principle formulation. In this sense, the thermodynamical description seems to go beyond Einstein's theory as an intrinsic property of gravitation.

Nonequilibrium thermodynamics of spacetime: The role of gravitational dissipation

In arXiv:gr-qc/9504004 it was shown that the Einstein equation can be derived as a local constitutive equation for an equilibrium spacetime thermodynamics. More recently, in the attempt to extend the same approach to the case of $f(R)$ theories of gravity, it was found that a non-equilibrium setting is indeed required in order to fully describe both this theory as well as classical GR (arXiv:gr-qc/0602001). Here, elaborating on this point, we show that the dissipative character leading to a non-equilibrium spacetime thermodynamics is actually related -- both in GR as well as in $f(R)$ gravity -- to non-local heat fluxes associated with the purely gravitational/internal degrees of freedom of the theory. In particular, in the case of GR we show that the internal entropy production term is identical to the so called tidal heating term of Hartle-Hawking. Similarly, for the case of $f(R)$ gravity, we show that dissipative effects can be associated with the generalization of this term plus a scalar contribution whose presence is clearly justified within the scalar-tensor representation of the theory. Finally, we show that the allowed gravitational degrees of freedom can be fixed by the kinematics of the local spacetime causal structure, through the specific Equivalence Principle formulation. In this sense, the thermodynamical description seems to go beyond Einstein's theory as an intrinsic property of gravitation.

Temperature Anomalies in the Northeastern North Atlantic: Subpolar and Subtropical Precursors on Multiannual Time Scales

Abstract An adjoint ocean general circulation model of the North Atlantic is employed to calculate sensitivities of temperature in the northeastern North Atlantic with respect to atmospheric nonlocal fluxes and ocean state variables at prior times, up to 7 yr. Maximum sensitivities cross the Atlantic from east to west within 3 to 4 yr. On this interannual time scale, advection of temperature perturbations by the climatological flow is suggested as the prime mechanism responsible for SST perturbations in the northeastern North Atlantic. The pathway of sensitivities lies preferentially beneath the surface and can be understood in terms of the reemergence mechanism. This provides the link between local forcing, mainly by heat flux in winter, and resurfacing of perturbations at remote locations. On the multiannual to decadal time scale, the western subpolar gyre plays a key role: negative temperature sensitivities that evolve in parallel with positive salinity sensitivities in the Labrador and Irminger Seas give rise to pressure gradients and velocity perturbations that have effects on SST by modifying the oceanic heat transport into the northeastern North Atlantic. Together with additional influence from the Tropics and the subtropical gyre on time scales of 5 yr and beyond, these sensitivities combine to make a plethora of time scales that play a role in shaping SST perturbations in the North Atlantic.