Project information
Project aim
The ocean's thermohaline circulation (THC) plays a fundamental role in global climate, transporting heat poleward and regulating the uptake of anthropogenic CO2. Multiple steady-states in the THC have been identified in the North Atlantic, including an "off" state where no deep water is formed, yet little is known regarding the possibility for multiple equilibria of the Southern Ocean THC. This study aims to (1) examine hysteresis behaviour and possible multiple equilibria of the Southern Ocean THC, and (2) quantify the role of the Southern Ocean THC by examining the difference between "on" and "off" states in various water-masses.
Related publications
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Projected changes to the Southern Hemisphere ocean and sea ice in the IPCC AR4 climate models Journal of Climate, 2009
(Ref: 14083)
Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
Fidelity and projected changes in the climate models, used for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate … Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), are assessed with regard to the Southern Hemisphere … extratropical ocean and sea ice systems.
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The control of polar haloclines by along-isopycnal diffusion in climate models Journal of Climate, 2009
(Ref: 14082)
Authors:Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
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Effect of ocean gateway changes under greenhouse warmth Journal of Climate, 2009
(Ref: 14081)
Authors:Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
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North Atlantic deep water collapse triggered by a Southern Ocean meltwater pulse in a glacial climate state Geophysical Research Letters, 2008
(Ref: 13751)
Authors:Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
It is generally accepted that surface freshwater … anomalies in the Southern Ocean drive increases in North … Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation via a bipolar … density see-saw. We find that a Southern Ocean freshwater … pulse of comparable magnitude to meltwater pulse 1A, shuts down…
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Sensitivity of the present-day climate to freshwater forcing associated with Antarctic sea ice loss Journal of Climate, 2008
(Ref: 13750)
Authors:Category 1: Peer-reviewed literature
The role played by Southern Hemisphere sea ice in the global climate system is explored using an earth … system climate model of intermediate complexity.