气候、洋流、紊乱、理论

1 一个科学家小组一直在把钻孔打入格陵兰冰原深处,以期发现世界过去的气候记录。该记录是年际冰层之间形成的小空气泡。气泡中的空气含有两种不同氧的同位素。它们随温度而变化,因而有可能用图表示出数十年、百年或上千年以前的冷暖年份。 在过去几十年中,科学家们在南极和北极钻取冰核,从而获取了上一个冰川期的气候情况。结果发现气候变化很大,并在相对温暖期和相对凉爽期之间摇曳不定。 从格陵兰冰原中部采到的新冰核提供了一间冰期的详细记录。从2780m到2870m深处提取的冰核表明间冰期的气候在三种状态之间振荡,而不是人类有记载以来的一种状态。其中间的状态接近于我们现在的气候,其余两种是冷得多或热得多。

Subpolar Gyre Index and the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in a Coupled Climate Model

The subpolar gyre index (SPG), derived from the analysis of sea surface height (SSH), is proposed to be a potential indicator for the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) based on observation as well as the Ocean General Circulation Model (OGCM). We investigated the correspondence between the SPG and the AMOC in a coupled climate model. Our results confirm that the SPG can be used as an early indicator for the AMOC in the subtropical North Atlantic. Changes in the SPG are closely related to variations in the air-sea heat exchange in the Labrador Sea, and variations in deep water formation and southward dense water transport with the deep western boundary current (DWBC) in the North Atlantic.

Effect of opening the Drake Passage on the oceanic general circulation:A box model study

The impacts of opening the Drake Passage(DP) on the oceanic general circulation are examined.When the DP is open,wind stress at mid-and high latitudes gives rise to a wind-driven gyre,which induces a meridional heat exchange between mid-and high latitudes in the Southern Ocean.After the opening of the DP,the Antarctic Circumpolar Current(ACC) forms and its associated strong temperature front blocks the heat transport from mid-latitudes to high latitudes.A simple box model is formulated,in which the effects of the wind stress(for the case of DP closed) and the thermal front(for the case of DP open) on the variability of Antarctic Bottom Water(AABW) and North Atlantic Deep Water(NADW) are explored.The sensitivity experiments demonstrate that:(1) When the DP is closed,the enhancement of the wind-driven gyre leads to the decline of AABW formation in the Southern Ocean and the increase of NADW formation in the North Atlantic.As a result,water in high latitudes of the Southern Ocean becomes warmer,so does the bottom water of global ocean.(2) When the DP is open,there is no formation of AABW until the intensity of thermal front along ACC exceeds a threshold value(it is 4.03℃ in our model).Before the formation of AABW,temperature in most of the oceans is higher than that after the formation of AABW,which usually leads to the cooling of high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere and the bottom water in global ocean.When the strength of the thermal front is lower than the critical value,there is no AABW formation,and temperature in most of the oceans is slightly higher.These results demonstrate that during the opening of the DP,changes in wind stress and the formation of the thermal front in the Southern Ocean can substantially affect the formation of AABW and NADW,thus changing the state of meridional overturning circulation in the global ocean.