Changes in Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation under Different Atmospheric CO_2 Scenarios in a Climate Model

The changes in the thermohaline circulation （THC） because of the increased CO2 in the atmosphere play an important role in future climate regimes. In this article, a new climate model developed at the Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology is used to study the variation in THC strength, the changes of North Atlantic deep-water （NADW） formation, and the regional responses of the THC in the North Atlantic to increasing atmospheric CO2. From 2000 to 2100, under increased CO2 scenarios （B1, AIB, and A2）, the strength of THC decreases by 4 Sv （106 m^3/s）, 5.1 Sv, and 5.2 Sv, respectively, equivalent to a reduction of 20%, 25%, and 25.1% of the present THC strength. The analyses show that the oceanic deep convective activity significantly strengthens in the Greenland-leeland-Norway （GIN） Seas owing to saltier （denser） upper oceans, whereas weakens in the Labrador Sea and in the south of the Denmark Strait region （SDSR） because of surface warming and freshening due to global warming. The saltiness of the GIN Seas is mainly caused by the increase of the saline North Atlantic inflow through the Faro-Bank （FB） Channel. Under the scenario A1B, the deep-water formation rate in the North Atlantic decreases from 16.2 Sv to 12.9 Sv with increasing CO2.

A THEORETICAL SOLUTION FOR THE THERMOHALINE CIRCULATION IN THE SOUTHERN YELLOW SEA

Application of the thermocline equations in the thermocline areas and the boundary layer and the asymptotic matching techniques in each boundary in order to satisfy the surface and bottom conditions yielded a theoretical 2- D solution of the vertical thermohaline circulation of the Southern Yellow Sea in summer when the quasi-statically varying seasonal thermocline (density layer) is the background density structure , the deviations from which cause the secondary vertical circulation . The results show that the thermocline can be considered as an internal boundary or a barrier to the vertical heat advection so that in the central areas of the Southern Yellow Sea or the center of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YCWM)】 the downwelling in the upper layer and upwelling in the lower or bottom layer form a double cell vertical circulation . The solution is similar to Hu’s conceptual model ( 1986) in the central areas of the YCWM and is consistent with observed temperature . salinity and dissolved oxygen

Response of the Asian Summer Monsoon to Weakening of Atlantic Thermohaline Circulation

Various paleoclimate records have shown that the Asian monsoon was punctuated by numerous suborbital time-scale events, and these events were coeval with those that happened in the North Atlantic. This study investigates the Asian summer monsoon responses to the Atlantic Ocean forcing by applying an additional freshwater flux into the North Atlantic. The simulated results indicate that the cold North Atlantic and warm South Atlantic induced by the weakened Atlantic thermohaline circulation （THC） due to the freshwater flux lead to significantly suppressed Asian summer monsoon. The authors analyzed the detailed processes of the Atlantic Ocean forcing on the Asian summer monsoon, and found that the atmospheric teleconnection in the eastern and central North Pacific and the atmosphere-ocean interaction in the tropical North Pacific play the most crucial role. Enhanced precipitation in the subtropical North Pacific extends the effects of Atlantic Ocean forcing from the eastern Pacific into the western Pacific, and the atmosphere-ocean interaction in the tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean intensifies the circulation and precipitation anomalies in the Pacific and East Asia.

Abrupt Climate Change around 4 ka BP:Role of the Thermohaline Circulation as Indicated by a GCM Experiment

A great deal of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic evidence suggests that a predominant temperature drop and an aridiflcation occurred at ca. 4.0 ka BP. Palaeoclimate studies in China support this dedution. The collapse of ancient civilizations at ca. 4.0 ka BP in the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia has been attributed to climate-induced aridification. A widespread alternation of the ancient cultures was also found in China at ca. 4.0 ka BP in concert with the collapse of the civilizations in the Old World. Palaeoclimatic studies indicate that the abrupt climate change at 4.0 ka BP is one of the realizations of the cold phase in millennial scale climate oscillations, which may be related to the modulation of the Thermohaline Circulation (THC) over the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, this study conducts a numerical experiment of a GCM with SST forcing to simulate the impact of the weakening of the THC. Results show a drop in temperature from North Europe, the northern middle East Asia, and northern East Asia and a significant reduction of precipitation in East Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Peninsula, and the Yellow River Valley. This seems to support the idea that coldness and aridification at ca. 4.0 ka BP was caused by the weakening of the THC.

Simulation of Seasonal Circulations and Thermohaline Variabilities in the Gulf of Thailand

Based on the Princeton Ocean Model （POM）, the seasonal thermohaline feature and the ocean circulation in the Gulf of Thailand （GOT）, situated between 6°N to 14°N latitude and 99°E to 105°E longitude, were studied numerically with 37 × 97 orthogonal curvilinear grid and 10 vertical sigma levels conforming to a realistic bottom topography. A spin-up phase of the first model run was executed using wind stress calculated from climatological monthly mean wind, restoring-type surface heat and salt, and climatological monthly mean fresh water flux data. In this paper, the temperature and salinity fields taken from Levitus94 data sets and the calculated temperature and salinity from the model run for 12-month mean and for each season are presented where the winter, summer, rainy, and end of the rainy seasons of Thailand are represented by the months January, April, July, and October, respectively. The simulated circulations are also described. The results show that the temperature in the GoT is warmer than the temperature of the other parts connected to the South China Sea （SCS）. At any depth of inflow from SCS into the GoT, the salinity is high, but in the outflow from the GoT at the surface, the salinity is low. The strong circulations are clockwise during summer and the rainy seasons of Thailand, which are the East Asian monsoon periods, northeasterly and southwesterly during summer. They occur near Pattani and Narathiwat provinces during summer and in the central GoT during the rainy seasons. Sensitivity experiments were designed to investigate the effects of wind forcing and open boundary conditions. Wind forcing is shown to be the important factor for generating the circulation in the GoT. The lateral velocity at the open boundaries is of considerable importance to current circulation for the rainy and end of the rainy seasons, with insignificant effect for the winter and summer seasons of Thailand.

Optimal nonlinear excitation of decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation

Nonlinear development of salinity perturbations in the Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is investigated with a three-dimensional ocean circulation model,using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation method.The results show two types of optimal initial perturbations of sea surface salinity,one associated with freshwater and the other with salinity.Both types of perturbations excite decadal variability of the THC.Under the same amplitude of initial perturbation,the decadal variation induced by the freshwater perturbation is much stronger than that by the salinity perturbation,suggesting that the THC is more sensitive to freshwater than salinity perturbation.As the amplitude of initial perturbation increases,the decadal variations become stronger for both perturbations.For salinity perturbations,recovery time of the THC to return to steady state gradually saturates with increasing amplitude,whereas this recovery time increases remarkably for freshwater perturbations.A nonlinear(advective) feedback between density and velocity anomalies is proposed to explain these characteristics of decadal variability excitation.The results are consistent with previous ones from simple box models,and highlight the importance of nonlinear feedback in decadal THC variability.

Three-Dimensional Structure of Optimal Nonlinear Excitation for Decadal Variability of the Thermohaline Circulation

The decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is investigated within a three-dimensional ocean circulation model using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation method. The results show that the optimal initial perturbations of temperature and salinity exciting the strongest decadal THC variations have similar structures: the perturbations are mainly in the northwestern basin at a depth ranging from 1500 to 3000 m. These temperature and salinity perturbations act as the optimal precursors for future modifications of the THC, highlighting the importance of observations in the northwestern basin to monitor the variations of temperature and salinity at depth. The decadal THC variation in the nonlinear model initialized by the optimal salinity perturbations is much stronger than that caused by the optimal temperature perturbations, indicating that salinity variations might play a relatively important role in exciting the decadal THC variability. Moreover, the decadal THC variations in the tangent linear and nonlinear models show remarkably different characteristics, suggesting the importance of nonlinear processes in the decadal variability of the THC.

A Three-Box Model of Thermohaline Circulation under the Energy Constraint

The driving mechanism of thermohaline circulation is still a controversial topic in physical oceanography.Classic theory is based on Stommel's two-box model under buoyancy constraint.Recently,Guan and Huang proposed a new viewpoint in the framework of energy constraint with a two-box model.We extend it to a three-box model,including the effect of wind-driven circulation.Using this simple model,we further study how ocean mixing impacts on thermohaline circulation under the energy constraint.

Glacial Thermohaline Circulation and Climate:Forcing from the North or South?

Based on the evidence available from both observations and model simulations, the author proposes a view that may provide a unified interpretation of the North Atlantic thermohaline variability. Because of the slow response time of the Southern Ocean （millennia） and the relatively faster response time of the North Atlantic （centuries）, the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation is controlled predominantly by the climate forcing over the Southern Ocean at the long glacial cycle timescales, but by the North Atlantic climate forcing at the short millennial timescaies.

The South China Sea thermohaline structure and circulation

In this study, we used the Navy' s Master Oceanographic Observation Data Set(MOODS), consisting of 116019 temperature and 9617 salinity profiles, during 1968-1984 to investigate the temporal and spatial variabilities of South China Sea thermohaline structures and circulation. For temperature, profiles were binned into 204 monthly data sets from 1968 to 1984 (17 years). For salinity, profiles were binned into 12 climatological monthly data sets due to the data paucity. A two-scale optimal interpolation method was used to establish a three-dimensional monthly-varying gridded data set from MOODS, covering the area of 5°-25°N and 105° - 125°E and the depth from the surface to 400 m. After the gridded data set had been established, both composite analysis and the Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis (for temperature only) were used to identify the major thermohaline fratures including annual mean, monthly anomalies, and interannual thermal variabilities. The inverted monthly circulation pattern using the P - vector method is also discussed.

The relationship between the thermohaline circulation and climate variability

The long-term integration with the Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System model of the State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG), Institute of Atmospheric Physics(IAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences has been used in the investigations on the relationship between the thermohaline circulation and climate variability. The results show that the strength of the North Atlantic Thermohaline circulation (THC) is negatively correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Based on this kind of relationship, and also the instrument-measured climate record such as air pressure and sea surface temperature, the activity of the thermohaline circulation during the 20th century has been evaluated. The inferred variations of the strength of the THC is that, during two multi-decadal periods of 1867-1903 and 1934-1972, the THC is estimated to have been running stronger, whereas during the two periods of 1904-1933 and 1973-1994, it appears to have been weaker.

Weak response of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation to an increase of atmospheric car-bon dioxide in IAP/LASG Climate System Model

Response of the Atlantic thermohaline circula- tion (THC) to global warming is examined by using the cli- mate system model developed at IAP/LASG. The evidence indicates that the gradually warming climate associated with the increased atmospheric carbon dioxide leads to a warmer and fresher sea surface water at the high latitudes of the North Atlantic Ocean, which prevents the down-welling of the surface water. The succedent reduction of the pole-to- equator meridional potential density gradient finally results in the decrease of the THC in intensity. When the atmos- pheric carbon dioxide is doubled, the maximum value of the Atlantic THC decreases approximately by 8%. The associ- ated poleward oceanic heat transport also becomes weaker. This kind of THC weakening centralizes mainly in the northern part of the North Atlantic basin, indicating briefly a local scale adjustment rather than a loop oscillation with the whole Atlantic “conveyor belt” decelerating.

Feature of thermohaline circulation in two-layer conceptual model based on energy constraint

The assertion that the thermohaline circulation(THC)is driven and sustained by mechanical energy has been increasingly accepted.The simplest conceptual model describing the THC is the Stommel two-box model.Given the vertical stratification in the real ocean,layered models were designed and used.In this research,using a two-layer conceptual model based on energy constraint,we studied basic features of thermal-mode and saline-mode circulations.We focused on the effects of freshwater flux and mixing energy on the intensity and multiple equilibrium states of the THC.The results show that more important than affecting the THC intensity,both the decrease of freshwater flux and increase of mixing energy can lead to an"abrupt transition"in the THC from a stable saline to a stable thermal mode,which further develops the THC energy theory.

Reconstructing changes in Atlantic thermohaline circulation during the 20th century under two possible scenarios

Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is a key component of the Earth Climate System and identification of its changes during the 20th Century is critical to the understanding of its variation characteristics and the corresponding climatic impacts.Previous researches have been inconclusive,with the results varying depending on the approach used to measure THC.The results for the two established approaches for measurement of the phenomenon(direct observation and indirect reconstruction) are contradictive(weakening and non-weakening),and their credibility needs improving.Based on the tight relationship between THC anomaly and "see-saw" intensities of Sea Surface Temperature(SST) and Surface Air Temperature(SAT),we first diagnose their quantitative relationship in the model experiments,which is corresponding to its two possible scenarios,and then reconstruct the changes of THC during the 20th Century respectively with multiple observed datasets of SST and SAT.Model results show that THC anomaly and SST/SAT "see-saw" intensities are well correlated in timescales longer than 10/40 years under scenarios of weakening/non-weakening respectively.Two kinds of reconstructions here are consistent with each other,and we propose that THC has undergone a 2-cycle oscillation with inter-decadal scale since the Industrial Revolution with a magnitude of about 1 Sv.The transformation times of decadal trend are around the mid-1910s,the 1940s,and the mid-1970s.This research further validates the main results of previous reconstructions,and points out that THC does not have a long-term weakening during the 20th Century.

Model evidence for climatic impact of thermohaline circulation on China at the century scale

Based on transient simulation of the last deglaciation(significant global warming period)using a fully coupled model and sensitivity experiment,we show explicitly how the thermohaline circulation(THC)affects the climate of China,especially during periods of abrupt climate change.The simulated evolution of the Chinese climate was consistent with the paleoclimate record during the last deglaciation.For example,the whole Chinese region warmed significantly during the BФlling-AllerФd warming event(BA).When the magnitude of the THC was reduced in the sensitivity experiment during BA,warming of the Chinese region was greatly affected.Our work shows that in addition to orbital forcing and greenhouse gases,the THC is an important factor influencing climate change in China at the century scale.

Model–proxy comparison for overshoot phenomenon of Atlantic thermohaline circulation at Bφlling–Allerφd

The overshoot phenomenon of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is a transient climate response to meltwater forcing and could induce intense climate change by increasing the magnitudes of Atlantic THC changes at the end of meltwater discharges. This phenomenon was formally presented with the successfully simulated Bφlling–Allerφd(BA) event in the first transient simulation of the last deglaciation with fully coupled model NCAR-CCSM3(TraCE-21K). Currently, not all proxy records of Atlantic THC support the occurrence of the THC overshoot at BA. Commonly used THC proxy from Bermuda Rise(GGC5) does not exhibit THC overshoot at BA but other proxies such as TTR-451 at Eirik Drift do. How to interpret this regional discrepancy of proxy records is a key question for the validation of the Atlantic THC overshoot at BA. Here, we show that the vigor of deep circulation varies regionally during the Atlantic THC overshoot at BA in TraCE-21 K simulation, and this regional discrepancy in the simulation is consistent with that in the marine sediment records in North Atlantic. The consistent model–proxy evidence supports the occurrence of Atlantic THC overshoot at BA.

冰在淡水还是盐水中熔化得更快?

冰在淡水还是盐水中熔化得更快,可以与温盐环流的驱动机理、新仙女木期全球变冷的成因猜测结合,形成一个物理学科主导的跨学科研究性学习项目.主要以师生对话的形式,介绍课题实施过程,说明每个环节的设计要点,供相关学校和教师参考使用.

温室气体浓度增加情景下大西洋温盐环流的演变

温室气体浓度增加(以CO2为主)引起的温盐环流演变在未来气候系统中扮演非常重要的角色.在最新的温室气体排放情景下,利用基于德国马普气象研究所为IPCC第四次评估报告而最新发展的气候模式(ECHAM5/MPIOM),对3种不同的温室气体排放假设(B1,A1B,A2)进行了可靠的数值模拟.在此基础上,就大西洋温盐环流和北大西洋深层水形成的变化,以及北大西洋不同海区的温盐环流对温室气体浓度增加的响应,对模拟结果进行了分析.研究揭示,到21世纪末,在3种CO2排放情景下,温盐环流强度分别减弱了4Sv(1Sv=106m3/s)、5.1Sv、5.2Sv,大体相当于减弱了20%、25%、25.1%.由于全球变暖引起副极地海区表层海水变暖变淡,拉不拉多海(LabradorSea)和丹麦海峡(DenmarkStrait)以南区域的深层对流有所减弱.而在格陵兰-冰岛-挪威海(GINSea)的情况相反,由于北大西洋暖流的增强,通过法鲁海峡(Faro-BankChannel)进入GIN海域的高盐水增加,导致GIN海域上层盐度(密度)增加,进而深层对流加强.在A1B情景下,由于全球变暖北大西洋的深层水生成率从16.2Sv降到了12.9Sv.

海洋环流模式的发展和应用 Ⅰ.全球海洋环流模式

概述近10年来中国科学院大气物理研究所大气科学和地球流体动力学数值模拟国家重点实验室全球海洋环流模式的发展及其在全球海气耦合模式的发展和气候模拟方面的应用。重点是:一个30层、0.5°×0.5°的准全球海洋环流模式LICOM的建立及其模拟的热带太平洋海洋环流和印度尼西亚贯穿流;以20层海洋模式为海洋分量建立的全球海洋—大气—陆面系统耦合模式GOALS在气候变化模拟方面的应用,和以海洋模式L30T63为海洋分量建立的灵活的耦合环流模式FGCM-0在热带太平洋—印度洋海气相互作用及古海洋—古气候模拟方面的应用。

温盐环流稳定性以及年代际变率的研究进展

对近期国内外有关温盐环流的模拟研究作了综合评述,着重介绍温盐环流的稳定性、多平衡态及其转化以及年代际变率问题的研究进展。