IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v14y2023i1d10.1038_s41467-023-35889-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Role of air-sea heat flux on the transformation of Atlantic Water encircling the Nordic Seas

Author

Listed:
  • Jie Huang

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

  • Robert S. Pickart

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

  • Zhuomin Chen

    (University of Connecticut)

  • Rui Xin Huang

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Abstract

The warm-to-cold densification of Atlantic Water (AW) around the perimeter of the Nordic Seas is a critical component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). However, it remains unclear how ongoing changes in air-sea heat flux impact this transformation. Here we use observational data, and a one-dimensional mixing model following the flow, to investigate the role of air-sea heat flux on the cooling of AW. We focus on the Norwegian Atlantic Slope Current (NwASC) and Front Current (NwAFC), where the primary transformation of AW occurs. We find that air-sea heat flux accounts almost entirely for the net cooling of AW along the NwAFC, while oceanic lateral heat transfer appears to dominate the temperature change along the NwASC. Such differing impacts of air-sea interaction, which explain the contrasting long-term changes in the net cooling along two AW branches since the 1990s, need to be considered when understanding the AMOC variability.

Suggested Citation

  • Jie Huang & Robert S. Pickart & Zhuomin Chen & Rui Xin Huang, 2023. "Role of air-sea heat flux on the transformation of Atlantic Water encircling the Nordic Seas," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-35889-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35889-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-35889-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-023-35889-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paul Keil & Thorsten Mauritsen & Johann Jungclaus & Christopher Hedemann & Dirk Olonscheck & Rohit Ghosh, 2020. "Multiple drivers of the North Atlantic warming hole," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 10(7), pages 667-671, July.
    2. G. W. K. Moore & K. Våge & I. A. Renfrew & R. S. Pickart, 2022. "Sea-ice retreat suggests re-organization of water mass transformation in the Nordic and Barents Seas," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. G. W. K. Moore & K. Våge & R. S. Pickart & I. A. Renfrew, 2015. "Decreasing intensity of open-ocean convection in the Greenland and Iceland seas," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(9), pages 877-882, September.
    4. Sigrid Lind & Randi B. Ingvaldsen & Tore Furevik, 2018. "Arctic warming hotspot in the northern Barents Sea linked to declining sea-ice import," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(7), pages 634-639, July.
    5. Kjetil Våge & Lukas Papritz & Lisbeth Håvik & Michael A. Spall & G. W. K. Moore, 2018. "Ocean convection linked to the recent ice edge retreat along east Greenland," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-8, December.
    6. Takamasa Tsubouchi & Kjetil Våge & Bogi Hansen & Karin Margretha H. Larsen & Svein Østerhus & Clare Johnson & Steingrímur Jónsson & Héðinn Valdimarsson, 2021. "Increased ocean heat transport into the Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean over the period 1993–2016," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 21-26, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Caroline V. B. Gjelstrup & Mikael K. Sejr & Laura Steur & Jørgen Schou Christiansen & Mats A. Granskog & Boris P. Koch & Eva Friis Møller & Mie H. S. Winding & Colin A. Stedmon, 2022. "Vertical redistribution of principle water masses on the Northeast Greenland Shelf," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Hiroshi Sumata & Laura Steur & Sebastian Gerland & Dmitry V. Divine & Olga Pavlova, 2022. "Unprecedented decline of Arctic sea ice outflow in 2018," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Brice B. Hanberry & Marc D. Abrams & Gregory J. Nowacki, 2024. "Potential Interactions between Climate Change and Land Use for Forest Issues in the Eastern United States," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-20, March.
    4. James E. Overland, 2021. "Rare events in the Arctic," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 168(3), pages 1-13, October.
    5. Rashit M. Hantemirov & Christophe Corona & Sébastien Guillet & Stepan G. Shiyatov & Markus Stoffel & Timothy J. Osborn & Thomas M. Melvin & Ludmila A. Gorlanova & Vladimir V. Kukarskih & Alexander Y. , 2022. "Current Siberian heating is unprecedented during the past seven millennia," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-8, December.
    6. Yoko Yamagami & Masahiro Watanabe & Masato Mori & Jun Ono, 2022. "Barents-Kara sea-ice decline attributed to surface warming in the Gulf Stream," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Raphael Portmann & Urs Beyerle & Edouard Davin & Erich M. Fischer & Steven Hertog & Sebastian Schemm, 2022. "Global forestation and deforestation affect remote climate via adjusted atmosphere and ocean circulation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    8. S. B. Cornish & H. L. Johnson & R. D. C. Mallett & J. Dörr & Y. Kostov & A. E. Richards, 2022. "Rise and fall of sea ice production in the Arctic Ocean’s ice factories," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    9. Andrea Storto & Chunxue Yang, 2024. "Acceleration of the ocean warming from 1961 to 2022 unveiled by large-ensemble reanalyses," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    10. Marius Årthun & Helene Asbjørnsen & Léon Chafik & Helen L. Johnson & Kjetil Våge, 2023. "Future strengthening of the Nordic Seas overturning circulation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-35889-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.