Publication Date:
2016-09-08
Description:
The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC), which provides one-quarter of the global meridional heat transport, is composed of a number of separate flow components. How changes in the strength of each of those components may affect that of the others has been unclear because of a lack of adequate data. We continuously observed the MOC at 26.5°N for 1 year using end-point
measurements of density, bottom pressure, and ocean currents; cable measurements across the Straits
of Florida; and wind stress. The different transport components largely compensate for each other, thus confirming the validity of our monitoring approach. The MOC varied over the period of observation by ±5.7 × 106 cubic meters per second, with density-inferred and wind-driven
transports contributing equally to it. We find evidence for depth-independent compensation for the wind-driven surface flow.
Type:
Article
,
PeerReviewed
Format:
text
