ALBERT

Description: of the global combined atmosphere-ocean heat flux and so is important for the mean climate of the Atlantic sector of the Northern Hemisphere. This meridional heat flux is accomplished by both the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and by basin-wide horizontal gyre circulations. In the North Atlantic subtropical latitudes the AMOC dominates the meridional heat flux, while in subpolar latitudes and in the subtropical South Atlantic the gyre circulations are also important. Climate models suggest the AMOC will slow over the coming decades as the earth warms, causing widespread cooling in the Northern hemisphere and additional sea-level rise. Monitoring systems for selected components of the AMOC have been in place in some areas for decades, nevertheless the present observational network provides only a partial view of the AMOC, and does not unambiguously resolve the full variability of the circulation. Additional observations, building on existing measurements, are required to more completely quantify the Atlantic meridional heat transport. A basin-wide monitoring array along 26.5°N has been continuously measuring the strength and vertical structure of the AMOC and meridional heat transport since March 31, 2004. The array has demonstrated its ability to observe the AMOC variability at that latitude and also a variety of surprising variability that will require substantially longer time series to understand fully. Here we propose monitoring the Atlantic meridional heat transport throughout the Atlantic at selected critical latitudes that have already been identified as regions of interest for the study of deep water formation and the strength of the subpolar gyre, transport variability of the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) as well as the upper limb of the AMOC, and inter-ocean and intrabasin exchanges with the ultimate goal of determining regional and global controls for the AMOC in the North and South Atlantic Oceans. These new arrays will continuously measure the full depth, basin-wide or choke-point circulation and heat transport at a number of latitudes, to establish the dynamics and variability at each latitude and then their meridional connectivity. Modeling studies indicate that adaptations of the 26.5°N type of array may provide successful AMOC monitoring at other latitudes. However, further analysis and the development of new technologies will be needed to optimize cost effective systems for providing long term monitoring and data recovery at climate time scales. These arrays will provide benchmark observations of the AMOC that are fundamental for assimilation, initialization, and the verification of coupled hindcast/forecast climate models.

Description: The North Atlantic Basin is a major sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) due in part to the extensive plankton blooms which form there supported by nutrients supplied by the three-dimensional ocean circulation. Hence, changes in ocean circulation and/or stratification may influence primary production and biological carbon export. In this study, we assess this possibility by evaluating inorganic nutrient budgets for 2004 and 2010 in the North Atlantic based on observations from the transatlantic A05-24.5°N and the Greenland-Portugal OVIDE hydrographic sections, to which we applied a box inverse model to solve the circulation and estimate the across-section nutrient transports. Full water column nutrient budgets were split into upper and lower meridional overturning circulation (MOC) limbs. According to our results, anomalous circulation in early 2010, linked to extreme negative NAO conditions, led to an enhanced northward advection of more nutrient-rich waters by the upper overturning limb, which resulted in a significant nitrate and phosphate convergence north of 24.5°N. Combined with heaving of the isopycnals, this anomalous circulation event in 2010 favored an enhancement of the nutrient consumption (5.7 ± 4.1 kmol-P s−1) and associated biological CO2 uptake (0.25 ± 0.18 Pg-C yr−1, upper-bound estimate), which represents a 50% of the mean annual sea–air CO2 flux in the region. Our results also suggest a transient state of deep silicate divergence in both years. Both results are indicative of a MOC-driven modulation of the biological carbon uptake (by the upper MOC limb) and nutrient inventories (by the lower MOC limb) in the North Atlantic.