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On the driving processes of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, USA
Departamento Astrofisica y Ciencias de la Atmósfera, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany
Because of its relevance for the global climate the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) has been a major research focus for many years. Yet the question of which physical mechanisms ultimately drive the AMOC, in the sense of providing its energy supply, remains a matter of controversy. Here we review both observational data and model results concerning the two main candidates: vertical mixing processes in the ocean's interior and wind-induced Ekman upwelling in the Southern Ocean. In distinction to the energy source we also discuss the role of surface heat and freshwater fluxes, which influence the volume transport of the meridional overturning circulation and shape its spatial circulation pattern without actually supplying energy to the overturning itself in steady state. We conclude that both wind-driven upwelling and vertical mixing are likely contributing to driving the observed circulation. To quantify their respective contributions, future research needs to address some open questions, which we outline.
Received 3 December 2004; accepted 26 October 2006; published 24 April 2007.
Citation: (2007), On the driving processes of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, Rev. Geophys., 45, RG2001, doi:10.1029/2004RG000166.
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