Mixing and geometry in the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

Vertical motions across the ocean are central to processes, like CO2 fixation, heat removal or pollutant transport, which are essential to the Earth's climate. This work explores 3D conveyor routes associated with the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Our findings show the geo...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Bruera Méndez, Renzo|||0000-0003-1184-4586, Curbelo Hernández, Jezabel|||0000-0002-7276-0127, García Sánchez, Guillermo, Mancho Sánchez, Ana María
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/386932
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/386932
https://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102244
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Differentiable dynamical systems
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation
Ocean vertical motion
Lagrangian coherent structures
Sistemes dinàmics diferenciables
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Matemàtiques i estadística::Equacions diferencials i integrals::Sistemes dinàmics
Descripción
Sumario:Vertical motions across the ocean are central to processes, like CO2 fixation, heat removal or pollutant transport, which are essential to the Earth's climate. This work explores 3D conveyor routes associated with the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Our findings show the geometry of mixing structures in the upper and deep ocean layers by means of Lagrangian Coherent Structures. This tool identifies among others, zones linked to vertical transport and characterizes vertical transport time scales. We focus the study in two regions. The first one is the Flemish Cap region, a zone of interaction between the major AMOC components, where our analysis identifies a domain of deep waters that ascend very rapidly to the ocean surface. The second one is the Irminger Sea, where our analysis confirms the existence of a downwelling zone, and reveals a previously unreported upwelling connection between very deep waters and the ocean surface.