As the ocean absorbs anthropogenic CO2, its pH and carbonate ion concentration decrease, thereby decreasing the ratio of the concentration of dissolved carbonate ions in the sea water to the concentration of dissolved ions in a saturated solution of aragonite (i.e., aragonite saturation state ΩAr). If ΩAr falls below the threshold ΩAr=1, ocean acidification makes it harder... Continue Reading →
Why does the upper atmosphere cool with increasing carbon dioxide?
According to model simulations with increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the zonal mean temperature in the atmosphere get warmer in the troposphere (< 10km or > 100hPa) and colder in the stratosphere (10 ~ 50km or 100 ~ 1hPa). A simple explanation is that the amount of infrared heat radiated out to the space... Continue Reading →
Ocean-ice momentum flux reversal and the associated stabilization of the Beaufort Gyre and freshwater accumulation
Driven by the Beaufort High and associated wind-stress curl, the anticyclonic ocean gyre over the Canada Basin, as known as the Beaufort Gyre, is a dominant feature of the Arctic Ocean circulation. The Beaufort Gyre is the largest freshwater reservoir in the Arctic Ocean (Proshutinsky et al., 2009) and also is a region of the largest summer sea... Continue Reading →
Global meridional overturning circulation revisited
Ocean tracers such as heat, salt and carbon are perpetually carried by the global meridional overturning circulation (GMOC) and redistributed between hemispheres and across ocean basins from their source regions. The GMOC is therefore a crucial component of the global heat, salt and carbon balances. In a new article accepted in Geophysical Research Letter, a... Continue Reading →
Natural variability in the Southern Ocean as a driver of the observed Antarctic sea-ice expansion trends
A team of scientists from Princeton University, NOAA-GFDL, and UCAR performed global climate model simulations, using a newly developed coupled ocean–atmosphere model SPEAR (Seamless System for Prediction and Earth System Research). When this model was driven with changes in past radiative forcing, the model simulation did not reproduce the observed increasing trends in sea-ice concentration around... Continue Reading →
Antarctic meltwater slows down global warming by more than a decade
A new study published in Nature used climate models to explore the effects of meltwater from the Antarctic ice sheets and ice shelves on global surface temperature under a warming climate. The study found that the increasing meltwater decreases the surface salinity of the Southern Ocean and thus increases the near-surface stratification, which in turn... Continue Reading →
Deep convection that feeds the AMOC may occur in Arctic Sea under a warming climate
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a key ocean circulation system that carries heat, salt, carbon and other biogeochemical elements along its paths, redistributing them between hemispheres and across ocean basins, and thus is a crucial component of the global heat, salt and carbon balances. At present, the subduction of dense water (i.e., deep convection) that... Continue Reading →
Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat in the Amundsen Sea driven by central tropical Pacific SST variability
A new study appeared in Nature Geoscience (Jenkins et al., 2018) analyzed ocean temperature, salinity, dissolved-oxygen and current measurements from 2000 to 2016 near the Dotson Ice Shelf in the Amundsen Sea to determine temporal changes in net basal melting. The study showed that a decadal cycle dominates the ocean record, which is highly correlates with... Continue Reading →
Ocean carbon sink is dictated by natural variability on decadal time scales
Data-based estimates show that the global oceanic carbon flux has increased rapidly since around 2000 with little decadal variability during 1992-1999 (Rödenbeck et al., 2015). An article published in Geophysical Research Letters (Li and Ilyina, 2017) used large ensemble climate model simulations to show that the observed increase is much faster than simulated by their biogeochemical process model. By... Continue Reading →
Deglacial atmospheric CO2 increase caused by enhanced abyssal circulations in the Pacific Ocean
Paleo records indicate that during the last deglaciation period (19,000–9,000 years ago) atmospheric CO2 level increased by about 80 ppm. A new study published in Nature Geoscience analysed neodymium (Nd) isotope data in North Pacific sediment cores to find an increase in 14C age of North Pacific subsurface waters sourced from Antarctica indicating an enhanced abyssal overturning... Continue Reading →
Ocean to Climate 