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Optimal nonlinear excitation of decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation

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Abstract

Nonlinear development of salinity perturbations in the Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC) is investigated with a three-dimensional ocean circulation model, using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation method. The results show two types of optimal initial perturbations of sea surface salinity, one associated with freshwater and the other with salinity. Both types of perturbations excite decadal variability of the THC. Under the same amplitude of initial perturbation, the decadal variation induced by the freshwater perturbation is much stronger than that by the salinity perturbation, suggesting that the THC is more sensitive to freshwater than salinity perturbation. As the amplitude of initial perturbation increases, the decadal variations become stronger for both perturbations. For salinity perturbations, recovery time of the THC to return to steady state gradually saturates with increasing amplitude, whereas this recovery time increases remarkably for freshwater perturbations. A nonlinear (advective) feedback between density and velocity anomalies is proposed to explain these characteristics of decadal variability excitation. The results are consistent with previous ones from simple box models, and highlight the importance of nonlinear feedback in decadal THC variability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LASG, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Ziqing Zu  (祖子清) & Mu Mu  (穆穆)

  2. Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Wave, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Mu Mu  (穆穆)

  3. Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Utrecht University, 3584 CC, Utrecht, the Netherlands

    Henk A. Dijkstra

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Ziqing Zu  (祖子清)

Authors
  1. Ziqing Zu  (祖子清)
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  2. Mu Mu  (穆穆)
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  3. Henk A. Dijkstra
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mu Mu  (穆穆).

Additional information

Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2012CB417404.)

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Zu, Z., Mu, M. & Dijkstra, H.A. Optimal nonlinear excitation of decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 31, 1368–1374 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-014-3051-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-014-3051-4

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