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Millennial‐scale variability in the oceans: an ocean modelling view
Author(s) -
Bigg Grant R.,
Wadley Martin R.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/jqs.599
Subject(s) - thermohaline circulation , climatology , ocean current , shutdown of thermohaline circulation , geology , oceanography , atlantic multidecadal oscillation , north atlantic deep water , climate model , ocean dynamics , ocean heat content , forcing (mathematics) , oceanic basin , ocean general circulation model , arctic , general circulation model , climate change , structural basin , paleontology
Climate and ocean‐only models have shown that the ocean will respond abruptly to significant perturbations in surface forcing. Centennial‐scale oscillation is a characteristic of circulation in large semi‐enclosed ocean basins such as the Arctic, whereas millennial‐scale adjustment to changes in surface forcing has been found in the global ocean component of climate models. We show that the millennial time‐scale in climate models is likely to be intrinsic to the ocean through its presence in an ocean‐only model. The strength of the thermohaline circulation is shown to be very sensitive to the magnitude of ice albedo and, to a lesser extent, perturbation in the surface freshwater flux. Modelled glacial ocean circulation, in contrast to present‐day simulations, requires an enhanced freshwater flux over the northern Atlantic, even in its non‐Heinrich state, to obtain realistic overturning in the North Atlantic. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.