Premium
Importance of wind‐driven sea ice motion for the formation of Antarctic Intermediate Water in a global climate model
Author(s) -
Saenko Oleg A.,
Weaver Andrew J.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2001gl013632
Subject(s) - geology , antarctic intermediate water , oceanography , sea ice , antarctic sea ice , arctic ice pack , fast ice , wind stress , salinity , climatology , thermohaline circulation , north atlantic deep water
An ocean‐atmosphere‐sea ice model is used to show the importance of wind‐driven sea ice motion in the formation of Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW). The model is able to reasonably simulate a tongue of low salinity AAIW even when the direct momentum transfer from wind to the ocean is neglected, provided that the wind stress is applied to sea ice. In contrast, when the wind stress exclusively drives the ocean, the model fails to capture the properties of AAIW. The growth and subsequent offshore transport of sea ice acts as a freshwater conduit from near‐shore regions, where AABW is formed, to subpolar regions, where AAIW is formed. Sea ice dynamics are also shown to be important in the simulation of a local salinity minimum at intermediate depths in the southern Indian Ocean and a local salinity maximum in the western Weddell Sea.