Open AccessThe Influence of High-Frequency Atmospheric Forcing on the Circulation and Deep Convection of the Labrador Sea
Author(s) -
Amber M. Holdsworth,
Paul G. Myers
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of climate
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.315
H-Index - 287
eISSN - 1520-0442
pISSN - 0894-8755
DOI - 10.1175/jcli-d-14-00564.1
Subject(s) - ocean gyre , forcing (mathematics) , climatology , deep convection , convection , atmospheric circulation , atmospheric sciences , mixed layer , circulation (fluid dynamics) , environmental science , atmospheric convection , geology , meteorology , troposphere , geography , mechanics , subtropics , physics , fishery , biology
The influence of high-frequency atmospheric forcing on the circulation of the North Atlantic Ocean with emphasis on the deep convection of the Labrador Sea was investigated by comparing simulations of a coupled ocean–ice model with hourly atmospheric data to simulations in which the high-frequency phenomena were filtered from the air temperature and wind fields. In the absence of high-frequency atmospheric forcing, the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and subpolar gyres was found to decrease by 25%. In the Labrador Sea, the eddy kinetic energy decreased by 75% and the average maximum mixed layer depth decreased by between 20% and 110% depending on the climatology. In particular, high-frequency forcing was found to have a greater impact on mixed layer deepening in moderate to warm years whereas in relatively cold years the temperatures alone were enough to facilitate deep convection. Additional simulations in which either the wind or temperature was filtered revealed that the wind, through its impact on the bulk formulas for latent and sensible heat, had a greater impact on deep convection than the temperature.