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The Energetics of Southern Ocean Upwelling

Hogg, Andy; Spence, Paul; Saenko, Oleg A.; Downes, Stephanie M.

Description

The ocean’s meridional overturning circulation is closed by the upwelling of dense, carbon-rich waters to the surface of the Southern Ocean. It has been proposed that upwelling in this region is driven by strong westerly winds, implying that the intensification of Southern Ocean winds in recent decades may have enhanced the rate of upwelling, potentially affecting the global overturning circulation. However, there is no consensus on the sensitivity of upwelling to winds or on the nature of the...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorHogg, Andy
dc.contributor.authorSpence, Paul
dc.contributor.authorSaenko, Oleg A.
dc.contributor.authorDownes, Stephanie M.
dc.date.accessioned2018-08-06T05:30:42Z
dc.date.available2018-08-06T05:30:42Z
dc.identifier.issn0022-3670
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/146081
dc.description.abstractThe ocean’s meridional overturning circulation is closed by the upwelling of dense, carbon-rich waters to the surface of the Southern Ocean. It has been proposed that upwelling in this region is driven by strong westerly winds, implying that the intensification of Southern Ocean winds in recent decades may have enhanced the rate of upwelling, potentially affecting the global overturning circulation. However, there is no consensus on the sensitivity of upwelling to winds or on the nature of the connection between Southern Ocean processes and the global overturning circulation. In this study, the sensitivity of the overturning circulation to changes in Southern Ocean westerly wind stress is investigated using an eddy-permitting ocean–sea ice model. In addition to a suite of standard circulation metrics, an energy analysis is used to aid dynamical interpretation of the model response. Increased Southern Ocean wind stress enhances the upper cell of the overturning circulation through creation of available potential energy in the Southern Hemisphere, associated with stronger upwelling of deep water. Poleward shifts in the Southern Ocean westerlies lead to a complicated transient response, with the formation of bottom water induced by increased polynya activity in the Weddell Sea and a weakening of the upper overturning cell in the Northern Hemisphere. The energetic consequences of the upper overturning cell response indicate an interhemispheric connection to the input of available potential energy in the Northern Hemisphere.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.publisherAmerican Meteorological Society
dc.rights© 2017 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses).
dc.rightshttp://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/0022-3670/..."Publisher's version/PDF may be used on an Institutional Repository associated with author after 6 months embargo" from SHERPA/RoMEO site (as at 6/08/18)
dc.sourceJournal of Physical Oceanography
dc.subjectSouthern Ocean
dc.subjectDeep convection
dc.subjectEddies
dc.subjectMeridional overturning circulation
dc.subjectWind stress
dc.subjectOcean models
dc.titleThe Energetics of Southern Ocean Upwelling
dc.typeJournal article
local.identifier.citationvolume47
dc.date.issued2017-01-04
local.identifier.ariespublicationu4485658xPUB624
local.publisher.urlhttps://www.ametsoc.org/index.cfm/ams/
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationHogg, A. M., Research School of Earth Sciences, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, The Australian National University
local.bibliographicCitation.issue1
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage135
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage153
local.identifier.doi10.1175/JPO-D-16-0176.1
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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