Identification

Title

Global meridional overturning circulation inferred from a data-constrained ocean & sea-ice model

Abstract

Our current understanding of the global meridional overturning circulation (GMOC) is revisited using a surface-forced ocean model simulation constrained by global hydrographic data. The derived GMOC is qualitatively consistent with previous observation-based studies and further provides enhanced spatial details in the sources, transformations, and transports of major global water masses including in poorly observed regions. Several important but relatively underexplored aspects of the GMOC are highlighted, including complex but vigorous heavy-to-light water mass transformation that occurs in the Indo-Pacific and Southern Oceans, and the role of the equatorial Pacific upwelling in closing the GMOC circuit. These and other key aspects of the GMOC are poorly captured in a surface-forced ocean model simulation without the temperature and salinity corrections, suggesting that current climate models do not realistically simulate the GMOC and the associated global heat, salt, and carbon balances.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7cn76zs

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2019-02-16T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact