(
2007-06-27)
Montenegro, Álvaro; Eby, Michael; Weaver, Andrew J.; Jayne, Steven R.
Experiments with a climate model were conducted under present day and last
glacial maximum conditions in order to examine the model’s response to a vertical
mixing scheme based on internal tide energy dissipation. The increase in internal
tide energy flux caused by a 120 m reduction in sea level had the expected effect on
diffusivity values, which were higher under lower sea level conditions. The impact
of this vertical diffusivity change on the Atlantic meridional overturning is not
straightforward and no clear relationship between diffusivity and overturning is
found. There exists a weak positive correlation between overturning and changes to
the power consumed by vertical mixing. Most of the climatic response generated by
sea level change was not related to alterations in the internal tide energy flux but
rather to the direct change in sea level itself.
