Lagrangian Decomposition of the Atlantic Ocean Heat Transport at 26.5°N

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Date
2024-07-23
Authors
Tooth, Oliver J.
Foukal, Nicholas P.
Johns, William E.
Johnson, Helen L.
Wilson, Chris
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DOI
10.1029/2023GL107399
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Keywords
Lagrangian trajectories
Meridional heat transport
RAPID 26.5N
Subtropical gyre
Atlantic meridional overturning circulation
Abstract
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays a critical role in the global climate system through the redistribution of heat, freshwater and carbon. At 26.5°N, the meridional heat transport has traditionally been partitioned geometrically into vertical and horizontal circulation cells; however, attributing these components to the AMOC and Subtropical Gyre (STG) flow structures remains widely debated. Using water parcel trajectories evaluated within an eddy-rich ocean hindcast, we present the first Lagrangian decomposition of the meridional heat transport at 26.5°N. We find that water parcels recirculating within the STG account for 37% (0.36 PW) of the total heat transport across 26.5°N, more than twice that of the classical horizontal gyre component (15%). Our findings indicate that STG heat transport cannot be meaningfully distinguished from that of the basin-scale overturning since water parcels cooled within the gyre subsequently feed the northward, subsurface limb of the AMOC.
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© The Author(s), 2024. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Tooth, O., Foukal, N., Johns, W., Johnson, H., & Wilson, C. (2024). Lagrangian Decomposition of the Atlantic Ocean Heat Transport at 26.5°N. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(14), e2023GL107399, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL107399.
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Tooth, O., Foukal, N., Johns, W., Johnson, H., & Wilson, C. (2024). Lagrangian Decomposition of the Atlantic Ocean Heat Transport at 26.5°N. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(14), e2023GL107399.
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