Abstract
Communication between the atmosphere and the deep ocean is mediated by the wind-driven divergence in the Southern Ocean. The depth of this communication depends on the balance between the mechanical forcing of water up to the surface due to divergent wind forcing and the underlying ocean stratification. Russell et al (2006) showed that the volume of water recently exposed to the atmosphere in a climate warming scenario actually increased, implying that the wind forcing overcame the increased stratification due to surface warming. We present results from a trajectory analysis used to explore changes in the sources of deep water upwelled in the Southern Ocean in the GFDL CM2.1 coupled climate model simulations of the pre-industrial period, the 20th century, and a future warming scenario (SresA1B).
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