Optimal nonlinear excitation of decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation

Ziqing Zu; Mu Mu; Henk A. Dijkstra

doi:10.1007/s00343-014-3051-4

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Optimal nonlinear excitation of decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation

Updated：2023-05-16

- Optimal nonlinear excitation of decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation
- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Vol. 31, Issue 6, Pages: 1368-1374(2013)
- Affiliations：
  
  1. LASG Institute of Atmospheric Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences
  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
  3. Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Wave Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences
  4. Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht Department of Physics and Astronomy Utrecht University
- Author bio：
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s00343-014-3051-4
  CLC：
- Online First：31 August 2013，
  
  Published：2013
- Accepted：
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Zu, Z., Mu, M. & Dijkstra, H.A. Optimal nonlinear excitation of decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation., Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 31, 1368–1374 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-014-3051-4
DOI：

Zu, Z., Mu, M. & Dijkstra, H.A. Optimal nonlinear excitation of decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation., Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 31, 1368–1374 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-014-3051-4 DOI：

摘要

Abstract

Nonlinear development of salinity perturbations in the Atlantic thermohaline circulation (THC) is investigated with a three-dimensional ocean circulation model

using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation method. The results show two types of optimal initial perturbations of sea surface salinity

one associated with freshwater and the other with salinity. Both types of perturbations excite decadal variability of the THC. Under the same amplitude of initial perturbation

the decadal variation induced by the freshwater perturbation is much stronger than that by the salinity perturbation

suggesting that the THC is more sensitive to freshwater than salinity perturbation. As the amplitude of initial perturbation increases

the decadal variations become stronger for both perturbations. For salinity perturbations

recovery time of the THC to return to steady state gradually saturates with increasing amplitude

whereas this recovery time increases remarkably for freshwater perturbations. A nonlinear (advective) feedback between density and velocity anomalies is proposed to explain these characteristics of decadal variability excitation. The results are consistent with previous ones from simple box models

and highlight the importance of nonlinear feedback in decadal THC variability.

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references

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