loading page

Influence of Meridional Overturning Circulation on Ocean Heat Storage Rate in an Idealised Climate Model
  • Peter Shatwell,
  • Arnaud Czaja,
  • David Ferreira
Peter Shatwell
Imperial College London

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Arnaud Czaja
Imperial College London
Author Profile
David Ferreira
University of Reading
Author Profile

Abstract

To study the role of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) in climate change, we perform an abrupt CO2–doubling experiment using a coupled atmosphere-ocean- ice model with a simple geometry that separates the ocean into small and large basins. As in observations and high-end climate models, the small basin exhibits a MOC and warms at a faster rate than the large basin. In our set-up, this contrast in heat storage rates is 0.6 ± 0.1 W/m^2, and we argue that this is due to the small basin MOC. However, the MOC weakens significantly, yet this has little impact on the small basin’s heat storage rate. We find this is due to the effects of both compensating warming patterns and interbasin heat transports. Thus, although the presence of a MOC is important for enhanced heat storage, MOC weakening is surprisingly unimportant.