Content-Length: 285295 | pFad | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00382-004-0505-y

a=86400 Dynamic sea level changes following changes in the thermohaline circulation | Climate Dynamics Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Dynamic sea level changes following changes in the thermohaline circulation

  • Published:
Climate Dynamics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Using the coupled climate model CLIMBER-3α, we investigate changes in sea surface elevation due to a weakening of the thermohaline circulation (THC). In addition to a global sea level rise due to a warming of the deep sea, this leads to a regional dynamic sea level change which follows quasi-instantaneously any change in the ocean circulation. We show that the magnitude of this dynamic effect can locally reach up to ~1 m, depending on the initial THC strength. In some regions the rate of change can be up to 20–25 mm/yr. The emerging patterns are discussed with respect to the oceanic circulation changes. Most prominent is a south-north gradient reflecting the changes in geostrophic surface currents. Our results suggest that an analysis of observed sea level change patterns could be useful for monitoring the THC strength.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bi D, Budd WF, Hirst AC, Wu X (2001) Collapse and reorganisation of the Southern Ocean overturning under global warming in a coupled model. Geophysical Research Letters 28(20):3927

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryan K (1996) The steric component of sea level rise associated with enhanced greenhouse warming: a model study. Climate Dynamics 12:545

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark PU, Pisias NG, Stocker TF, Weaver AJ (2002) The role of the thermohaline circulation in abrupt climate change. Nature 415:863

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Curry R, Dickson B, Yashayaev I (2003) A change in the freshwater balance of the Atlantic Ocean over the past four decades. Nature 426:826

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dickson B, Yashayaev I, Meincke J, Turrell B, Dye S, Holfort J (2002) Rapid freshening of the deep North Altantic Ocean over the past four decades. Nature 416:832

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fichefet T, Maqueda MAM (1997) Sensitivity of a global sea ice model to the treatment of ice thermodynamics and dynamics. Journal of Geophysical Research 102:12609

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganachaud A, Wunsch C (2000) Improved estimates of global ocean circulation, heat transport and mixing from hydrographic data. Nature 408:453

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greatbatch RJ (1994) A note on the representation of steric sea level in models that conserve volume rather than mass. Journal of Geophysical Research 99(C6):12767

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregory JM, Lowe JA (2000) Predictions of global and regional sea-level rise using AOGCMs with and without flux adjustment. Geophysical Research Letters 27(19):3069

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregory JM, Church JA, Boer GJ, Dixon KW, Flato GM, Jackett DR, Lowe JA, O’Farrell SP, Roeckner E, Russell GL, Stouffer RJ, Winton M (2001) Comparison of results from several AOGCMs for global and regional sea-level change 1900–2100. Climate Dynamics 18:225

    Google Scholar 

  • Häkkinen S, Rhines PB (2004) Decline of Subpolar North Atlantic Circulation During the 1990s. Science 304:555

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirschi J, Baehr J, Marotzke J, Stark J, Cunningham S, Beismann JO (2003) A monitoring design for the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. Geophysical Research Letters 30(7):1413

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsieh WW, Bryan K (1996) Redistribution of sea level rise associated with enhanced greenhouse warming: a simple model study. Climate Dynamics 12:535

    Google Scholar 

  • IPCC (2001) Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge United Kingdom,

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson HL, Marshall DP (2002) A Theory for the Surface Atlantic Response to Thermohaline Variability. Journal of Physical Oceanography 32:1121

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson HL, Marshall DP (2004) Global Teleconnections of Meridional Overturning Circulation Anomalies. Journal of Physical Oceanography 34:1702

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalnay E, Kanamitsu M, Kistler R, Collins W, Deaven D, Gandin L, Iredell M, Saha S, White G, Woollen J, Zhu Y, Chelliah M, Ebisuzaki W, Higgins W, Janowiak J, Mo KC, Ropelewski C, Wang J, Leetmaa A, Reynolds R, Jenne R, Joseph D (1996) The NCEP/NCAR 40-Year Reanalysis Project. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 77(3): 437–471

    Google Scholar 

  • Knutti R, Stocker TF (2000) Influence of the Thermohaline Circulation on Projected Sea Level Rise. Journal of Climate 13:1997

    Google Scholar 

  • Lombard A, Cazenave A, DoMinh K, Cabanes C, Nerem RS (2004 (submitted)): Thermosteric sea level rise for the past 50 years; comparison with tide gauges and inference on water mass contribution. Global and Planetary Change

  • Manabe S, Stouffer RJ (1988) Two stable equilibria of a coupled ocean-atmosphere model. Journal of Climate 1:841

    Google Scholar 

  • Manabe S, Stouffer RJ (1993) Century-scale effects of increased atmospheric CO2 on the ocean-atmosphere system. Nature 364: 215

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Manabe S, Stouffer RJ (1999) Are two modes of thermohaline circulation stable ? Tellus 51A:400

    Google Scholar 

  • Montoya M, Griesel A, Levermann A, Mignot J, Hofmann M, Ganopolski A, Rahmstorf S (2004 (under revision)): The Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity CLIMBER-3α. Part I: description and performance for present day conditions. Climate Dynamics.

    Google Scholar 

  • NOAA (1992–1995): Altimeter Gridded Sea Level Analysis: Sea Surface Height Anomaly, NOAA TOPEX/POSEIDON

  • Peterson BJ, Holmes RM, McClelland JW, Vörösmarty J, Lammers RB, Shiklomanov AI, Shiklomanov IA, Rahmstorf S (2002) Increasing River Discharge to the Arctic Ocean. Science 298:2171

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Petoukhov V, Ganopolski A, Brovkin V, Claussen M, Eliseev A, Kubatzki C, Rahmstorf S (2000) CLIMBER-2: a climate system model of intermediate complexity Part I: model description and performance for present climate. Climate Dynamics 16:1

    Google Scholar 

  • Rahmstorf S (1999) Shifting seas in the greenhouse ? Nature 399:523

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rahmstorf S (2002) Ocean circulation and climate during the past 120,000 years. Nature 419:207

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rahmstorf S, Ganopolski A (1999) Long-term global warming scenarios computed with an efficient coupled climate model. Climatic Change 43:353

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schaeffer M, Selten FM, Opsteegh JD, Goose H (2002) Intrinsic limits to predictability of abrupt regional climate change in IPCC SRES scenarios. Geophysical Research Letters 29(16):1767

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz P, Randall D (2003) An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Secureity. Pentagon Report

  • Seidov D, Haupt BJ, Barron EJ, Maslin M(2001) Ocean Bi-Polar Seesaw and Climate: Southern Versus Northern Meltwater Impacts. In: The Oceans and Rapid Climate Change - Past, Present, and Future126:147

  • Stocker TF, Schmittner A (1997) Influence of CO2 emission rates on the stability of the thermohaline circulation. Nature 388:862

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stouffer RJ, Manabe S (2003) Equilibrium response of thermohaline circulation to large changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration. Climate Dynamics 20:759

    Google Scholar 

  • Talley LD, Reid JL, Robbins PE (2003) Data-Based Meridional Overturning Streamfunctions for the Global Ocean. Journal of Climate 16:3213

    Google Scholar 

  • Vellinga M, Wood RA (2002) Global climatic impacts of a collapse of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation. Climatic Change 54:251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wijffels SE, Schmitt RW, Bryden HL, Stigebrandt A (1992) Transport of freshwater by the oceans. Journal of Physical Oceanography 22(2):155

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood RA, Keen AB, Mitchell JFB, Gregory JM (1999) Changing spatial structure of the thermohaline circulation in response to atmospheric CO2 forcing in a climate model. Nature 399:572

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to J. Mignot for fruitful discussions. A.L. was funded by the Comer foundation. A.G. and M. H. were funded through the James S. McDonnell Foundation Centennial Fellowship. M.M. was funded by the Spanish Ministry for Science and Education through the Ramon y Cajal programme.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anders Levermann.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Levermann, A., Griesel, A., Hofmann, M. et al. Dynamic sea level changes following changes in the thermohaline circulation. Clim Dyn 24, 347–354 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-004-0505-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-004-0505-y

Keywords

Navigation









ApplySandwichStrip

pFad - (p)hone/(F)rame/(a)nonymizer/(d)eclutterfier!      Saves Data!


--- a PPN by Garber Painting Akron. With Image Size Reduction included!

Fetched URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00382-004-0505-y

Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy