From theory to RAPID AMOC observations: a personal voyage of discovery

Author:

Marotzke Jochem12ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie, Bundesstrasse 53, 20146 Hamburg, Germany

2. Centrum für Erdsystemforschung und Nachhaltigkeit, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

Abstract

I review the history of ideas that have led to the establishment of the RAPID monitoring system for the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) at 26.5° N. This history is closely connected to important events in my personal career. Starting from early and largely unsuccessful attempts at formulating a dynamically consistent force balance for the AMOC, I made theoretical progress by separately predicting the density at the eastern and western boundaries and by invoking exact geostrophic balance throughout, including the western boundary current. A remarkable confluence of individuals and ideas then enabled the establishment of the RAPID array, at its core based on monitoring boundary densities and on geostrophy. The RAPID results, such as the surprisingly large sub-seasonal variability, have encouraged AMOC monitoring approaches at other latitudes. I finish by pointing at two theoretical concepts—first, acknowledging the difference between convective mixing and sinking and, second, considering the advective rather than wave propagation of density perturbations in the deep western boundary current—that, together with continued observations and newly available global coupled simulations at very high resolution, should substantially improve our understanding of the causes of AMOC variability. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Atlantic overturning: new observations and challenges'.

Funder

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Publisher

The Royal Society

Subject

General Physics and Astronomy,General Engineering,General Mathematics

Cited by 2 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

1. Atlantic overturning: new observations and challenges;Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences;2023-10-23

2. Should AMOC observations continue: how and why?;Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences;2023-10-23

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