Interannual variability of the Atlantic North Equatorial Undercurrent and its impact on oxygen

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Autores principales: Burmeister, Kristin, Lübbecke, Joke, Brandt, Peter, Duteil, Olaf
Formato: Dataset Open Access
Lenguaje:en
Publicado: PANGAEA 2019
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author Burmeister, Kristin
Lübbecke, Joke
Brandt, Peter
Duteil, Olaf
author_facet Burmeister, Kristin
Lübbecke, Joke
Brandt, Peter
Duteil, Olaf
collection Datos científicos de ciencias marinas y ambientales
contents The North Equatorial Undercurrent (NEUC) has been suggested to act as an important oxygen supply route towards the oxygen minimum zone in the Eastern Tropical North Atlantic. Observational estimates of the mean NEUC strength are uncertain due to the presence of elevated mesoscale activities, and models have difficulties in simulating a realistic NEUC. Here we investigate the interannual variability of the NEUC and its impact onto oxygen based on the output of a high-resolution ocean general circulation model (OGCM) and contrast the results with an unique data set of 21 ship sections along 23 ◦ W and a conceptual model. We find that the interannual variability of the NEUC in the OGCM is related to the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM) with a stronger and more northward NEUC during negative AMM phases. Discrepancies between OGCM and observations suggest a different role of the NEUC in setting the regional oxygen distribution. In the model a stronger NEUC is associated with a weaker oxygen supply towards the east. We attribute this to a too strong recirculation between the NEUC and the northern branch of the South Equatorial Current (nSEC) in the OGCM. Idealized experiments with the conceptual model support the idea that the impact of NEUC variability on oxygen depends on the source water pathway. A strengthening of the NEUC supplied out of the western boundary acts to increase oxygen levels within the NEUC. A strengthening of the recirculations between NEUC and the nSEC results in a reduction of oxygen levels within the NEUC.
format Dataset Open Access
id pangaea_https___doi_org_10_1594_PANGAEA_899052
institution PANGAEA
language en
publishDate 2019
publisher PANGAEA
record_format pangaea
spellingShingle Interannual variability of the Atlantic North Equatorial Undercurrent and its impact on oxygen
Burmeister, Kristin
Lübbecke, Joke
Brandt, Peter
Duteil, Olaf
Climate - Biogeochemistry Interactions in the Tropical Ocean; SFB754
The North Equatorial Undercurrent (NEUC) has been suggested to act as an important oxygen supply route towards the oxygen minimum zone in the Eastern Tropical North Atlantic. Observational estimates of the mean NEUC strength are uncertain due to the presence of elevated mesoscale activities, and models have difficulties in simulating a realistic NEUC. Here we investigate the interannual variability of the NEUC and its impact onto oxygen based on the output of a high-resolution ocean general circulation model (OGCM) and contrast the results with an unique data set of 21 ship sections along 23 ◦ W and a conceptual model. We find that the interannual variability of the NEUC in the OGCM is related to the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM) with a stronger and more northward NEUC during negative AMM phases. Discrepancies between OGCM and observations suggest a different role of the NEUC in setting the regional oxygen distribution. In the model a stronger NEUC is associated with a weaker oxygen supply towards the east. We attribute this to a too strong recirculation between the NEUC and the northern branch of the South Equatorial Current (nSEC) in the OGCM. Idealized experiments with the conceptual model support the idea that the impact of NEUC variability on oxygen depends on the source water pathway. A strengthening of the NEUC supplied out of the western boundary acts to increase oxygen levels within the NEUC. A strengthening of the recirculations between NEUC and the nSEC results in a reduction of oxygen levels within the NEUC.
title Interannual variability of the Atlantic North Equatorial Undercurrent and its impact on oxygen
topic Climate - Biogeochemistry Interactions in the Tropical Ocean; SFB754
url https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.899052