HE52B:
Polar Oceans: Similarities, Differences, and Connections with the World Ocean and Climate II
HE52B:
Polar Oceans: Similarities, Differences, and Connections with the World Ocean and Climate II
Polar Oceans: Similarities, Differences, and Connections with the World Ocean and Climate II
Session ID#: 37599
Session Description:
The Arctic and the Southern oceans are both affected by annular modes of atmospheric variability. Both connect to the atmosphere through intervening sea ice. Both are unbounded zonally and interact with ice-sheets. Common dynamics include a small Rossby radius, freshwater’s effect on stratification, mixing “hot spots”, and strong boundary currents. Most importantly, both Polar Oceans have critical roles in climate change.
The Arctic Ocean circulation, salinity, and temperature have changed, and sea ice has declined in recent decades. Such changes affect global climate by modifying the global radiative heat balance through ice-albedo feedback and by impacting the strength of the global overturning circulation. Ocean-ice sheet interaction is likely important in the accelerated mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet.
The Southern Ocean differs from the Arctic in being open to exchange with lower latitudes rather than constrained to exchange heat, freshwater, and momentum with lower latitudes only through narrow straits. Unlike the Arctic Ocean, recent Southern Ocean sea ice trends have been positive, with differences in stratification, mixed layer processes, and forcing being possible reasons.
This special US CLIVAR session will examine the dynamics in the Polar Oceans and the connections among them, the global ocean, ice sheets, and climate.
The Arctic Ocean circulation, salinity, and temperature have changed, and sea ice has declined in recent decades. Such changes affect global climate by modifying the global radiative heat balance through ice-albedo feedback and by impacting the strength of the global overturning circulation. Ocean-ice sheet interaction is likely important in the accelerated mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet.
The Southern Ocean differs from the Arctic in being open to exchange with lower latitudes rather than constrained to exchange heat, freshwater, and momentum with lower latitudes only through narrow straits. Unlike the Arctic Ocean, recent Southern Ocean sea ice trends have been positive, with differences in stratification, mixed layer processes, and forcing being possible reasons.
This special US CLIVAR session will examine the dynamics in the Polar Oceans and the connections among them, the global ocean, ice sheets, and climate.
Primary Chair: James Morison, Polar Science Center, Seattle, WA, United States
Co-chairs: Camille Lique, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, IUEM, Plouzané, France, Josh K Willis, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States and Andrew M. Hogg, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Moderators: Camille Lique, Laboratoire d'Océanographie Physique et Spatiale, IUEM, Plouzané, France and James Morison, Polar Science Center, Seattle, WA, United States
Student Paper Review Liaison: Josh K Willis, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States
Index Terms:
1621 Cryospheric change [GLOBAL CHANGE]
1635 Oceans [GLOBAL CHANGE]
4513 Decadal ocean variability [OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL]
4520 Eddies and mesoscale processes [OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL]
Cross-Topics:
- AI - Air-Sea Interactions
- PC - Past, Present and Future Climate
- PL - Physical Oceanography: Mesoscale and Larger
- RS - Regional Studies
Abstracts Submitted to this Session:
An Arctic Ocean Double Overturning: the Contrasting Roles of Heat and Freshwater as Drivers (317665)
Relationship Between Arctic Freshwater and Atmospheric Circulation in Fully Coupled Climate Models (324353)
See more of: High Latitude Environments