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1. Global Patterns of Spatial and Temporal Variability in Salinity from Multiple Gridded Argo Products

   https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-20-0053.1  

   Liu, Chao; Liang, Xinfeng; Chambers, Don P.; Ponte, Rui M. (October 2020, Journal of Climate)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Salinity is one of the fundamental ocean state variables and has been used to infer important information about climate change and variability. Previous studies have found inconsistent salinity variations in various objective ocean analyses that are based on the Argo measurements. However, as far as we are aware, a comprehensive assessment of those inconsistencies, as well as robust spatial and temporal features of salinity variability among the Argo-based products, has not been conducted. Here we compare and evaluate ocean salinity variability from five objective ocean analyses that are solely or primarily based on Argo measurements for their overlapping period from 2005 to 2015. We examine the salinity variability at the sea surface and within two depth intervals (0–700 and 700–2000 m). Our results show that the climatological mean is generally consistent among all examined products, although regional discrepancies are evident in the subsurface ocean. The time evolution, vertical structure, and leading EOF modes of salinity variations show good agreement among most of the examined products, indicating that a number of robust features of the salinity variability can be obtained by examining gridded Argo products. However, significant discrepancies in these variations exist, particularly in the subsurface North Atlantic and Southern Oceans. Also, despite the increasing number of Argo floats deployed in the ocean, the discrepancies were not significantly reduced over time. Our analyses, particularly those of the discrepancies between products, can serve as a useful reference for utilizing and improving the existing objective ocean analyses that are based on Argo measurements. 

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2. Indian Ocean warming as a driver of the North Atlantic warming hole

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18522-5  

   Hu, Shineng; Fedorov, Alexey V. (September 2020, Nature Communications)

   Abstract Over the past century, the subpolar North Atlantic experienced slight cooling or suppressed warming, relative to the background positive temperature trends, often dubbed the North Atlantic warming hole (NAWH). The causes of the NAWH remain under debate. Here we conduct coupled ocean-atmosphere simulations to demonstrate that enhanced Indian Ocean warming, another salient feature of global warming, could increase local rainfall and through teleconnections strengthen surface westerly winds south of Greenland, cooling the subpolar North Atlantic. In decades to follow however, this cooling effect would gradually vanish as the Indian Ocean warming acts to strengthen the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). We argue that the historical NAWH can potentially be explained by such atmospheric mechanisms reliant on surface wind changes, while oceanic mechanisms related to AMOC changes become more important on longer timescales. Thus, explaining the North Atlantic temperature trends and particularly the NAWH requires considering both atmospheric and oceanic mechanisms. 

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3. Refined Estimates of Global Ocean Deep and Abyssal Decadal Warming Trends

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL111229  

   Johnson, Gregory C; Purkey, Sarah G (September 2024, Geophysical Research Letters)

   Abstract Deep and abyssal layer decadal temperature trends from the mid‐1980s to the mid‐2010s are mapped globally using Deep Argo and historical ship‐based Conductivity‐Temperature‐Depth (CTD) instrument data. Abyssal warming trends are widespread, with the strongest warming observed around Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) formation regions. The warming strength follows deep western boundary currents transporting abyssal waters north and decreases with distance from Antarctica. Abyssal cooling trends are found in the North Atlantic and eastern South Atlantic, regions primarily ventilated by North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). Deep warming trends are prominent in the Southern Ocean south of about 50°S, the Greenland‐Iceland‐Norwegian (GIN) Seas and the western subpolar North Atlantic, with cooling in the eastern subpolar North Atlantic and the subtropical and tropical western North Atlantic. Globally integrated decadal heat content trends of 21.6 (±6.5) TW in the deep and 12.9 (±1.8) TW in the abyssal layer are more certain than previous estimates. 

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4. A Prototype for Remote Monitoring of Ocean Heat Content Anomalies

   https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-21-0037.1  

   Trossman, David S.; Tyler, Robert H. (May 2022, Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology)

   Abstract To overcome challenges with observing ocean heat content (OHC) over the entire ocean, we propose a novel approach that exploits the abundance of satellite data, including data from modern satellite geomagnetic surveys such as Swarm. The method considers a novel combination of conventional in situ (temperature and pressure) as well as satellite (altimetry and gravimetry) data with estimates of ocean electrical conductance (depth-integrated conductivity), which can potentially be obtained from magnetic observations (by satellite, land, seafloor, ocean, and airborne magnetometers). To demonstrate the potential benefit of the proposed method, we sample model output of an ocean state estimate to reflect existing observations and train a machine learning algorithm [Generalized Additive Model (GAM)] on these samples. We then calculate OHC everywhere using information potentially derivable from various global satellite coverage—including magnetic observations—to gauge the GAM’s goodness of fit on a global scale. Inclusion of in situ observations of OHC in the upper 2000 m from Argo-like floats and conductance data each reduce the root-mean-square error by an order of magnitude. Retraining the GAM with recent ship-based hydrographic data attains a smaller RMSE in polar oceans than training the GAM only once on all available historical ship-based hydrographic data; the opposite is true elsewhere. The GAM more accurately calculates OHC anomalies throughout the water column than below 2000 m and can detect global OHC anomalies over multiyear time scales, even when considering hypothetical measurement errors. Our method could complement existing methods and its accuracy could be improved through careful ship-based campaign planning. Significance Statement The purpose of this manuscript is to demonstrate the potential for practical implementation of a remote monitoring method for ocean heat content (OHC) anomalies. To do this, we sample data from a reanalysis product primarily because of the dearth of observations below 2000 m depth that can be used for validation and the fact that full-depth-integrated electrical seawater conductivity data products derived from satellite magnetometry are not yet available. We evaluate multiple factors related to the accuracy of OHC anomaly estimation and find that, even with hypothetical measurement errors, our method can be used to monitor OHC anomalies on multiyear time scales. 

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5. Coupling of the mid-depth and abyssal components of the global overturning circulation according to a state estimate

   https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abf5478  

   Rousselet, Louise; Cessi, Paola; Forget, Gael (May 2021, Science Advances)

   null (Ed.)

   Using velocities from a state estimate, Lagrangian analysis maps the global routes of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) exiting the Atlantic and reentering the upper branch of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Virtual particle trajectories followed for 8100 years highlight an upper route (32%) and a lower route (68%). The latter samples σ 2 > 37.07 and is further divided into subpolar (20%) and abyssal cells (48%). Particles in the abyssal cell detour into the abyssal North Pacific before upwelling in the Southern Ocean. NADW preferentially upwells north of 33°S (67%). Total diapycnal transformations are largest in the lower route but of comparable magnitudes in the upper route, challenging its previous characterization as “adiabatic.” Typical transit times are 300, 700, and 3600 years for the upper route, subpolar, and abyssal cells, respectively. The AMOC imports salinity into the Atlantic, indicating its potential instability to high-latitude freshwater perturbations. 

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