Subpolar North Atlantic sea surface salinity as an AMOC mean state indicator
Abstract The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays a crucial role in regulating global climate. Although subpolar sea surface temperature (SST) covaries with recent AMOC variability, the relatively short timescales considered by previous studies leave room for doubt on whether sub...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
|
| Series: | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01190-x |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849226536383676416 |
|---|---|
| author | Jinhui Dai Fanghua Xu Jonathon S. Wright Rui Xin Huang Xiaomeng Huang |
| author_facet | Jinhui Dai Fanghua Xu Jonathon S. Wright Rui Xin Huang Xiaomeng Huang |
| author_sort | Jinhui Dai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays a crucial role in regulating global climate. Although subpolar sea surface temperature (SST) covaries with recent AMOC variability, the relatively short timescales considered by previous studies leave room for doubt on whether subpolar SST reliably represents AMOC state. The same doubt arises for the sea surface salinity (SSS), though freshwater flux into the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) affects AMOC stability by regulating salinity. Here, we investigate the relationships of SST and SSS with the AMOC mean states in model simulations conducted for paleoclimate modeling. SPNA SSS aligns well with changes in the AMOC mean state under these scenarios, while SST does not. Notably, climate experiments simulating an abrupt quadrupling of CO2 demonstrate a significant correlation between SPNA SSS and transient AMOC strength. The absence of significant SPNA freshening over the past several decades may imply the AMOC is less fragile than previously postulated, but data remain insufficient to predict its long-term stability. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e226e3014e2a4e44a5482cd4e7a6bb95 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2397-3722 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-e226e3014e2a4e44a5482cd4e7a6bb952025-08-24T11:16:03ZengNature Portfolionpj Climate and Atmospheric Science2397-37222025-08-018111110.1038/s41612-025-01190-xSubpolar North Atlantic sea surface salinity as an AMOC mean state indicatorJinhui Dai0Fanghua Xu1Jonathon S. Wright2Rui Xin Huang3Xiaomeng Huang4Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua UniversityDepartment of Earth System Science, Tsinghua UniversityDepartment of Earth System Science, Tsinghua UniversityWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionDepartment of Earth System Science, Tsinghua UniversityAbstract The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays a crucial role in regulating global climate. Although subpolar sea surface temperature (SST) covaries with recent AMOC variability, the relatively short timescales considered by previous studies leave room for doubt on whether subpolar SST reliably represents AMOC state. The same doubt arises for the sea surface salinity (SSS), though freshwater flux into the subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) affects AMOC stability by regulating salinity. Here, we investigate the relationships of SST and SSS with the AMOC mean states in model simulations conducted for paleoclimate modeling. SPNA SSS aligns well with changes in the AMOC mean state under these scenarios, while SST does not. Notably, climate experiments simulating an abrupt quadrupling of CO2 demonstrate a significant correlation between SPNA SSS and transient AMOC strength. The absence of significant SPNA freshening over the past several decades may imply the AMOC is less fragile than previously postulated, but data remain insufficient to predict its long-term stability.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01190-x |
| spellingShingle | Jinhui Dai Fanghua Xu Jonathon S. Wright Rui Xin Huang Xiaomeng Huang Subpolar North Atlantic sea surface salinity as an AMOC mean state indicator npj Climate and Atmospheric Science |
| title | Subpolar North Atlantic sea surface salinity as an AMOC mean state indicator |
| title_full | Subpolar North Atlantic sea surface salinity as an AMOC mean state indicator |
| title_fullStr | Subpolar North Atlantic sea surface salinity as an AMOC mean state indicator |
| title_full_unstemmed | Subpolar North Atlantic sea surface salinity as an AMOC mean state indicator |
| title_short | Subpolar North Atlantic sea surface salinity as an AMOC mean state indicator |
| title_sort | subpolar north atlantic sea surface salinity as an amoc mean state indicator |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-01190-x |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jinhuidai subpolarnorthatlanticseasurfacesalinityasanamocmeanstateindicator AT fanghuaxu subpolarnorthatlanticseasurfacesalinityasanamocmeanstateindicator AT jonathonswright subpolarnorthatlanticseasurfacesalinityasanamocmeanstateindicator AT ruixinhuang subpolarnorthatlanticseasurfacesalinityasanamocmeanstateindicator AT xiaomenghuang subpolarnorthatlanticseasurfacesalinityasanamocmeanstateindicator |