Ocean circulation and climate in an idealised Pangean OAGCM

Smith, R.S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7479-7778, Dubois, C. and Marotzke, J. (2004) Ocean circulation and climate in an idealised Pangean OAGCM. Geophysical Research Letters, 31. L18207. ISSN 0094-8276 doi: 10.1029/2004GL020643

Abstract/Summary

An idealised Pangean configuration is integrated in a coupled ocean atmosphere general circulation model to investigate the form of the ocean circulation and its impacts on the large scale climate system. A vigorous, hemispherically symmetric overturning is found, driven by deep water formation at high latitudes. Whilst the peak mass transport is around 100Sv, a low vertical temperature gradient in the ocean means that the maximum heat transport is only 1.2PW. The geographical change in the coupled model is found to produce a global average warming of 2°C, despite an increase in global surface albedo. This occurs through changes in the atmospheric water vapour and cloud distributions. There is also reduction in the equator-pole temperature gradient, largely attributable to the same causes, avoiding the paradox of low meridional temperature gradients without increased polar heat transport.