Sensitivity of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation to model resolution in CMIP6 HighResMIP simulations and implications for future changes

A multimodel, multiresolution ensemble using Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP) coupled experiments is used to assess the performance of key aspects of the North Atlantic circulation. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and related heat transport, tends to become stronger as ocean model resolution is enhanced, better agreeing with observations at 26.5 degrees N. However, for most models the circulation remains too shallow compared to observations and has a smaller temperature contrast between the northward and southward limbs of the AMOC. These biases cause the northward heat transport to be systematically too low for a given overturning strength. The higher-resolution models also tend to have too much deep mixing in the subpolar gyre. In the period 2015-2050 the overturning circulation tends to decline more rapidly in the higher-resolution models, which is related to both the mean state and to the subpolar gyre contribution to deep water formation. The main part of the decline comes from the Florida Current component of the circulation. Such large declines in AMOC are not seen in the models with resolutions more typically used for climate studies, suggesting an enhanced risk for Northern Hemisphere climate change. However, only a small number of different ocean models are included in the study.

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Related Links

Related Dataset #1 : ECMWF ECMWF-IFS-HR model output prepared for CMIP6 HighResMIP

Related Dataset #2 : CMCC CMCC-CM2-VHR4 model output prepared for CMIP6 HighResMIP

Related Dataset #3 : ECMWF ECMWF-IFS-LR model output prepared for CMIP6 HighResMIP

Related Dataset #4 : MPI-M MPI-ESM1.2-XR model output prepared for CMIP6 HighResMIP

Related Dataset #5 : CMCC CMCC-CM2-HR4 model output prepared for CMIP6 HighResMIP

Related Dataset #6 : MPI-M MPIESM1.2-HR model output prepared for CMIP6 HighResMIP

Related Dataset #7 : NERC HadGEM3-GC31-HM model output prepared for CMIP6 HighResMIP

Related Dataset #8 : Atlantic meridional overturning circulation observed by the RAPID-MOCHA-WBTS (RAPID-Meridional Overturning Circulation and Heatflux Array-Western Boundary Time Series) array at 26N from 2004 to 2017.

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Author Roberts, Malcolm J.
Jackson, Laura C.
Roberts, Christopher D.
Meccia, Virna
Docquier, David
Koenigk, Torben
Ortega, Pablo
Moreno‐Chamarro, Eduardo
Bellucci, Alessio
Coward, Andrew
Drijfhout, Sybren
Exarchou, Eleftheria
Gutjahr, Oliver
Hewitt, Helene
Iovino, Doroteaciro
Lohmann, Katja
Putrasahan, Dian
Schiemann, Reinhard
Seddon, Jon
Terray, Laurent
Xu, Xiaobiao
Zhang, Qiuying
Chang, Ping
Yeager, Stephen G.
Castruccio, Frederic S.
Zhang, Shaoqing
Wu, Lixin
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2020-08-08T00:00:00
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Not Assigned
Alternate Identifier N/A
Resource Version N/A
Topic Category geoscientificInformation
Progress N/A
Metadata Date 2023-08-18T18:13:43.945869
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:23634
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Roberts, Malcolm J., Jackson, Laura C., Roberts, Christopher D., Meccia, Virna, Docquier, David, Koenigk, Torben, Ortega, Pablo, Moreno‐Chamarro, Eduardo, Bellucci, Alessio, Coward, Andrew, Drijfhout, Sybren, Exarchou, Eleftheria, Gutjahr, Oliver, Hewitt, Helene, Iovino, Doroteaciro, Lohmann, Katja, Putrasahan, Dian, Schiemann, Reinhard, Seddon, Jon, Terray, Laurent, Xu, Xiaobiao, Zhang, Qiuying, Chang, Ping, Yeager, Stephen G., Castruccio, Frederic S., Zhang, Shaoqing, Wu, Lixin. (2020). Sensitivity of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation to model resolution in CMIP6 HighResMIP simulations and implications for future changes. UCAR/NCAR - Library. http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7q52svv. Accessed 29 March 2024.

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