Presenters: Hyein Jeong (Unlicensed)

Title: Surface-flux driven water mass transformation analysis in E3SM simulations

Abstract:

The Southern Ocean is an important driver for the meridional overturning circulation and it plays a key role in the transport of heat, the uptake of carbon and the global climate system. The strength of the global abyssal overturning circulation is proportional to the rate at which AABW is produced and this production rate is determined by net surface buoyancy loss. Due to the low thermal expansion of seawater at low temperatures, buoyancy loss in polar waters is strongly dominated by the surface freshwater flux rather than heat flux. Data-assimilating models show that sea-ice freezing and melting are the most important processes for water formation over the Southern Ocean, followed by precipitation. Even though glacial melt is relatively small in magnitude, it is located spatially very close to convection areas, where it may also have an influence on dense water formation. Furthermore, ice shelves can contribute to the freshwater flux both directly by meltwater input, and indirectly by impacting stratification and circulation in ways that feedback on sea-ice formation and melt. Water mass transformation analysis, here we applied, quantifies the relationship between the thermodynamic transformation of water mass properties within an ocean basin and the net transport of those same properties into or out of the basin. This relationship has been used to infer Southern Ocean overturning circulation based on observations of air-sea fluxes and to characterize the thermodynamic processes that sustain the Southern Ocean overturning in models. We have applied a water mass transformation analysis framework to aid in our investigation of Southern Ocean interaction between the atmosphere, ocean, sea ice, and ice shelves, and to help identify biases in the E3SM's representation of these processes.

Date

19 Dec 2019

Time

PT: 8:30 am
ET: 11:30 am

Call Info

web session: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/570361173
call number: (571) 317-3122 Access Code: 570-361-173, If busy, use alternate number: (773) 945-1029
Joining from a video-conferencing room or system? Dial: 67.217.95.2##570361173 , Cisco devices: 570361173@67.217.95.2

Attendees

Presentation

Time	Title	Presenter	Presentation	Recording
30 min	Water mass transformations	Hyein Jeong (Unlicensed)	Water Mass Transformation	MP4 Movie (on the E3SM YouTube Channel)

Time

Title

Presenter

Presentation

Recording

30 min

Water mass transformations

Hyein Jeong (Unlicensed)

Water Mass Transformation

MP4 Movie (on the E3SM YouTube Channel)

Browser not supported