Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulation

• Equatorial region receives more solar

insolation than polar regions

• Primary mechanisms for redistributing heat on

the Earth
– Atmospheric circulation
– Oceanic circulation
– Latent heat transfers
 Poleward Heat Transport

Graedel and Crutzen- Atmospheric Change

 Atmosphere

Troposphere-
8 km (poles) to
18 km (tropics)

The atmosphere is
heated from below

Similar to Ruddiman Box 2-1- online

 Atmospheric Circulation

• Based on simple principles

1. Hot air rises
2. Rising air creates low pressure at ground level
3. Cold air sinks
4. Sinking air creates high pressure at ground level
5. Air flows from high pressure to low pressure
regions

• As air rises and cools, water vapor condenses-

rain
 Atmospheric Circulation
LP

No rotation HP
No land

Hot air rises at the equator HP

Cold air sinks at the poles LP

Garrison, Essentials of Oceanography

 Atmospheric Circulation
With rotation (coriolis) HP
3 cells/hemisphere LP

Series of gears HP
Hadley Cell
LP
Major winds:
Trades (NE and SE)
Westerlies
Polar easterlies

Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

- caloric equator Similar to Ruddiman 2-16
online
- doldrums

High and low pressure systems

 Atmospheric Circulation

Hadley cells

Subtropical High

Precipitation vs.
Evaporation
Latent heat transport

Polar frontal zone

(jetstream)

Ruddiman 2-16
ICTZ
Atmospheric
Pressure
Systems
ITCZ
 Monsoonal
Circulation

See Kump, Kasting

and Crane 4-21
Surface Winds
Surface Ocean Temperature
Temperature- 3000m
 Ocean Circulation
Structure of the ocean:
Mixed Layer – stirred by wind

Thermocline- rapid cooling

Deep zone- constant, cold

Garrison
 Ocean Circulation
Depth to the thermocline
varies with latitude and
season (intensity of the
wind)

Stratification
vs.
overturning

Ruddiman 2-25 online

 Ocean Circulation
• Surface Circulation
(mixed layer ~ top 100m)
– Wind driven circulation
– Broken up into gyres by physical boundaries

• Gyres
– Circular flow around the periphery of a basin
 Surface Ocean Circulation

Garrison- note cross equatorial circ in Atlantic is missing in Ruddiman’s figure 2-21
Surface Ocean Circulation

Ruddiman 2-21- online

Surface Winds
 Ekman Spiral

KKC 5-3a Energy rather than water spiraling downward

 Ekman Transport

Similar to Ruddiman 2-22- online

 Surface Ocean Circulation

Due to coriolis
(Ekman Transport)
Water tends to build up
In the center of the
Gyres.

Sea level ~2m higher

At the center of the gyre

Ruddiman 2-23 online

Surface Ocean Circulation
 Surface Ocean Circulation

• Western Boundary currents

– Center of “hill” offset to western margin
– Water circulates around this high
– Channeled, fast, strong on western boundary
• Transport warm water poleward (100’s km/day)
• Gulf Stream, Kuroshio Current, Brazil
Current…
– More diffuse, slower on eastern boundary
• Transport cool water equatorward (10’s km/day)
• California Current, Humbolt or Peru Current…
Gulf
Stream
 Upwelling Regions

Garrison
 Surface Ocean Circulation
• Upwelling
• Mechanism for bringing cool, nutrient-
rich waters to the surface
• Wind induced vertical movement of
water leads to divergence
– Coastal upwelling
– Equatorial upwelling
 Coastal Upwelling

Ekman Transport

Ruddiman 2-27 (online)

 Equatorial Upwelling

Ekman Transport

Ruddiman 2-27 online

 Convergences and Divergences

Garrison
 Equatorial Upwelling
Ekman Transport

des
a
Tr
N. Eq. Current NE

Divergence
Eq. Countercurrent ITCZ
Convergence
SE
T rad
es
Equator
S. Eq. Current Equatorial Divergence
 Vertical Motion

Garrison
 Deep Ocean Circulation
Thermohaline Circulation
• Ocean is density stratified
– Temperature
– Salinity
– Cold and salty = dense
– Both properties are produced at the surface
and transported into the deep ocean by
downwelling at convergence zones
Deep Ocean Circulation
 Deep Ocean Circulation
• Layers with distinct densities are called
water masses (identifiable by their temp
and salinity)
– Surface Waters
– Thermocline Waters
– Intermediate Waters
– Deep Waters
– Bottom Waters
 Deep Ocean Circulation
• Today Deep/Bottom Waters mostly form
(seasonally) in the:
– North Atlantic- Norwegian-Greenland Sea
• North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW)= 4°, 34.9
ppt
– South Atlantic- Weddell Sea
• Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW)= -0.4°, 34.66
ppt

Water is cold (high latitude) and salty (salt

rejection in SH, Med outflow in NH))
NADW
 North Atlantic Deep Water

Greenland
Iceland Norway

US NADW

Broecker and Peng, Tracers in the Sea

 NADW
Norwegian
Greenland Sea
60°N 70°N
Export heat to Europe
Cooled in winter

Gulf Stream

8°C; 35.3 ppt Sinks

Mixes
(MOW)

NADW
4°C; 34.9 ppt
 AABW

Sea ice Sea ice

-0.5°C
AABW 34.6 ppt
 Intermediate Ocean
Circulation
• Intermediate waters form at
convergences
– water not cold enough or salty enough to
sink to seafloor
• Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) 2-4°, 34.2
ppt
 Whole Ocean Circulation

Ruddiman 2-26 (online)

 Whole Ocean Circulation

Garrison
 Deep Ocean Circulation
• Circumpolar Deep Water (CPW or CDW)
– Below Westwind Drift wind mixes the water from
the surface to seafloor
– Combines AABW, NADW (AAIW, Pacific water)
– ACC- “great mixmaster of the world” (Broecker)
– Feeds out into deep Indian and Pacific Oceans
 Circumpolar Water

Open University, Ocean Circulation

 Ocean Conveyor Belt

Links:
Surface and
deep
circulation

Pinet
Ocean Conveyor Belt

IPCC 2001
Ocean Circulation

Garrison
 Ocean Circulation
• Intermediate and Deep Waters sink into the ocean in
just a few places (downwelling)
• Flow and maintain integrity throughout the oceans
because of density contrasts (thermohaline circulation)

• Mix upward gradually along isopycnal surfaces

• Also mix upward from shallow depths by upwelling
(<1000m)
Ocean Circulation

Garrison
 Global Conveyor

Note upward mixing all along the path!

Thus, return flow = deep water formation
Particulate flux- alters chemistry along the flow path
Broecker and Peng, 1-13, Also OC Fig. 218b
 Global Conveyor
• How long does it take?
~ 1500 yrs

• Records of pathway (tracers)

– Oxygen
– Nutrients (nitrate or phosphate)
– Tritium
– CFC’s
– Nd isotopes
 Global Conveyor
• Age of water
– Defined as time since it was in contact with the
surface (ventilation)
• Longer it’s away from the surface = more
decay of organics
– Decrease is O2
– Increase in nutrients (Cd/Ca for geologic
record)
– Increase in silicate (hard part regeneration)
– Heavier δ13C
 O2 as a Tracer of Circulation

Modified from Broecker and Peng, Fig. 1-11

 Nitrate as a Tracer

Modified from Broecker and Peng, Fig. 1-10

Ocean Conveyor Belt

Pinet