IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v15y2024i1d10.1038_s41467-024-51449-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Role of the Labrador Current in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation response to greenhouse warming

Author

Listed:
  • Xuan Shan

    (Ocean University of China
    Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

  • Shantong Sun

    (Laoshan Laboratory)

  • Lixin Wu

    (Ocean University of China
    Laoshan Laboratory)

  • Michael Spall

    (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Abstract

Anthropogenic warming is projected to enhance Arctic freshwater exportation into the Labrador Sea. This extra freshwater may weaken deep convection and contribute to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) decline. Here, by analyzing an unprecedented high-resolution climate model simulation for the 21st century, we show that the Labrador Current strongly restricts the lateral spread of freshwater from the Arctic Ocean into the open ocean such that the freshwater input has a limited role in weakening the overturning circulation. In contrast, in the absence of a strong Labrador Current in a climate model with lower resolution, the extra freshwater is allowed to spread into the interior region and eventually shut down deep convection in the Labrador Sea. Given that the Labrador Sea overturning makes a significant contribution to the AMOC in many climate models, our results suggest that the AMOC decline during the 21st century could be overestimated in these models due to the poorly resolved Labrador Current.

Suggested Citation

  • Xuan Shan & Shantong Sun & Lixin Wu & Michael Spall, 2024. "Role of the Labrador Current in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation response to greenhouse warming," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-51449-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51449-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51449-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-024-51449-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stefan Rahmstorf & Jason E. Box & Georg Feulner & Michael E. Mann & Alexander Robinson & Scott Rutherford & Erik J. Schaffernicht, 2015. "Exceptional twentieth-century slowdown in Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(5), pages 475-480, May.
    2. Qian Yang & Timothy H. Dixon & Paul G. Myers & Jennifer Bonin & Don Chambers & M. R. van den Broeke & Mads H. Ribergaard & John Mortensen, 2016. "Correction: Corrigendum: Recent increases in Arctic freshwater flux affects Labrador Sea convection and Atlantic overturning circulation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-1, December.
    3. Jiaxu Zhang & Wilbert Weijer & Michael Steele & Wei Cheng & Tarun Verma & Milena Veneziani, 2021. "Labrador Sea freshening linked to Beaufort Gyre freshwater release," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-8, December.
    4. Qian Yang & Timothy H. Dixon & Paul G. Myers & Jennifer Bonin & Don Chambers & M. R. van den Broeke & Mads H. Ribergaard & John Mortensen, 2016. "Recent increases in Arctic freshwater flux affects Labrador Sea convection and Atlantic overturning circulation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-8, April.
    5. Feng He & Peter U. Clark, 2022. "Freshwater forcing of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation revisited," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 12(5), pages 449-454, May.
    6. Yeon-Hee Kim & Seung-Ki Min & Nathan P. Gillett & Dirk Notz & Elizaveta Malinina, 2023. "Observationally-constrained projections of an ice-free Arctic even under a low emission scenario," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    7. R. Bintanja & F. M. Selten, 2014. "Future increases in Arctic precipitation linked to local evaporation and sea-ice retreat," Nature, Nature, vol. 509(7501), pages 479-482, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hiroshi Sumata & Laura Steur & Sebastian Gerland & Dmitry V. Divine & Olga Pavlova, 2022. "Unprecedented decline of Arctic sea ice outflow in 2018," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Morven Muilwijk & Tore Hattermann & Torge Martin & Mats A. Granskog, 2024. "Future sea ice weakening amplifies wind-driven trends in surface stress and Arctic Ocean spin-up," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Sara Berglund & Kristofer Döös & Sjoerd Groeskamp & Trevor J. McDougall, 2022. "The downward spiralling nature of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Dmitry Orlov & Marija Menshakova & Tomas Thierfelder & Yulia Zaika & Sepp Böhme & Birgitta Evengard & Natalia Pshenichnaya, 2020. "Healthy Ecosystems Are a Prerequisite for Human Health—A Call for Action in the Era of Climate Change with a Focus on Russia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-11, November.
    5. Denis L. Volkov & Ryan H. Smith & Rigoberto F. Garcia & David A. Smeed & Ben I. Moat & William E. Johns & Molly O. Baringer, 2024. "Florida Current transport observations reveal four decades of steady state," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    6. Andrew Kliskey & Paula Williams & John T. Abatzoglou & Lilian Alessa & Richard B. Lammers, 2019. "Enhancing a community-based water resource tool for assessing environmental change: the arctic water resources vulnerability index revisited," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 183-197, June.
    7. Denis L. Volkov & Kate Zhang & William E. Johns & Joshua K. Willis & Will Hobbs & Marlos Goes & Hong Zhang & Dimitris Menemenlis, 2023. "Atlantic meridional overturning circulation increases flood risk along the United States southeast coast," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    8. Qinxue Gu & Melissa Gervais & Gokhan Danabasoglu & Who M. Kim & Frederic Castruccio & Elizabeth Maroon & Shang-Ping Xie, 2024. "Wide range of possible trajectories of North Atlantic climate in a warming world," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    9. Carlo Grillenzoni & Elisa Carraro, 2021. "Sequential tests of causality between environmental time series: With application to the global warming theory," Environmetrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), February.
    10. Maya Ben-Yami & Vanessa Skiba & Sebastian Bathiany & Niklas Boers, 2023. "Uncertainties in critical slowing down indicators of observation-based fingerprints of the Atlantic Overturning Circulation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    11. Daniel P. Lowry & Holly K. Han & Nicholas R. Golledge & Natalya Gomez & Katelyn M. Johnson & Robert M. McKay, 2024. "Ocean cavity regime shift reversed West Antarctic grounding line retreat in the late Holocene," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, December.
    12. Jordi Cristóbal & Patrick Graham & Marcel Buchhorn & Anupma Prakash, 2016. "A New Integrated High-Latitude Thermal Laboratory for the Characterization of Land Surface Processes in Alaska’s Arctic and Boreal Regions," Data, MDPI, vol. 1(2), pages 1-9, September.
    13. Yi Zhong & Ning Tan & Jordan T. Abell & Chijun Sun & Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr & Heather L. Ford & Timothy D. Herbert & Alex Pullen & Keiji Horikawa & Jimin Yu & Torben Struve & Michael E. Weber & Peter D., 2024. "Role of land-ocean interactions in stepwise Northern Hemisphere Glaciation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    14. Simon L. L. Michel & Didier Swingedouw & Pablo Ortega & Guillaume Gastineau & Juliette Mignot & Gerard McCarthy & Myriam Khodri, 2022. "Early warning signal for a tipping point suggested by a millennial Atlantic Multidecadal Variability reconstruction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    15. Rúna Í. Magnússon & Alexandra Hamm & Sergey V. Karsanaev & Juul Limpens & David Kleijn & Andrew Frampton & Trofim C. Maximov & Monique M. P. D. Heijmans, 2022. "Extremely wet summer events enhance permafrost thaw for multiple years in Siberian tundra," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    16. R. Macdonald & Z. Kuzyk & S. Johannessen, 2015. "It is not just about the ice: a geochemical perspective on the changing Arctic Ocean," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 5(3), pages 288-301, September.
    17. Fukai Liu & Xun Li & Yiyong Luo & Wenju Cai & Jian Lu & Xiao-Tong Zheng & Sarah M. Kang & Hai Wang & Lei Zhou, 2024. "Increased Asian aerosols drive a slowdown of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    18. Chenyu Zhu & Zhengyu Liu & Shaoqing Zhang & Lixin Wu, 2023. "Likely accelerated weakening of Atlantic overturning circulation emerges in optimal salinity fingerprint," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    19. Robert Kopp & Benjamin Horton & Andrew Kemp & Claudia Tebaldi, 2015. "Past and future sea-level rise along the coast of North Carolina, USA," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 132(4), pages 693-707, October.
    20. Roman Olson & Soon-Il An & Yanan Fan & Jason P Evans, 2019. "Accounting for skill in trend, variability, and autocorrelation facilitates better multi-model projections: Application to the AMOC and temperature time series," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(4), pages 1-24, April.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-51449-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.