Ocean heat transport from warm to cold temperatures in a global ocean model

What is it about?

In this article we apply a water-mass based framework to the problem of ocean heat transport. I.e. instead of analysing how the ocean transports heat in the physical space, we examine how the ocean transports heat in temperature space. This framework allows an easy separation of the various diabatic processes, namely surface forcing and turbulent mixing, that are critical to the ocean's ability to transport and sequester heat. We examine both the spatial structure and seasonal variability of these diabatic processes.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

The ocean plays a critical role in the climate system by transferring heat from the tropics toward the poles, helping to regulate regional climates. How this heat transport may change in the future remains a first order question in climate science. However, finding an answer to this question requires a through understanding of the processes that drive ocean heat transport in the current climate. In this article we show that the ocean's ability to move heat depends on diabatic processes, such as small-scale turbulence and surface forcing, that change the temperature of seawater parcels. Diabatic processes in the tropical Pacific are found to play a particularly important role for the global ocean's heat transport. Our results highlight the need to represent these various processes well in climate models in order to accurately project future changes.